The Boston Cyclists Union is calling on the City of Boston to replace bike lane protection barriers before somebody gets hurt.
At the beginning of March, city crews removed protective bollards and curbs on three recently-installed bikeways, on Massachusetts Avenue in the Newmarket area, Summer Street in the Seaport, and on Arlington Street in Back Bay.
Four weeks later, those protective barriers are still missing, and the Cyclists Union is warning that the city has "created serious and immediate safety risks for people biking."
"The absence of flexposts has already allowed vehicles to illegally park or drive in bike lanes," warned the Cyclists Union in a press release. "In some cases, people on bikes are now forced to swerve into oncoming traffic just to navigate around these obstructions."
That's particularly true on Massachusetts Avenue in the Newmarket area, where illegally parked trucks that block the two-way bike path (pictured above) force northbound travelers on bikes to enter the southbound motor vehicle lane.
Federal Highway Administration research has found that flexible-post bollards like the ones Boston has removed across the city this month considerably reduce the risk of collisions between bikes and motor vehicles.
The same research finds that they also improve safety for all road users by reducing the risk of crashes in general.
The new barriers are to communication
The Cyclists Union also takes issue with the city's lack of transparency in its decision to remove the bollards, and more generally with Mayor Wu's opaque "30-day review" of bike and bus lanes across the city.
"The installation of flexposts across Boston came after years of organizing, public feedback, and partnership between the City, the Boston Cyclists Union, LivableStreets Alliance, MassBike, WalkMassachusetts, and neighborhood groups," according to the Cyclists Union press release. "To remove them overnight, without any recommendation or communication, undermines four years of shared progress."
Since StreetsblogMASS broke the news that Mayor Wu had initiated a "30-day review" of recent street safety and bus lane projects last month, hundreds of Boston residents have reached out to City Hall officials to express support for recent street safety projects.
On March 19, Mohammed Missouri, Mayor Wu's Senior Advisor for Strategy, responded to many of those constituents with a form letter that copied-and-pasted most of its language from a February letter that Mayor Wu sent to Back Bay neighborhood groups.
On Thursday, StreetsblogMASS reached out to the Mayor's press office and to the Boston Transportation Department for their response to the Cyclists Union's requests, and to request an update on the city's "30-day review."
City Hall did not respond.
“We’ve worked in good faith for years to help build a safer city for everyone,” said Tiffany Cogell, Executive Director of the Boston Cyclists Union. “The removal of safety infrastructure without notice erodes public trust and puts lives at risk. We’re asking the City to meet this moment with transparency, accountability, and a renewed commitment to safety.”
