Boston Bikes Summit (sic)
I attended several of the public sessions of the Boston Bikes Summit, a gathering of bike experts sponsored by the mayor’s office, and I thought I’d share a few things I learned that might be of broader interest. Note that I have no knowledge of what went on in the closed-door meetings, nor do I have any more information about any of these topics than what I’ve shared here.
One of the things I’ve heard from several angles is an emphasis on implenting tangible, demonstrable results. In the past, there’s been a lot of plans and strategies, but they failed in the face of typically obstinate bureaucratic resistance. What I heard at the Summit is that the people involved are focused on actually making something happen, which I find encouraging.
Most of what I have to share has to do with specific projects outlined by the MAPC and DCR. The most noteworthy of those (IMO) included:
- 2008 reconstruction of Mass Ave from Huntington Ave to Albany Street
- Ongoing reconstruction of Comm Ave from Kenmore to BU Bridge
- Planned extension of Charles River paths to the Newton Marriott. Do they presently go any further than Prospect St in Waltham?
- Planned extension of the Neponset River Greenway north to Boston and west to Paul’s Bridge in Milton/Readville. This would *totally* rock.
- Planned Riverway to Kenmore/Charles River path connector (yay!)
- Planned Charles River to Minuteman connector around Grove St to School St in Watertown (yay!)
- Several recently-completed path reconstructions by the DCR, including Nonatum Rd, Daly Field, Soldiers Field, Watertown Square
- Presumably the DCR will be shutting down the Paul Dudley White path to perform a wholesale reconstruction of the path on the Boston side of the river from the BU Bridge to Cambridge Street. Sadly, it sounds like this will not include the awful stretch from Cambridge St to Western Ave, but it may include rebuilding the terrible BU Bridge underpass.
- Deer Island has a bike path around it; that’s new since I was last out there and was prohibited from getting anywhere near the waste treatment plant
I was surprised and delighted, since I had no knowledge of many of these developments. I think one of the things Nicole Freedman and Massbike leadership could do that would have an immediate positive impact is to simply actively share this kind of information with the public, so that we can both understand and celebrate upcoming enhancements as well as make plans to circumnavigate expected disruptions.
Now for the negatives:
- There was no visible participation by the MBTA
- There was no news or information about the planned extension of the Minuteman from Davis Square to Lechmere
- One of the “quick wins” was the installation of more bike racks, which-unless they’re somehow made more secure than a simple rack-will discourage riders from ever cycling again after the first time they get their ride stolen
- I feel that changing drivers’ attitudes is the single most important factor in cyclist safety on the roads, and I heard very little about that during the presentations
Finally, I’d like to echo comments I heard at the presentations that if you value the attention and effort that Boston, the state, and other public and private agencies are devoting to cycling, please take the time to send a letter of thanks, starting with Mayor Menino and Nicole Freedman.