Remember when Kelly Wallace died at the intersection of Cambridge Street and Harvard Ave in May, 2007? Well, that almost happened to me just now, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has almost gotten creamed at this intersection in the past 3 years. MBTA Bus number 0721 was stopped at the bottom of the hill, letting passengers off, during the green light for Cambridge Street. I was waiting at the light facing the entrance to Harvard Ave. Just after the change, the instant the light turned red for Cambridge and an instant before it turned green for Harvard, I was about to kick off; my left side was facing the bus stop, so I couldn’t even SEE the bus as it jammed on it’s gas and roared through the intersection; THROUGH the red light. The only thing that saved me from being underneath it was probably the extra weight in my panniers and on my body (lunch, breakfast, and three extra layers because it’s 13f out there today!) My slow start brought me only within a nose-brush of the side of Bus 0721. This is not an uncommon sight. Red light running through the Cambridge/Harvard Ave. intersection is the norm, rather than the exception.

Since I do see this every day, and someone has indeed died at this intersection in the last few years, I am anxious to have something done about this. The sooner the better, considering my still hammering heart after my own brush with death.

I will be adding a transcription of my calls to the MBTA and the BPD later on today, as I am in a marketing meeting at the moment.

UPDATE: Ooh, watch as I create an infinite blog loop… don’t get sucked in!

I called the MBTA, left all my information and my complaint. Here is my response:

We appreciate your business and value your feedback.  A customer service
issue was logged on 2010-01-29 at 15:05:13

A tracking number of 02117797 has been assigned to this call.  Please
reference this number on any additional communications you may have
regarding this issue.

The information you provided has been forwarded to the appropriate group.
If additional actions are required, a member from that department will
follow up on your issue.

Should you have additional questions or concerns regarding this issue,
please contact the Customer Support Services at 617-222-3200 or
800-392-6100, Monday through Friday ,6:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Sat/Sun from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM.

Many thanks to folk at UHub for correcting my Harvard Ave/Street confusion – I work at the end where it’s called “Street”

Many middle fingers to the people who read the repost of my blog and wanted to make this a ‘bikers don’t follow the law’ issue. I was waiting at MY red light. I’m not going to rant about this now because frankly, it’s not worth it. A) you’re wrong, B) you’re a stool sample. End of story.

Just called the City of Boston transportation department, told them about my situation and this ongoing problem. This was their response:

“The city does not have any authority over the MBTA or it’s operations.”

INTERESTING.

In response to this post in Boston Biker.

“there’s nothing we can do about drivers not paying attention.”

from the follow-up article

People often ask me why I’m so hard on drivers, and why I am so ruthless on the road – quick to find fault, quick to use my schoolyard bellow and let people know what an ass they’re being. Frankly, this is why. We have no other power. I have been hit by an Audi, called the cops and had them tell me ’sorry, but there’s nothing we can do’. I’ve been hit by a bus and told, ‘this driver has worked for the MBTA for over 19 years, we are confident that she is a competent driver’. I have had a woman reach out her passenger side window and grab me by my helmet and SLAP me, AND I STILL DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT SHE WAS SO UPSET ABOUT. I wasn’t hurt in any of these instances, so apparently they are not offenses that matter to police or the general public. I ride safely, I wear my helmet and I obey the law insofar as I try to never inconvenience another person on the road, but I know that if I am hit, harassed, assaulted or verbally abused, I have no way to bring justice to the people that have abused me with their aggression, negligence and outright ignorance. I can do nothing at all to call attention to abusive, aggressive or negligent drivers unless I am injured, but alive. Even if I AM alive to tell the tale, there is no guarantee I will be able to catch the plate number of the vehicle if they speed off (as the Audi did, after the operator screamed, “I should run you off the road!”). We are riding naked, and there is no one on our side. This is why I have no mercy for the people that take the privilege of driving for granted – I have no other choice. Out there on the road, no other voice is speaking up for us.

