More Shared Priority Lanes Installed On Brighton Ave!

Written by greg on May 15

Greg Hum (Contributor) plays drums on his bike, gets people together for really big midnight and monthly bike rides, and is easily distracted by shiny things and fried potatoes. He shares stories and more on his personal bike blog, The Humble Cyclist.
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Just a little while ago, Jasmine Laietmark snagged these shots of city workers laying down the thermoplastic for more priority use lanes on Brighton Ave. in Allston!

Priority lanes are as Globe Reporter Martine Powers called “Sharrows on Steroids.” Kind of like shared lane use markings you’ve seen around town but with dotted lines to indicate to bicyclists and drivers where bicycles safely belong (in the middle of the car lane)

Looks like these go from Packard’s Corner to Harvard Ave. And if these look familiar, it’s be because you may have noticed these same priority lane markers farther down Brighton Ave. on the between Harvard Ave. and Cambridge St. since they were installed a few months ago).

New Brghtn ave. sharrows keep you safe from doorzone.Comm./Hunt. Ave needs these. @bikeboston @universalhub pic.twitter.com/chfj5SkbiY

— Greg Hum (@thehum) November 20, 2013

On my first ride down the priority bike lanes, I immediately noticed more cars changing lanes to pass me rather than queuing up behind me and riding up close to my tail. It felt less stressful and a lot safer to bike on Brighton Ave. which was both strange and a huge relief.

According to Boston Bikes plan for priority lanes on Brighton Ave., we’re still
in Phase 2 of this plan. During Phase 3 of this plan this coming Fall, these dotted priority bike lanes will get painted green.

This is pretty exciting since this type of shared priority lane is an idea born from local Northeastern Civil Engineering Professor Peter Furth and Boston is still one of the first cities to put it into practice.

And I’m not just excited for Boston being one step closer to a complete network of bicycle infrastructure that one day I’ll get to ride on – I’m also excited for the thousands of college students who will inevitably return to Allston in the fall will have a much safer bike commute up and down Brighton Ave. than I once did.

Tags: Allston, Bike Lanes, Boston Bikes, brighton ave, Peter Furth, priority lanes
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