I am a lifelong cyclist who loves to bike around the Garden City, even in December. Today, for example, I cycled from Waban, via Elliot Street and the new Greenway, to my health club on Wells Avenue for a workout. Afterward, I pedaled to Whole Foods to shop and then to 4 Corners Pizza for a slice before returning home. For December, the temperature was a balmy 55 degrees, but I’ll bike with temperatures in the 30s if the streets are dry and the wind light.
Lest you think riding bicycles is only for the young, I am 68 years old. Still, the challenges of biking here are daunting. Not, of course, to those cyclists in aerodynamic outfits who pass through our streets in packs of five or fifteen. No, I mean those who might benefit from doing their daily chores on bike if they felt conditions were safer. For example, in the spring I have confidently biked along Beacon Street to get a haircut in Newton Centre and then wended my way along Parker Street to reach Newton South High School, where I coach girls’ tennis. Neither Beacon Street nor Parker Street has a dedicated bike lane. Walnut Street’s dedicated lane, marked by faded icons painted on a strip by the curb, has no physical separation from automobile traffic. The same applies to the lengthy stretch of Winchester Street between Needham Street and Nahanton Street. Though intrepid cyclists are undeterred, many others forgo the pleasure.
Recent mayors and other city planners have expressed the desire to increase the number of cyclists in districts facing major renovation. It may happen on Needham Street should the Northland Project at Oak Street come to fruition. Similar plans are under consideration as part of Washington Street’s extensive redevelopment. Presumably, funding for these efforts will come from both developers and city government with help from the Commonwealth. Will bike lanes reduce the traffic springing from such large-scale construction? Who knows? Still, designing dedicated bike lanes on streets particularly hazardous to cyclists, like Needham and Washington Streets, deserves municipal support.
But why stop there? Beacon Street from Newton Centre to Boston College has a bike lane, not separated from automobiles, for part of the way. At other points, bikes and automobiles share a lane marked with a sharrow, an icon indicating that bicycles have as much right to be there as cars. Why not construct a truly dedicated bike lane, with some physical separation, the entire way? With few pedestrians in sight, a wider sidewalk might be shared by bikes and pedestrians, as is done in Paris and other European cities. The city ought to study which of our main north-south and east-west arteries might, with reconfiguration, be more hospitable to cyclists.
For now, I avoid as many crowded thoroughfares as I can when cycling. For example, when biking to Newton Corner, I travel on Lowell Street and then Newtonville Avenue before cutting over on Lewis Terrace to Washington Street, within a quarter mile of the circle of death. Approaching via Centre Street and attempting to cross by the Pike would be truly insane. Clearly, a sympathetic city government could ease the danger for cyclists. Not only might automobile traffic ease a bit, but more of us would get valuable exercise as we go about our daily lives. Let’s encourage and support safe cycling in Newton.
— Bob Jampol (among other organizations, I belong to Bike Newton)
@Bob: Respect!
I used to cycle everywhere, but these days my equation is:: cycle somewhere and feel stressed for much of the ride, knowing that I”m probably going to eventually suffer a seious or fatal injury due to the deficient infrastructure and aggressive/ignorant motorists, or avoid most (but not all) of the stress by just walking and taking 2.5 times longer?
In metro Boston, my preferred side of the equation is increasingly the latter, whereas I’m in Paris now and the risk on the bicycle side of the equation is much lower thanks to better infrastructure and more conscientious drivers, so I tend toward the Vélib bikes 80% of the time. And in Holland, Belgium, and Denmark I opt for the bike 95% of the time.
Having moved back from Newton to Needham, I’ve tried to get the Needham Select Board to build a path along the disused train track to connect to Upper Falls, so that Needham cyclists could have at least one point of egress from the town that wouldn’t endanger their lives. However, Needham has always been a model of reactivity and one Select Board member in particular seems vehemently opposed to bikes, so I’ve just about given up hoping for any change in Needham. Although it’s not saying much, Newton is a cyclist’s heaven, by comparison to Needham.
@Bob I love this piece. Creating safe, separated spaces for bicyclists and other non-vehicle traffic is so important if we want to get more people out of their cars. Newton no doubt has a large number of people who would bike if there were safe places to do so – students getting to school, people running errands nearby, other shorts trips. Nationwide surveys estimate 60% of people are interested in biking, but concerned about safety given lack of safe infrastructure. Many cities have seen significant increase in biking when separated bike lanes are created. Bike Newton has been promoting updating the bike network plan to create a COMPLETE NETWORK of low stress routes and with the help of enthusiastic bicyclists like you we will get this done and get it done faster.
