The planned bike lanes and boxes that we reported back in September have finally appeared on Broad Street on the block between Farmington Avenue and Capitol Avenue.
The bike boxes are on both ends of the block, to give cyclists a head start at intersections.
The bike lanes are delineated — no confusing sharrows here — but cars were observed being driven into the lanes and stopping inside of the bike boxes. It seems a public education component is the next step to making the streets safer for all users.
Learn more about this bicycle infrastructure over at the Beat Bike Blog.
Justin
Great to see! We should write to the planning department and thank them (and then ask them for more). 🙂
– J
Tanya
I am so happy to see these bike lanes popping up in different parts of the city. I would love it if we had them on Albany Ave.
Richard
WOW, looks dangerous to me. I hate to even walk around there during the big rush to get out of the city. Yes to a massive education plan and while they are educating I hope they squeeze in why a car should not attempt to turn when the cross light is on ( I can’t count the times myself and others have nearly been hit by people turning from Capitol to go north on Broad Street,) and when folks are crossing why a driver should look both ways at a red light, why 90% of them should give up their cars and stop destroying the planet, why they must obey speed limits, and then pass a very strict law against one to a car driving or if they continue without good reason pass a commuter tax.
Some days I stand watching these folks from the sidewalk and the majority are one to a car, still using their cell phones, and don’t look like they should even be driving.
I would have to say be very careful in that traffic, and certainly don’t let a few dangerous crumbs quiet your voices.
Kerri Provost
If nothing else, the very visible lines tell motorists that bicycles *do* belong on the street. We rode this on Sunday, figuring that if I’m willing to try that crazy stretch of street, it’d have to be on a Sunday when there isn’t much traffic. I’m not sure I’d try it during rush hour.
If we saw police ever pulling over the numerous motorists who blow through red lights, turn right on red without slowing down, or randomly cross multiple lanes, we might have more confidence.