I'm going to quote myself in the next few replies from another thread. They are a commentary of what a difference bike infrastructure, bike paths, bike lanes, sharrows, etc made/make in my life.
Background - I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Prostate Cancer, which is why I was commuting to BIDMC everyday for radiation treatments in 2021. I relapsed within a year of treatments, and now have Stage 4 Prostate Cancer. ONE of the side effects of treatments is brain fog. I was strongly advised not to drive or bike on roads. With a lot of rehab, I can drive short distances alone, and can ride short distances on *SOME* roads.
I was formerly "strong and fearless" (I hate that term).
I used to ride in the deep end all over Metro Boston.
I am unable now.
That is what life is like for a person with a disability.
Specifically on the sharrows:
I frequently rode on Oxford street before the sharrows, and continue to ride on it after the sharrows. They've made no difference in MY behavior (I always took the lane there), but I immediately noticed far more people on bikes riding in the center of the lane. They've also quieted the "drivers of motor vehicles" too. Another huge help later was another traffic control device, the speed limit was reduced to 25 mph. And there are speed tables at many intersections.
The sharrows through Harvard Square have made a HUGE difference in the behavior of "drivers of motor vehicles." (This is MA HOLE ground zero.)
The sharrows in Brookline are good, but fading. Biggest help is the one ways keep "drivers of motor vehicles" from cutting through, while the contra-bike lanes permit a passage for people on bikes. The sharrows seem to complement the contra-bike lanes.
Finally, some of the first studies on sharrows took place on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Professor Peter Furth of Northeastern invented the "sharrows on steroids."
-mr. bill
Originally Posted by
mr_bill
So, still riding to and from BIDMC, already 1/3 way through treatment, though the BU Bridge is getting steeper with each passing week.
I come here to praise The Minuteman Bikeway, Alewife Linear Park, Somerville Community Path, and the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bikepath, plus the various simple changes made to streets that make connecting these possible for me.
Thank you Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, and Brookline.
The Minuteman Bikeway is where the journey starts, and I'm thrilled that a worker in a cherry picker recently fixed the RRFB (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons) at the Mill Street crossing, though honestly most drivers still are oblivious:
I'm travelling mid-day, so I miss the sometimes chaos at this too small two stage bike queue box, but even with my lost marbles, I manage this block fine:
The new-ish signal at Lake helps a lot. I just wait, wait, and wait for the bike green, bobble head making sure all cross traffic has actually the ____ stopped, and then happily continue onward:
Now onto the beginning of Alewife Linear Park, this cantilever over Yates Pond is such a huge improvement over the "take the lane" (and it still is a sucky road surface) back in the day. One note, it's amazing how often drivers will preemptively stop for me. They see me from a long way back and just usually yield, even without the beg button, at least during off peak hours:
Heading around Russel Field. P.S. Love that they removed the stop signs at the Harvey Street dead end:
The crossing at Cameron Ave, the boundary between Cambridge and Somerville, and the boundary between Alewife Linear Park and Somerville Community Path:
And now, this surprised me. I expected to walk through Davis. But mid-day, with the on-street dining reducing this to a single lane, the drivers are calmed. It's so bad here it's really really good:
And ironically, once I turn off Holland onto Grove it gets hard with absolute nuts often racing to the stop sign, but it's a short street:
To be continued....
-mr. bill