tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post8593843530307768706..comments2024-01-18T09:29:42.707-05:00Comments on Biking in Heels: Charles River Connectivity Meeting NotesCyclerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12072776738519243521noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-86354560815594821672011-10-14T14:51:16.137-04:002011-10-14T14:51:16.137-04:00Convincing cyclists to ride more respectfully and ...Convincing cyclists to ride more respectfully and lawfully can be addressed by shame, education, enforcement, or just by setting a good example. However, shame creates resentment, education requires willing students, enforcement discourages more than it encourages, and good examples work best at small scales.<br />This problem requires convincing a large number of people to do or believe something that they are not inclined to. America has pioneered the solution to this problem, and the pioneers are PR and marketing professionals.<br />Unfortunately in my rounds of the cycling community I have not met such professionals, but they have the best skills to solve this problem.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14434254311488859982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-55760546695895288832011-10-14T09:01:11.582-04:002011-10-14T09:01:11.582-04:00Jeremy,
I understand, and of course cars are more...Jeremy,<br /><br />I understand, and of course cars are more dangerous than bikes to pedestrians. The problem is that bikes clearly are endangering pedestrians, which isn't cool and is going to hurt us. It's one thing for drivers to use the scofflaw argument because it's convenient and emotional, but I think it's a different issue when pedestrians start to turn anti-bike, partly because of the numbers of pedestrians vs bikers. Everyone in boston is a pedestrian. Most are drivers, and a few are bikers. The biggest overlap is the pedestrian-driver group, and there can be more sympathy for a class that you're (sometimes) part of.<br /><br />Ideally, of course we get more people on bikes, and increase the driver-biker overlap, but it's going to be a bumpy road if the pedestrians, who are too afraid to bike because of the drivers, turn against the bikers because they're afraid of them.<br /><br />Mama Vee, it's funny- in Texas and Missouri you are generally allowed to turn on red, and while pedestrian density is not as high, I don't recall people ever turning without stopping (and yielding to peds). In MA, it seems that people feel entitled to turn right on red without stopping, which is crazy, and I'm really glad that in most of Cambridge, and a lot of Boston there's no right on red posted in many ped-intensive areas.cyclerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10331461189944538729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-87401521187676067282011-10-14T08:40:52.980-04:002011-10-14T08:40:52.980-04:00my comment about peds and the "stepping off t...my comment about peds and the "stepping off the curb" comment is that I personally think that boston ( and lots of places in Mass with it's ped crosswalk laws) actually is the WORST place to get across an intersection be it car, bike or on foot.<br /><br />My first time in boston right before I went to college my dad and I were walking in harvard square and I was looking around at everyone as if they were on Crack. the whole cross walk system was a giant game of chicken in my mind and I saw people literally throwing themselves into the street without looking. I remember grabbing my dads hand as we hurried across several crosswalks.<br /><br />imho- crosswalks suck. Basically as a ped- you must step off and launch to make someone stop, and the likelihood that a car will actually stop is 50-50 in some places. As a car- it's hard to keep scanning left and right to make sure no one is jetting and I'm fairly vigilant. Still I have been surprised by a ped running across a few times. I also had a car accident b/c I stopped at a crosswalk seeing a man at the curb wanting to cross. I stopped perhaps a bit short b/c I didn't want to be an asshole- yet the car behind me didn't. She tried to tell the officer that I " Stopped for a person who wasn't crossing" and luckily the officer smiled and gave her a ticket, but still- if a man standing at the lip of the curb holding a cup of coffee looking to the other side of the street isn't hoping to cross- then who is? yes- he was wise to be patient and not expect me to stop- but the law says I should stop so I did. anyway- that's my gripe about boston and peds and bikes and cars. Doesn't touch on the pathway at all. but I feel like in NYC the cars go super fast- it's a hectic pace. However there is also structure in that being a ped feels perfectly safe. Each party knows where they belong and when they should move forth. ( there are jaywalkers- but they know that the law is not on their side and move accordingly.) I don't bike in NYC so I can't speak to that part at all. <br /><br />My final boston rant- right turns on reds are my nemesis. Also good for the car, but shitty for the ped. I've waved angrily at more people when trying to cross when being nearly hooked by a right on red person. I love it when in a car I see "NO right on red" I