Image from WCVB
It’s heart-wrenching to see the pictures. A 17-year-old kid’s bike lying on its side, a mess of bent metal, a helmet nearby and a large hole in the passenger side windshield of the car involved.
It happened yesterday afternoon not long after 4pm, before the true commute started on Walnut Street near Duncklee. Police got the call at 4:15pm according to the log. I heard about it while in my wife’s new office waiting for the Verizon guy to show up. He had been delayed by the street closure. Police shut it down for the investigation.
I have a 17-year-old who bikes around the city. In fact, earlier that same day my children had biked together from our home near Waltham to Newton Centre.
Now, before the anti-bike folks start screaming and yelling about bikes not belonging on city streets, keep in mind that this is a relatively wide part of Walnut Street. From the looks of where the bike landed, the kid seemed to be in the bike lane. He was wearing a helmet. At last check he was in serious condition at Children’s Hospital. I bike on this section frequently as do many others. Our job should be to make our roads safer for everyone, not try to prohibit travel. Maybe it’s protected bike lanes, maybe it’s traffic calming measures, maybe it’s better signage or more prominent road signs. There are a lot of things that can be done.
Fox 25 reports that the bike appeared to be headed north and the driver headed south. But there is much we don’t know right now. The driver could have swerved into the lane. The bike could have swerved into traffic. If it’s true that he was headed north on the southbound side of the road, it would indicate that the cyclist was not acting entirely appropriately. Though, if he was in the lane then his direction should have mattered little to the car.
I’ve heard a rumor that the driver complained of solar glare, though that area is pretty well shaded.
I hope the boy recovers soon and can be back at school quickly. I also hope that this investigation can be done quickly and efficiently and we can learn from this. That said, 5 months later we are still waiting to hear more about the deadly Sweet Tomatoes crash.
This is a part of the “safe route” I’ve been riding with my son to get to Brown middle school. Hoping for the best for the young man who was struck.
Statement from Bike Newton:
We hope that bicyclist has a speedy and complete recovery.
While we don’t yet know the details of the crash, we should recognize that these types of crashes could happen anywhere in our city. As a community we need prioritize the safety of all road users above all else. Too often in making decisions about road design the safety of cyclists and pedestrians are “balanced” with the status quo of drivers. Who among us feels that the convenience of drivers is as important as the safety of all road users? What is often overlooked in these decisions is that safety improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians make it safer for cars as well.
Bike Newton was founded to promote safe bicycling in our city. Our members have been advocating for safer streets for many years. We have created a bicycle network plan. We have participated in citywide task forces such as the Transportation Advisory Committee and others. Yet things are slow to change. Now is the time to make safety THE priority. #visionzero
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This accident happened right in front of my own house ! Given the talents and cell phone proclivities of so many of today’s driving public, I ride on the cities sidewalks, ( whenever possible ), ever aware that I am invisible to all.
It’s a very dangerous mode of transportation !
I don’t believe that bike riding is a dangerous form of transit. Yes, it is true that you are not encased in steel and glass, but I’ve found that being open the world has a lot of upside.
It is only dangerous because this society, as of now, has chosen to prioritize cars over all other forms of transportation.
I will say, however, that in most cases, riding on the sidewalks can be more dangerous. Cars are more likely to see an adult bike rider on the road than they are to see a rider flying off the sidewalks. There is also less visibility for someone on a bike to see around corners.
I agree that biking in itself is not dangerous. We would have far fewer crashes if everyone showed more respect on the road and understood more about the rules and why we have them. Most importantly if drivers would slow down. This gives them more time to react to road conditions and other road users this hopefully avoiding the crash to begin with. But if they do have a crash the severity will be much less. This is Newton. There is no need to speed. You will just have to wait at the next light longer.
It’s a dangerous mode of transportation when drivers believe that roads are for cars and bikers are intruders. Continuing to educate drivers that they do not own the roads, to teach bike safety including where to ride and to transform roads into livable streets will eventually succeed. We need to embrace the idea that our streets need to be safe for everyone, cars, bikes and pedestrians. It is hard to understand why the concept is not easy to adopt.
I am a member of the car generation. I learned to change my way of thinking to know roads should be safe for all. My kids have learned this and so have their kids. It should be common sense really. The hardest part for me was to realize that traffic calming is accomplished by making roads more narrow not wider – wider roads breed more cars. Bump outs are better than curved turning areas. Inconvenience drivers more and bikes and pedestrians will be safer. Makes sense if given a chance.
I want to second Chuck’s comment about riding on the sidewalk- that is definitely dangerous, not just for cyclists but for the pedestrians who actually belong there.
Thanks for the thorough article, Chuck. Not to put too fine a point on your last sentence but I believe it’s been six months since the Sweet Tomatoes crash. I don’t want to hijack this thread for the ST crash but we should be able to get some kind of update — not a final finding, just an update of some kind.
@Dan, when I spoke with Newton Police this morning the Sweet Tomatoes crash came up. The position from the police is that they get one shot at making a thorough and accurate investigation and such a process takes longer than most people expect.
That said, all public information about the ST crash is coming from the DA’s office and not available through the police.
I must chime in here. I was nearly mowed down at that very intersection a year or so ago. It was rush hour, I was crossing in the crosswalk, traffic on Walnut was very heavy. I was about half way across when the driver to my right noticed a small break in the traffic , and gunned it. She never even saw me in the crosswalk. Luckily I was not wearing headphones, heard the engine and sprinted clear, getting my purse whacked by the car and basically flinging myself to the sidewalk.
I walk a lot in Newton, and the incident I describe above is absolutely not singular. The reality, which no one has mentioned here, is that people in this area drive like absolute jerks. They speed, race through yellow lights, don’t bother stopping for crosswalks, etc. It’s that simple. The police should park a few plain cars around at 4:45 on any given day and they’d make an absolute fortune in moving violations.
I believe our biggest challenge to having safer roads for all is distracted driving. I honestly can’t believe the number of people I see doing other things, texting, looking at cell phone, talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper, on a daily basis. If people would simply pay attention to their driving, the number of all types of accidents would be reduced.
Hopefully this starts to change things:
(Sent friday afternoon)
All,
I am pleased to announce that Nicole Freedman will be assuming the position of Transportation Director on September 12th. Nicole comes to us having most recently served as the Chief of Active Transportation and Partnerships for the City of Seattle, WA. Prior positions included Director of Bicycle Programs for the City of Boston and Executive Director for Hub On Wheels. A member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic cycling team, she is a Wellesley native who attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Urban Planning. Nicole is looking forward to joining the City of Newton DPW team and is eager to lead the Transportation Division on achieving its goals and outcomes.
Best Regards,
Jim McGonagle
Commissioner
Department of Public Works