First Question: Why is a bike lane painted on the main thoroughfare part of Commonwealth Ave, where bikers are directed to ride along fast moving traffic, while it’s much safer for bikers to ride in the Carriage Path portion of Commonwealth Ave?
Second Question: Heading northbound on Walnut Street readying to turn right (east) on to Comm. Ave., there is a bike lane to the right. Are cars supposed to and/or allowed to go in the bike line to line up and ready to make the right turn, or are they supposed to remain in the driving/non-bike lane from which to turn right?
Valid questions. The overall answer is that the city is betwixt and between. On Walnut Street, cars will inevitably ride in the painted bike lane to make that turn onto Homer Street or Commonwealth. As you bike southward on Walnut Street between Beacon and Lincoln Streets, the painted bike lane gets squeezed, and residents and contractors wonder if they can park there despite the No Parking signs.
My observation: painted bike lanes and sharrows, though better than doing nothing, still create confusing and potentially hazardous situations for drivers and cyclists. Ultimately, the separate dedicated bike lane is the best way to go…but this solution will require major reconfiguration of the roads and significant expense.
Jim, good questions.
On Comm Ave, there’s been much discussion on how to regulate the carriage lane for recreational cycling and running. It’s not as easy as it seems due to the frequent intersections which would create conflict points, also the fact that it’s a narrow one-way traffic flow which would make it difficult to support two way bicycle traffic. A one-way bicycle lane may be easier. I don’t know the dimensions. The devil’s always in the details.
On Walnut, as everywhere else, no, vehicles are not allowed to ride in bicycle lanes or cross the solid white line. Period. It’s a ticketable offense (in theory, if the NPD wrote tickets) As you approach Comm Ave on Walnut, the bike lane changes to a dotted line. It is there that you may merge with bike traffic and take a right.
Newton is challenged by having relatively narrow roads. Even marking an on-street bicycle lane (requires a 4-5 feet according to traffic engineers, though we clearly have done with less) is sometimes impossible. Separated facilities need a buffer and are even more difficult, requiring land taking in many cases. After a great deal of pushing back against MassDOT, we’re finally getting separated bike facilities on Needham Street! That was a rare situation where an already wide roadway was being reshaped (and land taken in some cases, too)
But what it really comes down to is parking and emergency response. Newtonites love their parking, and there often isn’t room for both parking and dedicated cycling space. You can sometimes have it both ways. Where space permits and parking is frequently used, parked cars can be the barrier that separates bicycles from vehicles. For good examples, see Mass Ave in Boston or Audubon Circle near Kenmore Square. Unfortunately, the Newton Fire Department objected when this was proposed for West Newton Square, and elected officials caved. Two full lanes wasn’t enough for their emergency response. Bicyclists will be exposed to dangerous conditions as a result. There still might be opportunities for parking protected bike lanes on Beacon Street near BC, maybe elsewhere in Newton.
@Bob I question your assertion that the Comm ave carriage way is too narrow for two way . I see very few cyclists using the westbound carriageway as it is. My impression is that they feel they are entitled to use the main road and they 100% are. To use the carriageway seems to be a yielding of that right even if it is safer. Just my impression
Actually, that was Adam’s observation. I myself sometimes bike the wrong way down that carriage road, and I see no problem with it, the technical traffic violation aside. Lots of other cyclists do so as well. I avoid cycling on Commonwealth itself, a very hazardous enterprise.
The city should figure out the rules for bicycles, pedestrians, and automobiles on the rarely driven carriage road. Bikes should be welcome there, in my opinion, should their riders navigate cautiously. I know, currently that’s against the law.
The state and the feds have figured out the rules, and the city doesn’t get to override them. It’s a one way traffic lane. Bicycles aren’t permitted to travel the wrong way in a travel lane any more than cars are, and for good reason.
I would like to support all of you who want safer biking and also are frustrated with the lack of it. Most of us bikers create a path between bike lanes, sharing the road, riding on sharrows, sharing the road, riding legally and riding “illegally.” I would like to focus on the Carriage Road.
The irony of the Carriage Road is that it was created by Olmstead as a linear “urban” park, and people are encouraged to bike there, westbound, but there is no safe way for them to return home! Then there are the hundreds who run – westbound – and walk, at all hours of the day and all seasons. Then there are the drivers who cross, SB, and look left, and not right – where recreational users of the CR are coming from as they head east.
