Comments
JazzlikeNecessary293 t1_jb9s6m7 wrote
• This means that passing is common. Passing today requires entering the vehicle lane
Passing on a divided bike lane can be pretty inconvenient. For anyone that goes, try to scrutinize this part of the design.
UniWheel t1_jbjxbx6 wrote
>This means that passing is common. Passing today requires entering the vehicle lane
>
>Passing on a divided bike lane can be pretty inconvenient. For anyone that goes, try to scrutinize this part of the design.
Exactly. Physically confining cyclists is a win for drivers, but bad for cyclists.
Build this, and you'll probably see lots of folks opting for the car lane instead - which is fully legal in Massachusetts, and quite appropriate at the volume of usage depicted in that picture.
An actually useful bike lane is space that we can use when being passed by cars at the hours where that's actually possible, and space that we can leave when that's what is required.
Plus confining cyclists to a fixed, second class space fails to match the desire to use subsidies to get people who would not currently bike onto an e-bike - e-bikes break the idea that bikes have different needs from cars, as they put even less-athletic folks in that uncanny valley between cherished beliefs of distinction that were never true to begin with.
And that's even before getting into the intersection conflicts...
hareandanser t1_jb8hpvl wrote
It really does get this busy at rush hour—I know it looks like a lot but clearly everyone is stopped at a light so riders are stacking up (I’m only counting 14 people anyway—idk just pushing back on anyone who thinks this was staged)
Anyway! I’m always surprised to see how many people bike on this street, but it makes total sense as it feeds right into all of the offices in Kendall. I am all for the protected bike lanes and excited to have them in place. As a less confident biker myself it will definitely make me want to ride more.
actionindex t1_jbaxsdt wrote
I rarely commute this way, partly because there are so many other bikes that it honestly gets annoying, but I can confirm that I've been 20th and 21st bicycle in line before at the Hampshire St/Cambridge St light, and I've definitely had 15+ bikes in line with me at other Hampshire St intersections in the morning.
and_dont_blink t1_jb9mghg wrote
It's relatively seasonal.
terminal_prognosis t1_jbb3o7i wrote
Yes, it is very seasonal, but even now at rush hour I am usually with a cluster of other cyclists at Inman, comparable in number to how many cars get through each light cycle. When it's very busy and people demonstrate their superlative MA gridlocking skills further east on Hampshire, I'm pretty sure many more bikes than cars get through.
Since there isn't significant bike congestion, usually you just see them briefly riding past, while the cars numbers are very evident as they're waiting in queues.
And then come May, the number of cyclists explodes. Ironic really, as IMO that's the start of the bad season for biking, when it gets too warm. Right now is at the cool end of optimal.
pagoodma t1_jb9wga0 wrote
i drive it every day and even in the winter its pretty busy!
and_dont_blink t1_jba1cne wrote
I walked it this morning heading into Inman due to poor time management, lots of cars but I think I saw one or two bikes go past. Going to stick with scenes like this being pretty seasonal.
pagoodma t1_jb9wpd7 wrote
As a driver on this road id appreciate a protected bike lane, soooo much bike traffic im surprised i havent seen more accidents.
itamarst t1_jbbsrnk wrote
Last meeting had some stats on crashes, there's a lot of them :(
ConradHalling t1_jb9ookm wrote
There are fewer bicyclists in the winter, but no matter what time of year, there are people commuting by bicycle. This is a very busy route, and it deserves protected bicycle lanes.
ik1nky t1_jba4lg2 wrote
About 1/2 as many during the winter, which is still a large amount on this segment. And separated bike lanes will only improve the winter retention.
and_dont_blink t1_jbbcual wrote
I/2 seems really high based on my experience, is there any source for this? I know people who bike in during the warmer months, and only one that really swaps out their tires for studs and goes all-in in case of ice etc. I see it going from clusters in May and June to just a handful to often none -- though some decide to walk or drive instead. That's anecdotal so I'd be interested in where you're seeing it.
MarcoVinicius t1_jb8thpk wrote
If it's getting this much traffic then make two bikes lanes and eat up some of that lovely space to the right of the bike lane. Honestly streets look ugly with cars parked on both sides. Just one side is good enough.
Then we'll have more open space, more bike lines, there's still the same amount of car lanes, one side for parking, everyone wins.
HippieHippo t1_jbb0ist wrote
As someone who lives in this area and bike commutes, a protected bike lane here would be life changing! Very impressed with the thought that went into creating the deck for this project
HaddockBranzini-II t1_jbao4dg wrote
Feels like a recaptcha...
[deleted] t1_jb8ffhx wrote
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pagoodma t1_jb9wjrt wrote
I drive it daily and in the summer and its absolutely this bad.
vhalros t1_jb9w4ct wrote
I didn't take a new photo, but here is a random one I just happen to have from 2017 at Hampshire and Prospect: https://imgur.com/a/oTkDhSU; that was during the morning rush hour. It is more common for people to bunch up like that at a red light than to form a long queue though, so perhaps that is the source of your misconception. You'd have to take the photo at just the right time before they sort of bunch up to look like it does in this post. It looks like the person in front has stopped with his foot on the ground, but people behind are still coming up to the intersection.
