Commonwealth Avenue in the area of Boston University is a crowded home to drivers, pedestrians, trolleys, buses and an increasing number of bicyclists. In March of 2015, Boston announced plans to add another mile of protected bike lanes that will extend from Packards Corner east to the Boston University Bridge.
The lanes will be an extension to the growing network of bike lanes and are a part of Boston Bikes, a 2013 initiative to combat bike fatalities on the Colonial-era city's notorious winding roads. Bikers on Commonwealth Avenue have been pushing for changes to bike lanes since Boston University's Journalist student Chris Weigl's death while biking in 2012. They claim that current conditions are unsafe and inefficient for travel and site better alternatives like the curbed lanes in New York, Los Angeles, and Portland. However, the changes cause concern for drivers, especially since parking in these areas is already sparse and rush hour traffic will only get worse with the planned construction.
Bike surveys conducted after the last census in 2010 show that Commonwealth Avenue, along with Massachusetts Ave., is the most dangerous bike path for cyclists. The same survey shows that 68 bike crashes have occurred along the area of the proposed bike path from 2010 to 2012. Bikers have to remain constantly alert for opening doors, cars making unexpected right turns, and pedestrians. Regular commuters on Boston University's campus have complained of getting "doored" by drivers who forget to look behind them when exiting their vehicles, and near collisions with drivers in bad weather.
Dan Thai, a Boston University student in the College of Arts and Sciences, rode his bike with a go pro on his helmet for a week to document the everyday fears bikers experience. I was able to convince him to share one of his videos
Thai starts his bike ride a few streets past Packards Corner, in Allston, and ends his route at Boston University's Metcalf Science Building on Blandford Street. Below, you can watch Dan Thai's trip to campus on the morning of March 29.
Despite the hazards, ridership is still increasing. From 2007 to 2009, the number of bikers in Boston increased 112 percent. In 2012, the number of workers who rode their bikes to work increased 60.8 percent. Unfortunately, many commuters still do not feel safe on Boston's busy streets.
Boston has 92 miles of bike lanes, though the city still lags behind other major American cities like Portland, Ore.
The proposed bike lanes aims to improve everyone's commute by modifying the entire street. For bikers, parked cars will act as barriers between the new bike lane and the street. City officials also plan to widen the strip of land where passengers await the Green Line to ensure that riders and MBTA workers stay away from oncoming traffic. Two lanes will remain for passing vehicles, as one will be removed to make way for a wider sidewalk and the bike lane buffer. At major intersections, like the BU Bridge, removable barriers will be installed so that cars must slow down before turning. Hopefully, this addition will prevent right hook collisions that are so common with cyclists, and will prevent deaths like Chris Weigl. All of these changes come at the price of $17 million and are estimated to be completed in the fall of 2017.
The bike lane is expected to bring more predictability and order to commuters on a busy street like Commonwealth Avenue. Drivers will know where to expect bikers, and bikers will be more inclined to stay off of the sidewalk. The construction, though annoying to all, will eventually bring rejuvenated roads where they are needed most. In cities where protected bike lanes have been implemented, like New York's curbed lane on 9th Avenue, retailers saw increases in sales and residents were more likely to commute on their bikes. While the new bike lanes may be a hassle for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians to get used to, updates to the dangerous street will ultimately be a blessing for Boston's residents.