I might ask, however, that you support an initiative that Mayor Fuller has been aware of and over which she recently set up a meeting with the Dept of Planning and the Transp Division and my husband (who contributed his harrowing experiences as a runner) and me (as the cyclist) to pitch this plan – which is to formally create a bicycle-safe Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Road. The plan is detailed, and goes intersection by intersection as a cyclist heading WB would experience the CR; it deals with what @Adam calls the “conflict points” and was embraced by all in attendance. It contains hundreds of photos. (For a few years, we were working with input from several on the Bicycle Advisory Committee as well.)
The Transp Division, with whom I have met numerous times at various spots along the CR over the last few years, and the Nicole in the Planning Dept and Jason Sobel in the Trans Div have already created numerous designs for a number of the problematic areas, and have already applied for funding for these areas. One has already received approval by DPW and I believe will be striped when that intersection will be repaved next year. What would be really great is if you could write your city councilors, especially Public Facilities members, and ask that they support Nicole’s requests to fund these “Complete Streets” and other Carriage Road projects. It would be one long 5+ -mile segment of what Alicia refers to as the COMPLETE NETWORK (otherwise known as the “Newton Bicycle Network Plan”). It also pays special attention to the Walnut St and Lowell St intersections, which connect to NNHS.
@Jim Also in this meeting we dealt with the spur where the CR connects to Walnut St and drivers tend to use that as a cut-through to WB Comm Ave. There are several ideas on the table. The challenge here is that there are driveways along that segment. The fact that you’re raising this question in this forum is important and underscores its inclusion in this plan.
You might have noticed that prior to the last few years, many of the crossing roads didn’t even have stop signs before they crossed the CR. Now they do, thanks to Councilors Norton and Downs docketing these items at my request. We basically got 11 new stop signs at the cross streets and a few along the CR itself. Also, noting that often the stop signs along the CR were far from the actual intersections, and were moved closer to the intersections, which increased the number of motor vehicles that actually stop. The number of improvements that DPW has made are too many to enumerate. They also include removing foliage that impedes visibility, and more.
My personal focus has been – minimally – to make the Carriage Road safe for cyclists westbound, the current legal direction; the Transp Div is mulling going to Traffic Council, at an appropriate point in time, to make it legal eastbound as well.
But support from the public for CIP and Complete Streets funding to make the CR safe for cyclists and other recreational users would help us get notice and to that point a lot sooner.
Great stuff! I will inform Bike Newton about it if it doesn’t already know. The initiative deserves support.
Bob,
Thanks much. I could definitely use your support. Bike Newton does know but feel free to still let Bike Newton know you support the initiative…
Also let your city councilors know, especially those on Public Facilities. I think it would help to contact Deb Crossley, who has a copy of my PowerPoint, for starters. As time goes by, I can let you all know more… as I know more too.
FYI it begins with Westbourne St and heads west, ending at the street past Lyons Park, where the CR ends and merges, for the last time, into Comm Ave.
@Jim, bike lanes were first painted in the main Comm Ave when Bill Paille was with us. The idea was to accommodate those fast cyclists coming from Brookline and even Boston who are never ever going to ride in the CR. The reason why it stopped and started is, I think, due to the variation in lane widths. They weren’t an attempt to get cyclists off the CR. I think there’s a bike lane also near Auburndale Square.
Our goal is to fix up the CR for cyclists who don’t want to ride in the main Comm Ave and also to accommodate our kids, who we really want to be safe going out, and coming back home. (And the runners and pedestrians…)
I’ve never felt an issue with riding the CR Eastbound, legal or not. Plenty of room for all.
But just to vent:
What Newton really needs are more North-South safe routes. Try riding Washington street- From Beacon (NewtonWellesley Hospital) to West Newton and further East is suicide. Four lanes of too narrow, fast, auto traffic. NO room for bikes. The only survival strategy is riding on the sidewalk (Northbound side has little pedestrian traffic). The same for Chestnut street. Walnut st and Centre st are definitely not bike friendly either.
Is there any answer for these old, narrow, historic, roads?
Rather than donating millions of dollars to fund out-of-state energy projects through inflated electrical rates, how about we use this money in our own City to make these infrastructure changes?
Mobile sources generate just as much CO2 as stationary power:
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
Terry, as opposed to East-West, safe North-South bike travel in Newton generally entails use of side streets, and with some advance planning, most of the trip can be done that way, albeit frequently less direct.
