so the BU paper ran an article about the bike lane today. I would have chimed in but the two op-eds pretty much covered what I would have said:
Article:
There may be a few bumps on the road to a bike-friendly Boston University campus.
With the recent addition of bicycle lanes to Commonwealth Avenue, student bicyclists said they are learning to ride alongside traffic with varying success.
"One time, I had to avoid a car because he wasn't avoiding me," College of General Studies sophomore Zach Kohn said, describing a vehicle that had swerved into the bike lane.
"The fact that there is somewhere to ride your bike where you're not near cars or people, it's helpful," he said.
When it comes to riding in the bike lanes at the intersection near the BU Bridge, however, "it's a little frightening there," Kohn said.
Although the bike lanes were the result of a "collaboration between Boston University, city of Boston agencies and the state highway department," the Boston Police Department - not the Boston University Police Department - is responsible for the enforcement of traffic laws, including making sure vehicles stay out of bicycle lanes, Boston Transportation Department Director of Policy and Planning Vineet Gupta said.
"The roads are run by the city of Boston," Gupta said. "It's the city's responsibility to maintain [the bike lanes]."
School of Engineering sophomore Michael Schmitt said he has not experienced any problems while using the bike lanes.
"Cars have been basically staying out of the way, so they haven't really been blocking it too much that I've noticed," he said.
Schmitt said he actually finds it easier now to deal with traffic as a result of the bike lanes.
"I don't have to worry about the cars as much, it's really convenient to ride in the bike lanes," he said. "I wish there were more around."
College of Fine Arts senior Lisa Santosa said she has noticed cars intruding on the bike lanes, especially in the central section of campus near the BU Bridge, where the bike lanes abruptly end.
"Cars definitely block them," she said. "It's pretty often you have to go around them, but it's pretty normal. My fear is just getting doored because the bike lane is so close to where cars are parked."
Santosa said that, despite any problems she has encountered, she is happy to see the bike community finally getting recognition in Boston.
"That's where we'd ride even if there wasn't a sanctioned area for it," she said. "It's at least a good direction to be going in."
The bike lanes are part of an initiative by the mayor to make Boston more bike-friendly, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's spokesman Nick Martin said.
"It's a learning process for both cyclists and drivers," he said. "Because the lanes are new, drivers have to get used to not having that extra road space . . . but I think both ends have been receptive so far."
Boston University spokesman Colin Riley said that students need to be patient as drivers adjust to sharing the road with cyclists.
"We want to be a bike-friendly campus," Riley said. "We want to continue to encourage students, staff and faculty to use bikes . . . but this is also a stretch of road with a lot of activity.
"At some point in the future, ideally, I think it will all be improved, but there's still a transition," he said. "It takes a lot of getting used to."
Oped1:
Boston University students can add a new word to their vocabulary: doored. It is a verb commonly used by students traveling down Commonwealth Avenue by bicycle. The proper way to use it in a sentence would run, "I was almost doored on my way to class today." The Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project has certainly beautified the campus, but it has also brought bicyclists' safety into question.
Adding bike lanes to the main street of a busy, urban campus is a good idea that probably should have happened sooner. With the rising cost of fuel, coasting into the office or class on a 10-speed has gained more and more appeal each year.
Unfortunately, this good idea is quite literally coming up short. The new bike safety lanes abruptly end at the BU bridge. This causes bicyclists to suddenly find themselves sandwiched between cars and in a possibly dangerous situation. Car, truck and even hybrid drivers have to stay aware of their non-motor counterparts. The university has even acknowledged that BU Bridge is the most dangerous intersection on campus. So why not keep the "safety" lanes going down Commonwealth Avenue?
Bicyclists may also notice a lack of respect when it comes to parking. Oftentimes cars will horde their four wheel drive beast into the new bike lanes. Not only does it cause bicyclists to swerve back into traffic, it raises the chances of getting "doored" when the unsuspecting driver decides to leave the vehicle. Park in metered parking spaces so bicyclists can have their safety.
This lack of respect, however, can flow both ways. Bicyclists need to follow traffic lights just like motorists do. Motorists will never want to see you as an equal on the road if you don't act like it. Pedestrians have to keep their eyes open, too. Just because a car isn't zooming towards you doesn't mean that that guy on the bike can't hit you.
The bike lanes were created for safety. It needs to be proven that adding safety lanes will actually make a difference as opposed to not having safety lanes. Adding traffic lights, specifically for bicyclists, could be the answer. Even cutting into sidewalks for bicyclists' own lanes could improve safety. There is still nearly a mile of Commonwealth Avenue in need of improvement, and the government should consider these options for the sake of public safety.
Until the state is able to drudge up enough money for either of those options, however, commuters on whatever means of transportation they choose should be aware and be safe. Don't get doored and don't door anyone.
oped2:
Tuesday morning, I witnessed the reality of biking in a commuter city. As I was walking to class along Commonwealth Avenue, past the BU Bridge and into the BU Central area, I saw a horrifying scene -- a bicyclist on the ground near the T tracks, shoes in the middle of the street, broken glass everywhere and a crowd of concerned onlookers.
I knew instantly this biker had been hit by a car, and I immediately felt sick to my stomach. I, too, frequently ride my bike to campus and through the streets of Boston.
This accident reinforces the importance of bike safety, especially here in Boston. The city has been taking steps to make Boston a more bike-friendly city, especially after a biking initiative started this summer by Mayor Thomas Menino. While the addition of bike lanes on Commonwealth Avenue increases biking safety, the volume of commuters both in cars and on bikes still poses a serious issue that cannot simply be solved with bike lanes.
The blame cannot be placed on either drivers nor cyclists, and both parties must take responsibility in this issue. Cyclists must be just as attentive and defensive as drivers by following traffic laws and wearing helmets as a safety measure. We all share the same road, after all.
With the number of students who use bikes as their mode of transport around campus, maybe it is time the administration and the Boston University Police Department stepped in to really promote bike safety to the student body.