can relax and wait my freaking turn.MamaVeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09519007680870604271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-17616176442564375482011-10-14T00:43:38.068-04:002011-10-14T00:43:38.068-04:00Honestly, it's not our job to encourage cyclis...Honestly, it's not our job to encourage cyclists to obey traffic laws. I think all illegal cyclist behavior comes back to one thing: cyclists don't feel respected on our streets. And the main effect of this is to create an "everyone for themself" mentality where all you worry about is your own safety and comfort. That's why people bike on sidewalks, because they don't feel safe on streets, and because they've been conditioned to worry only about their safety they aren't thinking about pedestrians who may be scared by bikes in their small spaces. <br /><br />I also don't think it matters if cyclists disregard traffic laws, as long as they yield the right of way and wait until it's safe (for others) to proceed. Pedestrians disregard traffic laws all the time, AND THAT'S OK. As long as nobody is at risk of injury or terror (i.e. buzzing), who cares? <br /><br />You're correct that it's a PR problem but it's just not our place to solve it. There are no practical steps we can take to solve it, and the only reason people expect us to solve it is that it's a convenient narrative by which to dismiss bike safety improvements. <br /><br />So I guess the real question is, how do we make the real safety problems -- numerous routine safety violations by motor vehicle drivers -- into a political problem for them? Nothing will improve safety more than confronting this ongoing problem, but bike path improvements are a separate issue.Jeremynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-1682559451975877342011-10-12T11:06:08.491-04:002011-10-12T11:06:08.491-04:00My main peeves about the river paths is the condit...My main peeves about the river paths is the condition of the paths themselves, especially on the north side. On the Boston side they're wider and better maintained, on the Cambridge side they're narrow and in rough shape, broken up by a lot of tree roots. I've given up trying to use it. <br /><br />And I think we will not see great improvement in cyclist behavior until there is more actual enforcement of rules. Social pressure and being good examples on the road (I've actually had drivers thank me for stopping at lights!) are useful, but not enough. And it has to be consistent. Cambridge cops will issue warnings for about a week or two out of the year. That's not going to really change behavior. (Personally I feel that if there were stricter enforcement of just two rules--red lights and wrong way riding--safety would be enhanced significantly for everyone). Obviously, it'll never be perfect. I mean, most drivers exhibit a fairly high level of compliance with the rules because there's a significant consequence for infractions, but as we know all too well, infractions continue to happen anyways.Moopheusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-1449596766336446662011-10-12T10:38:27.494-04:002011-10-12T10:38:27.494-04:00Thanks for reporting back on the meeting! Your hit...Thanks for reporting back on the meeting! Your hit list matches up with mine, I'd only add that I'd love some small signs on Beacon St or Comm Ave in Back Bay to remind me where I can get over a bridge onto the bike path between Storrow and the river.<br /><br />Riding with you on Saturday, I was impressed/charmed by how nicely you interacted with motorists and pedestrians. I have a hard time saying "on your left" so it can be heard and yet still sounds pleasant, but I do try to thank people as I pass them. You've inspired me to try and up my game, so leading by example works at least a bit. :) <br />One thing that I was considering is reaching out to places that sell bikes to have them include some education with each sale. Maybe only a leaflet that hits the major points, since I've encountered people who just don't know that bikers are supposed to follow the rules of the road. Getting the RMV to include an "interacting with bikes" primer when you have to renew your license might help as well (I've long been amazed that you can renew your license without any sort of quiz).Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15115854996029876654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-39521582201519365212011-10-12T10:09:32.774-04:002011-10-12T10:09:32.774-04:00The people doing to the most damage to cyclists re...The people doing to the most damage to cyclists reputations are the ones that care the least about what other people think. They wear their hostility towards others and disregard for the law, and often common sense, as a badge of honor. Shaming them will only further reinforce their behavior through adulation in their small peer groups and self centered ego driven universe.<br /><br />The only thing civil civic minded cyclists can do is continue to obey the law and peacefully coexist with motorists and pedestrians. If we can reinforce the majority of cyclists as being benign the general public will less apt to jump on the scofflaw stereotype bandwagon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com