Longfellow Bridge…What The Hell?

I have been noticing all sorts of strange markings and changes, on the Longfellow outbound towards Cambridge side.  And today like a chrysalis, the Longfellow bike infrastructure has emerged into a giant ugly moth.

Honestly its the worst.  I have no idea what anyone was thinking.

This design is rotten. Impossible angles, ramps, intense pedestrian conflict, poor marking, a reversal of the usual order of traffic (Both pedestrian and cyclists traffic on the left? Is this the UK?) it has everything you don’t want in a bike path.  And those railings are totally invisible in the dark, its only a matter of time before someone plows into them, or into the many raised concrete partitions, or into a pedestrian not wearing bright clothing, this design becomes ten times more ludicrous in the dark.

Moments before I took these pictures 5 cyclists almost ran over like 10 pedestrians. The smartest cyclist of the bunch simply crossed over and rode down the wrong side of the bridge for a 100 yards, and then popped back over…a dangerous option, but one that puts the cyclists in less conflict with the many (many) pedestrians.

I sorta get what they were going for, and I would love to believe that this set up was thought up to protect cyclists from cars? But at the expense of putting pedestrians in danger? To be clear it would be one thing to set up a system by which cyclists were to dismount and walk for 100 feet and then get back on, but this system is set up to encourage them to remain riding, and in the process get in all sorts of conflicts with all sorts of pedestrians.

In my opinion there is ample room to move the concrete divers over a couple feet to the right and put those plastic bollards on the left hand side of the striped area to keep cars away from the cyclists, thus leaving plenty of room for everyone, without putting pedestrians and cyclists into dangerous conflict.

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The Natives Are Restless

Today a man screamed out of his car at me “THE BIKE LANE IS OVER THERE!”  He did so while vigorously pointing at the pile of debris and torn up pavement that I had moved slightly over to avoid.  There wasn’t a bike lane in sight, but that wasn’t the point.  He was angry, and had no one to address his anger at so he was taking it out on me.

I caught up with him in about 20 feet because he was stuck in the epic traffic jams that have been growing out of the Longfellow project.  I asked him if he needed something and he told me to get off the road, blah blah blah the same thing every angry motorist has ever shouted.

I informed him that I had the full legal right to use the lane blah blah blah the same thing every cyclist says….then I screamed and pointed “93 IS RIGHT OVER THERE!!!” and rode off, because frankly it was a nice day and I was enjoying my relatively unencumbered ride to work.

I got to work about 15 minutes later, for all I know he is still stuck in traffic.  The problem is, this  guy brought a mountain bike to a road race.  By which I mean to say, he incorrectly chose his mode of transportation to fit the reality of our current situation.

Motorists seem to be the most put out by the construction project.  Sadly, the car is no longer king in Boston, and it shows.  To put it mildly, they are really cranky.  I don’t begrudge them their crankiness, I would be cranky too if I was stuck in a car for an extra hour every day.  But sadly they have to understand one thing:

The roads are too small, and the cars are too big.

There is simply no way around this.  If you want to drive your giant car (why does it need to be that big if its only carrying one person around?), on Boston’s tiny ass road system, you will quickly run out of room.

Its just simple math.  You got X amount of road space, and Y amount of cars, and Y>X.  Its that simple, no amount of honking and yelling and getting upset is ever going to fix the problem.  At some point you just can’t shoe-horn one more fucking car into the system without causing gridlock.

You also can’t build your way out of this problem.  In the 60’s and 70’s they tried building more (and bigger) roads, all that did was encourage more folks from the burbs to drive in causing the problem to get worse.  The Longfellow needs to be fixed, and while its being fixed the amount of road space we have to move cars is even less.

If you are stuck in traffic trying to cross the Longfellow, and you drove in from say Somerville, it might be time to consider a bicycle.  Or a t-pass, or a nice pair of walking shoes.  Your doctor will be happy with the extra exercise, your wallet will be happy with the savings on gas, and I will be happy because you wont be screaming out of your car at me because you have no other place to direct your anger.

PS.  Cranky motorists please try to remember, that every cyclist on the street is one less car you need to be stuck behind.  You might not be doing anything to make traffic less horrible, but they are.  So the next time you see one shout out your window “THANK YOU FOR CYCLING!” and continue on your way.

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Lonfellow Bridge Final Design Announced

From MassBike (who did a lot of work with other groups to get this awesome design)  I suggest you support them for their hard work.

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MassDOT recently released the long-awaited Environmental Assessment for the Longfellow Bridge reconstruction project, which reveals the design MassDOT has chosen for the bridge. To its credit, MassDOT clearly listened to much of the input from the Longfellow Bridge Task Force (on which I served):

Click to enlarge

 

As seen above, the outbound (Boston-to-Cambridge) side of the bridge as proposed will be truly multimodal, with a single travel lane for motor vehicles, a wide buffered bike lane, and a wide sidewalk. While we can (and will) push to further narrow the remaining travel lane to provide even more space for bicyclists and pedestrians – and to slow down the traffic that speeds over the bridge – MassDOT has the right idea for the outbound side.

Throughout the process, the design for the inbound side has been the focus of discussion and disagreement. The alternative chosen by MassDOT does not represent an improvement over current conditions for bicyclists; at most, the bike lane is six inches wider than the current shoulder/bike lane. So bicyclists who are not comfortable riding across the bridge today will not feel any safer riding across the reconstructed bridge. And the sidewalk, while wider than what exists today, is still narrow – too narrow to be comfortably shared by pedestrians, wheelchairs, strollers, and the inevitable less-confident bicyclists drawn by the wider-but-still-inadequate sidewalk.