Clearly I love this whole thread, but just focusing on Washington Street from Lower Falls to W. Newton….
Beyond just bike traffic there, there’s a need for more pedestrian access. Most days that road is a wide-open speedway, but there are times during the day that it becomes congested. Then on the weekends, (especially in March and April) the sidewalks are crowded with runners, forcing many into the roadway.
I’d love to see a creative concept that opens and closes lanes for different purposes at different times of day. Maybe that means a bus-only lane that connects to the Green Line, or a bike and pedestrian lanes that gets removed during short bursts of increased car traffic. Or maybe it means a road diet to encourage cars to stay on 128 to go to the Pike rather than cutting through Washington Street (assuming that’s what a traffic study would report).
But as pointed out above, the current configuration encourages speeding (the speed limit is supposed to be 25 mph in certain locations) and doesn’t allow for any safe pedestrian access.
This thread is great.
I want to make a comment about the current bike network plan. It was done in 2007 and needs to be updated (as in completely overhauled). It has no identified road treatments and was done prior to a full understanding of what makes people safe enough and more importantly what makes people feel safe enough to bike. The current plan is also more focused on creating a few main routes for people commuting through Newton and not as supportive of people getting from their homes to places they want to go WITHIN Newton. This is important as intra-Newton trips is where we have the biggest opportunity to get people out of their cars.
Bike Newton has begun to advocate for revising the bike network plan to create a complete low stress network that is comfortable for a majority of people and not just for experienced bicyclists. This article lays out what we are thinking (It is a quick read- https://blog.altaplanning.com/building-complete-and-connected-networks-a861710d5eeb )
The network design for Newton should:
Reduce intra-city car trips
In particular, reduce car trips to schools
Encourage new cyclists and other mobility devices as they appear (wheelchairs, scooters, long boards, etc)
Support public transportation
Towards that end, the network should identify a limited set of top-priority destinations and create safe, low-stress routes that connect people to them, connections from their homes to schools, village centers, grocery stores, pharmacies and transportation points, etc. This will enable us to get more people in Newton out of their cars and onto bikes (or whatever) and have the most impact on congestion, reduced parking demand and make our city healthier and more sustainable.
While some progress is being made, it is still way too slow. West Newton will be better than it is but will still be stressful, especially moving East. Walnut St. will be better but again high stress, door zone riding. Needham St will be much better but there will still be lots of driveways so the risk of left hooks is there. But even if these streets were perfect they are islands in a sea of unfriendly biking. If we are going to move people out of their cars, we need to figure out how to make biking safe from where people live to their destination and back. And implement it faster and less expensively. This is where we hope the revised, detailed bike network plan will help.
We will also need the political will to make it happen. We need to take bold action. A more bikeable city will allow us to address climate change, congestion, equity in mobility and better land utilization.
I agree, this is a great thread. And, always good to hear input from Jane, my Carriage Lane neighbor.
I’ve been living on the Carriage Lane for 21 years now, and as I work from home – with my windows overlooking the comings and goings, I have a pretty good sense of the use and I think that Olmstead would be quite pleased, especially during the warm weather. It is a natural spot for walkers, runners and bicyclists. I am not a bicyclist though hubby commutes daily by bike to the Seaport District, so this topic is near and dear to me.
An observation from the cat bird seat: The speed limit on the Carriage Lane should be changed to something appropriate for the use. Years ago I checked with the DOT and I was informed that the speed limit for the Carriage Lane is the same as Commonwealth Avenue, a state route. Thus, the legal speed limit is 35 m.p.h. The neck downs and traffic calming measures help. But I can’t tell you how often each day I hear some fool gunning their engine to race from one neck down to the next. And, if the information I received from the DOT is correct, they aren’t violating the posted speed law, though they may be violating the Rules of the Road when it comes to an appropriate speed given the circumstances.
State law change in 2016 allows communities to set lower speed limits. This is the law change that allowed Newton to change the unposted speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph. This same law allows communities to set safety zones near schools and parks and have the speed limit be 20 mph. Given the designation of the carriage lane as a linear park, 20 mph should definitely be the maximum speed. Much of the carriage lane is already built to encourage slower speeds, but some is not. It is worth considering.
Why not consider posting the Carriage Lane as no thru traffic for motor vehicles, or some very low speed, say 15 mph (as I believe Lake Ave. around Crystal Lake was for a while).