This past week, the City Council debated the addition of bike lanes and nearly 300 bike racks in Boston. This proposal comes not a moment too soon. Boston is one of the three worst cities in North America to ride a bicycle.
This statistic is not surprising. The roads in Boston are narrow and crowded and bikers are given no protection. They are forced to take their chances amidst impatient drivers.
Separate lanes would provide bikers with needed space that would free them from worries about being run off the road by motorists. Many people avoid biking in Boston because such space is not currently available. If the city made it safer for people to ride their bikes, more commuters might be compelled to ride to work or school rather than drive, surely helping lighten traffic. Fewer cars on the road would mean a reduction in fuel emissions and would help the environment.
One of the most important aspects of the plan would be that it would make life safer for Boston’s college students. On many campuses nationwide, biking is a common mode of travel. In Boston, many students are afraid of getting hit by a car to ride their bikes. Bike lanes could also relieve congestion on the ever-crowded B line on the T.
Councilors Mike Ross (Fenway, Back Bay) and Paul Scapicchio (East Boston, North End) have stepped to the forefront on this bicycle issue. They can sympathize with city bikers because they both bike into the city to work.
The Council also suggested appointing a full-time bicycling coordinator for the city. This decision is a wise one given the resources needed to add bike lanes and racks. A proposal so extensive needs specific attention and can only receive it through such a specially-designed program.
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