Another option proposed by the Task Force would configure the inbound side much like the outbound side: wide sidewalk, wide buffered bike lane, and a single travel lane (see below). While there is disagreement over whether this configuration would provide an acceptable level of service for cars, one thing is certain: the decision we make now will determine whether or not we will ever be able to realize the Task Force’s vision of maximized space for bicyclists and pedestrians, if and when future traffic volumes support doing so.

Click to Enlarge

At the recent public hearing on the Longfellow Bridge reconstruction project, MassBike joined with other advocates to speak out in support of this longer-term vision for the bridge. Click here for our full joint statement.

There are tradeoffs for bicyclists and pedestrians in these design choices. The MassDOT plan would mean losing the opportunity for a wider sidewalk until the next time the bridge is rebuilt (50-75 years), because the crash barrier cannot easily be moved once built. Faster cyclists would be in the same narrow bike lane we have today, while slower, less confident cyclists would probably be jockeying for space on a narrow sidewalk (if they felt safe enough to use the bridge at all). On the other hand, the advocates’ plan would move the crash barrier inward, creating a much wider space for bicyclists and pedestrians to share on the sidewalk, but eliminating the on-street bike lane. Neither proposed solution is optimal from either the bicyclist or pedestrian perspective.

Advocates for bicyclists, pedestrians, transit, the disabled, and the Charles River parkland all agree that the longer-term vision is the one we want and this is the only way to preserve that option. In the short-term, less confident bicyclists will feel more protected being physically separated from cars, and many more people may choose to bike over the bridge to Boston or the Esplanade. Some may view it as bikers and walkers sacrificing separate space for the possibility of a better deal in the future, but I don’t see it as a sacrifice. Instead of separate but inadequate space for bicyclists and pedestrians, we’ll get a much wider more flexible space that will be safer and more inviting for more people. It can work, and is already working on bridges elsewhere, like the busy Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon.

So let’s thank MassDOT for demonstrating some real multimodal thinking on this project, and push them to think just a little further into the future we all want to see.

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Longfellow Bridge Public Meeting

Got this from Livable Streets Alliance.  The Longfellow is a major cycling route, show some support for better cycling infrastructure.

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Monday, April 11, 6:30-8:30 pm
@ Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom Street, Boston

WHAT? Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is holding a public meeting regarding the Longfellow Bridge reconstruction project. MassDOT is preparing to submit an updated Environmental Assessment to the Federal Highway Administration this Spring, which will include the recommendations of the Task Force that met in the Summer of 2010.

WHY GO? We have achieved a more open, transparent process, and temporary improvements to the sidewalks entering Charles Circle/MGH, but now is the time to speak up about final designs! LivableStreets encourages the public to attend and support designs that allocate more space to pedestrians and bicyclists than the bridge does currently.

BACKGROUND: The Longfellow Bridge is one of six Charles River bridges undergoing full reconstruction in the coming years as part of the State Accelerated Bridge program. LivableStreets started the Better Bridges Campaign to ensure that in addition to structural repairs, improvements for people on the bridges are part of each project. We are advocating for bicycle lanes, safer crossings, access to parklands, bridge underpasses, and improved transit connections.

For more information about the Better Bridges Campaign, click here

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Important: Longfellow Bridge Public Meeting

This is super important, seriously if you can go to this and speak up for bicycle infrastructure on the Longfellow. This will most likely be the only chance for 50-75 years to make changes to the way this bridge works, show up and speak out make this bridge work for cyclists.

Wed, Oct 6, 6:30-8:30 PM @ Shriners Hospital for Children Auditorium, 51 Blossom Street, Boston 02114

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From Livablestreets:

Longfellow Bridge Public Meeting

Wed, Oct 6, 6:30-8:30 PM @ Shriners Hospital for Children Auditorium, 51 Blossom Street, Boston 02114

Come out and speak up!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a world class Longfellow Bridge, one that allows people to experience the best views of the City, and one that encourages more people to walk, bike and take transit to and from Boston and the surrounding communities.

The number of pedestrians and bicyclists using the Longfellow Bridge has been growing over the past 10 years, while the number of private automobiles has been decreasing.
Now is the time to reallocate space on the
bridge to create a safer more comfortable space for walking and bicycling.

It’s absolutely essential that pedestrians and bicyclists do not get unnecessarily squeezed at the inbound approach to Charles Circle in order to accommodate motor vehicle traffic.

Better connections from the Longfellow Bridge to the Esplanade are a must too. We have an opportunity to reclaim parkland and create a new ADA-accessible pedestrian/bicycle bridge between Charles Circle/the Longfellow Bridge and the Esplanade. It’s important that these improvements be made in conjunction with or in parallel to the Longfellow Bridge project!

More info here (pdf)

From MassBike

Want to find out what the Longfellow Bridge Task Force has been doing since MassDOT gave us the opportunity for more public input into the reconstruction of the Longfellow Bridge? How about speaking up for improving bicyclist access and safety getting on, crossing, and getting off the Longfellow Bridge between Boston and Cambridge? Then you need to come to the public meeting this Wednesday from 6:30-8:30pm at the Shriners Hospital Auditorium at 51 Blossom Street, Boston.

The Task Force will present design concepts currently under consideration, including concepts for crossing the bridge by bike, on foot, and by car; for the approaches/intersections at either end of the bridge; and for better connections from the bridge to the Esplanade on the Boston side and to the parkland and paths on the Cambridge side.

This is the one-and-only opportunity for the general public to comment on the design concepts before the Task Force completes its work and submits its recommendations to MassDOT. The concepts represent a range of bicycle facilities from bike lanes similar to what exists now to some much larger and truly innovative ideas. The Task Force wants your comments, and we need your support to make sure that bicyclist (and pedestrian) interests are fairly balanced in this immensely complicated project.

For more information, visit the Task Force Google Group.

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