Longfellow Bridge Now Has A Dedicated Bike Lane Going Both Ways

It’s a little tricky (you have to wrap around under the bridge and the path is far from clear), but it sure beats walking your bike northbound battling pedestrians.  The BCU has released this video to help you figure it out.

I have used it a couple of times, and found it confusing all of those times, you are put into conflict with traffic both pedestrian and car at odd points, but with a bit more signage it might be ok.  I still think they should just close the bridge to cars, and let cyclists/pedestrians take the whole thing until it’s done being fixed.

I disagree with the video that this path is an improvement…at best it is a temporary compromise.  The path is crazy bumpy, the approaches are a mess, I have already noticed pedestrians on it, the interaction with cars are all from blind directions, you literally have to look behind you at most intersections to see the cars coming, there is all sorts of curbs with ramps that have gaps and its pretty easy to exit the ramps into the curb which will cause accidents.  It’s also a functioning construction zone, I got a mouth full of cement dust yesterday because they are still breaking up concrete on the bridge. Just watch the video again and look at how much the camera shakes going over the bridge, and pay attention to all the times the cyclists is put in conflict with cars coming from strange angles, there are just too many problems here.

Final verdict…well at least I wont have to walk my bike over the bridge anymore…

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Bikes Lanes At Fatal Mass. Ave. Intersection…Not Working

I noticed the same thing when I was looking at them a couple nights ago, but Reddit user Alltheacro noticed that drivers don’t seem to be paying any attention to them during the day either…

I read there was talk of Bollards?  It looks like they will be needed…we could also use some more bike lane markers, some targeted enforcement, and maybe that blinking sign should say “Right most Lane, Bikes Only” because these drivers don’t seem to care/understand.  This turn needs a curb bump out to slow down right turning vehicles, and something to keep them out of the bike lane.  Also shame on that city bus, I know they have had training on how to drive safely around cyclists, and yet they continue to pull dumb shit like this.

This intersection isn’t the most dangerous in Boston on accident, and its not going to fix itself, the city has started the process, but clearly its not done yet.

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New Longfellow Bridge Experience

(picture from the globe)

I got my first chance to ride over the Longfellow this morning with the new traffic layout.  And I have to say its pretty nice.  They need to address some of the lights after you are off the bridge (inbound from Cambridge) to make the left hand turns safer, but other than that it was great.  I think the car drivers have learned to go someplace else/take the T/ride there bike, because there were almost no cars, and A LOT more cyclists than usual.

It would be great if they just left it one lane in each direction and put in giant sidewalks and bike lanes…but I don’t think we are there yet.  Good to know the bridge can function just fine with “extra” bike/ped accommodations though.

Anyone else ride over it yet?  Any other thoughts?

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Longfellow To Be Closed To Bikes On Weekends During Construction (Sorta)

From the globe:

There are still a few weeks left before Boston-area residents will have to deal with weekend Red Line diversions on Longfellow Bridge — those are scheduled to come in August — but local bike enthusiasts won’t be able to use two wheels to bypass the gridlock.

Though cyclists will be allowed to travel in both directions on the bridge during most of the construction project, officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation have decided to bar bike-riding during the 25 weekend Red Line diversions, when the T will cease running at the bridge, and buses will instead run shuttle service between Park Street, Charles/MGH, and Kendall/MIT s tations.

“It’s purely out of concerns for safety,” said Michael Verseckes, a MassDOT spokesman.

During those weekends, the bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic to allow a steady stream of buses to cross the bridge uninterrupted, Verseckes said.

In recent years, there have been multiple incidents of MBTA buses involved in crashes with bicycles, several of them fatal. Verseckes said the agency decided it was too dangerous to have biycles riding alongside so many buses on the narrowed bridge without having a physical barrier between them.

Cyclists who want to cross the bridge will have to dismount their bikes and walk them across the bridge.

It takes all of a couple minutes to walk your bike over the Longfellow, this is really not a closure so much as a delay for most cyclists. Don’t be that person who is riding your bike through a bunch of pedestrians, just get off your ride, walk over the bridge and hop back on. Shouldn’t slow you down but a few moments.

I feel sorry for all those people in buses and cars, and anyone taking the red line, this is going to be a mess…stick to the bike.

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What You Can Look Forward To For The Next Couple Years On The Longfellow

Long story short, shouldn’t be too big of a deal (for cyclists). There is the Mass Ave bridge for those weekends when this thing is a nightmare.

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