Council Looks to Lower Speed Limit (Boston, Arlington: how much, home, prices)

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by msRB311

You're disgusting. Keep on thinking everything you say is the right thing in your stupid world.

In the crazy world I live in, it takes a lot less energy to stop 200 lbs going 10 mph, than it does to stop 4,000 lbs going 35 mph.
these are just, you know laws of mass and force and speed and stuff. I know it can sound "disgusting" when a person with no sense is presented with facts. It's okay. How YOU feel is of the utmost importance here. Science and Physics is so disgusting.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Yes bikers can be complete a holes. They think they're doing a favor by biking in the first place so they're often on some ego mania power trip where everyone should get out of their way. Not all but they're out there. They want special treatment because they chose to ride a bike. Or maybe they have OUIs and that's their only choice.

Originally Posted by msRB311

There are many different types of folks who drive cars just as there are many different folks who ride bikes. Lots of different personalities.

it looks like you may be suffering from "Lot's of different personalities"? You may want to see a specialist.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

Lol. As someone who has done a ton of both bike riding and car driving in this town I can say hands down I've experienced more road rage from car drivers while riding a bike when I was doing absolutely nothing wrong. I've been hit by cars at least 5 times while riding a bike, but have never been hit by a bike. I rarely have issues with bikes while driving my car through Boston. The people that have the most issues with bikes are also the people who falsely believe their right to the streets trumps the bike riders rights to be in the road. They're wrong and entitled, and their road rage is far more dangerous than any threat posed by bicycles. They are people who think they own the roads and that bike riders are second class on the roadways. Read the laws people and get over yourselves.

This has largely been my experience as well. The bold is the sole reason I never became a full-time bike commuter. I've been clipped twice on a bike (thankfully nothing too serious), and intentionally squeezed out of the lane more times than I can count. You don't have to look to hard to quickly find people who clearly don't understand that cyclists are just as entitled to lanes on the road as cars are.

I do, however, believe there are some bad and aggressive cyclists out there. But I think much of that is a reaction to the near-constant road rage and danger they face from car drivers. As a driver in the city, I've never had an issue with cyclists. I know the rules of the road, I look before I open doors or turn across a bike lane, and I keep a comfortable distance behind a cyclist. It's not hard to do on Boston city streets where you shouldn't be going over 25 anyway. As a pedestrian, I've had some close calls. Mostly cyclists ignoring red lights and going through crosswalks where pedestrians have the walk light or right of way. But in the grand scheme of things, car drivers are miles ahead of cyclists and pedestrians in terms of problems on the road.

E-bikes, e-scooters, and even mopeds/motor scooters are a different story. Not sure how they should be regulated and enforced, but something needs to change. I've been nearly hit by someone on an e-scooter going 25mph on a sidewalk downtown more than a few times.

[GeePee]

IT's dangerous mentality that the posters in this thread that think people on bikes are some kind of recreation pro cyclists and are entitled. Then the same person complains multiple times that there are too many cars on the road. And then they get mad at people using an alternate method of commuting. It's really something.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by GeePee

The speed limit can change to 5mph. If there is no enforcement than what does it matter. I think what would be more beneficial is if they set up a division to target the double parkers on main strips. A lot of revenue on the table. And it will be better for everyone , walking, driving, and cycling. Maybe go after the delivery apps themselves?

It makes it easy for "fund-raising;" fish in a barrel type of enforcement.

[Arktikos]

I read the first link given by OP!

Any prizes for actually reading an offered story before shooting off my mouth?

"Traffic calming infrastructure". I like that phrase. Observationally and anecdotally it seems to me that lowering the speed limit has "limited" success. Some, but not much.

Speed humps and round a bouts definitely work.

"..Mayor Michelle Wu announced the Safety Surge initiative last year. It is a push to add as many as 500 speed humps throughout Boston over three years to decrease traffic speeds in residential neighborhoods..."

Good idea.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

I read the first link given by OP!

Any prizes for actually reading an offered story before shooting off my mouth?

"Traffic calming infrastructure". I like that phrase. Observationally and anecdotally it seems to me that lowering the speed limit has "limited" success. Some, but not much.

Speed humps and round a bouts definitely work.

"..Mayor Michelle Wu announced the Safety Surge initiative last year. It is a push to add as many as 500 speed humps throughout Boston over three years to decrease traffic speeds in residential neighborhoods..."

Good idea.

Typical "control" efforts.

[lrfox]

"traffic calming" works to an extent (you quite literally have to slow down for obstacles in the road like roundabouts, curb bump-outs, speed humps and tables, etc.), but people speed back up between them. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of speed humps, protected bike and pedestrian infrastructure, etc. and welcome more of all of it. But those things don't change the driving culture.

[id77]

Originally Posted by lrfox

"traffic calming" works to an extent (you quite literally have to slow down for obstacles in the road like roundabouts, curb bump-outs, speed humps and tables, etc.), but people speed back up between them. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of speed humps, protected bike and pedestrian infrastructure, etc. and welcome more of all of it. But those things don't change the driving culture.

The (messed-up) American driving culture took decades of propaganda to create so it's not going to change in a few months or even a few years. Enough traffic calming obstacles and road diets does force the issue, though.

Tremont post-bike lane upgrade (Arlington to Mass Ave) moves slower than it used to as it's a single lane now. Doing 35 down it during the afternoon wasn't difficult 5 years ago, and now it's nearly impossible. During peak times, it's frequently stop-and-go and during other times all it takes is one driver doing 20 to slow everyone behind them. I'm sure it's enraging many of the drivers along it, but it did slow things down.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by id77

The (messed-up) American driving culture took decades of propaganda to create so it's not going to change in a few months or even a few years. Enough traffic calming obstacles and road diets does force the issue, though.

Tremont post-bike lane upgrade (Arlington to Mass Ave) moves slower than it used to as it's a single lane now. Doing 35 down it during the afternoon wasn't difficult 5 years ago, and now it's nearly impossible. During peak times, it's frequently stop-and-go and during other times all it takes is one driver doing 20 to slow everyone behind them. I'm sure it's enraging many of the drivers along it, but it did slow things down.

To me that's wasting valuable infrastructure.