Alebrosch t1_jb8kv3b wrote
The photo is a bit exaggerated, but to be fair most drivers go out of their way not to see any cyclists queued up when they want to make a turn through the bike lane.
UniWheel t1_jbk1bez wrote
>The photo is a bit exaggerated, but to be fair most drivers go out of their way not to see any cyclists queued up when they want to make a turn through the bike lane.
Which suggests that having a queue there is probably not a good idea to begin with.
It would make more sense to have the cyclists in a bunch that can clear out quickly and then make vehicular turns possible.
The objection to having bikes in a bunch would be that cars can't pass them, but at busy hours passing cars only get momentarily ahead anyway - even with care to keep filtering past stopped traffic appropriately slow and careful, net progress on a bike can approach twice that of a car, so the few rounds of leapfrogging before the car is left permanently behind is only needless churn and repetition of a slight, but non-zero risk that can eventually add up to an incident.
Probably it would all be smoother if everything just moved at bike speed during busy hours, and passing bikes was something that drivers only tried to do at hours when the lights weren't causing car backups.
terminal_prognosis t1_jb9mb4r wrote
Eh? I regularly encounter about 10-15 people around when waiting at Inman Sq at peak hours. They're not in a line typically, they bunch up through the light phase.
CaesarOrgasmus t1_jb9tib1 wrote
> If you want to measure something, go out at the time of year when it's least feasible and collect a single data point at random. I am an analyst.
LoneSocialRetard t1_jb8fnzs wrote
Yeah theres no way that many people would like up like that especially when there is so much space to the right
JB4-3 t1_jb82ri7 wrote
*3 months a year, weekday, sometimes between 8 and 9 am typical
terminal_prognosis t1_jb9mrbp wrote
Hyperbole, but good point. More like 10 months. So the city does need to do a much better job of winter clearance from bike lanes, so people are not dissuaded from riding when it's been snowy and icy, and preferably some efforts to encourage people to keep going through the winter (it really is much easier than most people imagine)
As we use cycling to ease the load on road and rail, it's spoiled if most cyclists flock away from cycling just because it snowed.
ExpressiveLemur t1_jb8a2wp wrote
Which three months?
AeuiGame t1_jcfxwo1 wrote
I always love the date ranges people give when trying to argue biking doesn't happen in the winter. I guess we have snowstorms 9 months out of the year now.
JB4-3 t1_jchxnkz wrote
Rush hour today. And Cambridge’s own data shows 3-7% of people commuting by bike. Live here and seasons are not a mystery. Not a troll or trying to be argumentative but if we wanted to do everyone a favor it would be protecting the larger percentage who walk, drive, or take the T. Source: https://data.cambridgema.gov/Transportation-Planning/Workforce-Commuting-Mode-Split-1990-2000-2006-2010/eae8-5e88
bunk_debunk t1_jb85ryj wrote
Do you think that's a legit photo of a typical day, or some kind of bicycle rally or protest? I just can't imagine people being that civil in their daily commute.
shoffing t1_jb898kg wrote
It's a legit photo during rush hour on a nice day, I use this bike lane regularly. Bike traffic is high on this street going to Kendall, and with better protection it would be even higher.
vhalros t1_jb9xd4k wrote
Its looks like legit photo take at just the right time, when the head of the queue hits a stop light, but before every one behind them has come to a stop and bunched up.
JB4-3 t1_jb87p2a wrote
I don’t know if that’s sarcastic or people wear t shirts year round. I haven’t seen 15 bikers lined up there since September and see that many cars there daily
-Anarresti- OP t1_jb7x76l wrote
The city will present information and collect questions and comments on the Hampshire Street Safety Improvement Project.
At the meeting, the city will:
Share two design options for Hampshire Street.
Share designs for installing separated bike lanes on one block of Broadway, between Portland Street and Hampshire Street.
Discuss planned changes to parking regulations.
Review changes to bus stop locations and improvements to transit operations
Discus planned improvements at existing crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety.
Why is this project important?
Hampshire street is the major bicycle thoroughfare connecting Davis, Porter, and Inman squares to Kendall Square via the protected bike lanes on Beacon Street. During rush hour, it is one of the busiest streets for bikes in Cambridge. Adding well designed protected bike lanes to Hampshire Street will represent a huge jump in bicycle lane coverage and connectivity in the city.
Protected bike lanes are mandated on Hampshire Street as a result of the 2019 Cycling Safety Ordinance, so it's important to make sure that they are well designed and safe. Particular attention should be given to the following points:
> Hampshire St is a busy street for biking
> • We regularly see more people riding their bikes on Hampshire St than driving during busy parts of the day
> • Bike lanes on Hampshire St are narrow and lack separation
> • This can be uncomfortable for many riders, and increases the number of conflicts that can occur between all users of the street
> • People bike at a variety of different speeds
> • This means that passing is common. Passing today requires entering the vehicle lane
You can learn more about the project from the slides presented during the first community meeting here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/Traffic/2023/hampshirest/hampshirestreetfirstcommunitymeeting.pdf
How to join:
Click this link: https://www.cambridgema.gov/citycalendar/view.aspx?guid=1fa1cd1d1ba14337836f4f040845df8c and follow the instructions on how to join the Zoom meeting.
If you have the time tomorrow, please consider joining the zoom meeting and listening in, or adding your questions or comments!