This little girl is at her parents funeral, both of whom were killed when they were struck by a truck in Texas while riding a tandem. I look at this picture and frankly it brings me to tears, the row of cyclists like an honor guard and that tiny little bike pin on her dress makes me cry even as I write this. You can read the details on this story here.

As hard as it is to take a step back from such a visceral shock to our emotions as a situation like is I am going to try. This poor little girl is going to spend the rest of her life without a mother or father because of a crash that most likely could have been avoided. In popular language we call them Car accidents, or bike accidents, but in reality almost all crashes are avoidable. Either through better infrastructure, better upkeep of vehicles, better behavior, avoiding drunk driving, better choices etc. There is very little reason that we should ever have to read about people like that little girl.

If you drive a car, or know someone who drives a car you need to take a good hard look at that little girl. She is all alone, and will never grow up with the love of a mother or father, because a truck struck and killed both her parents. The driver of which is not being charged because the police claim he “lost control” of his truck. Which personally I don’t understand. I mean if you lose control of your vehicle and kill two other people isn’t it your fault no matter why you lost control? On top of that if the road had been designed for safer bicycle use it would have been harder for the truck to have struck the couple. If education would have been better drivers would have been more careful around cyclists. If this driver had been charged with vehicular homicide it would have sent a message to other drivers. If laws had been better the speed limit might have been lowered in this area… The list goes on and on, there are so many things that could have been done to make this situation come out different, I find it shocking that it be called an accident.

If you drive a car, and you find yourself honking at cyclists, driving close to them on purpose, harassing them, or even failing to pay attention while talking on your phone or making turns, you could be the cause of another picture like the one above. If you ride a bicycle and you run red lights, take unnecessary risks, and behave in an aggressive way you might also be to blame. But what both groups need to understand on a very deep level, is that most of these behaviors are driven by the absolutely inane desire to “get where you are going faster.”

Cars honk at cyclists, and endanger them so they can get to the next red light several seconds faster. Bikers run through intersections and blow past stop signs endangering themselves and pedestrians simply to get to the next stop several seconds faster. None of which makes any damn sense. Drivers honk at cyclists for “slowing them down” and cyclists hate this. Cyclists run red lights and drivers hate this. But the thing is all these behaviors are driven by the desire to go faster. The result of which is little girls with no parents.

And that is where I stop being even handed and start addressing only motorists. I am talking to the Monique Spencer’s of the world here. Several studies and a lot of personal experience has led me to conclude the vast majority or crashes are being caused by motorists failing to yield to cyclists when turning, opening doors into their path, and striking them when pulling out of driveways and side streets. You might get up in arms about the red light running, and the rest, but all the data seems to point to a very clear thing. Motorists kill cyclists because they fail to be safe around them.

It is going to be hard for motorists to accept this because they react in a visceral and illogical way to cyclists running red lights (yet another reason for cyclists to stop doing it), but the vast majority (in some studies as much as 90%) of crashes are caused by motorists. I have the following simple list of things that you can do as a motorist to make cyclists safer, and to save yourself the tragic consequences of killing someone.

• Before you make a right hand turn do your best to look behind and to the side of your vehicle to make sure no cyclists are there.
• When making a left turn remember that you have to YIELD to oncoming traffic, including but not limited to cyclists.
• Do not pass a cyclist then quickly turn in front of them.
• Before pulling out of a driveway or side street scan the sidewalk and the side of the road for cyclists IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. I know it is wrong but some Cyclists ride the wrong way down the street, and don’t always ride in the center of the lane where you might be looking.
• Before opening your door look behind you.
• The next time you are tempted to honk or harass a cyclist remember that they are a human being, and that even if they appear to be doing something wrong, killing them, or harming them will not help you go faster, or help them change behavior.
• SLOW DOWN. Speed is not a value, being late is not as bad as being a murderer, being slowed is not as bad as hurting someone, and being delayed for a couple of seconds is not as bad as being an asshole.

If all else fails take another look at that little girl, look into her eyes, and remember that everyone is someones mother or father or brother or sister or son or daughter…