4 thoughts on “OP-ED: State Sen. Brownsberger Pushing to Make Roads Safer for Bicyclists

  1. Will, as a fellow cyclist, I must agree with you: the majority of motorists are careful and courteous with regard to bicycles and we must give them credit for that. But there is a dangerous minority who drive aggressively and carelessly, and who are a threat to all their fellow humans, whether drivers, pedestrians or cyclists. We all need to be conscious–when we are driving–of the damage that we can do, not only to others, but to ourselves and those who matter to us as well. When an accident happens, it is a bad day for all, and potentially life changing.

    Keep pushing for a ban on hand held cell phone use by drivers.

    • I too am a cyclist and would, of course agree, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers need to be more cautious sharing the road. But we expect pedestrians to have sidewalks, in urban trafficked areas there should be protected bike lanes and dedicated traffick light that enable cyclist to start before cars. Getting doomed is by far the most frequent cyclist collision.
      Also, as a matter of making roads safer, having traffick flow more smoothly, saving energy & reducing climate changing emissions from vehicles, intersection sensors should actually work because now, in Watertown, they do not. Anyone who has waited & idled for minutes at a red light on the city’s major roadways when there is no traffick from the intersecting street knows we do not have smart traffic lights.
      Finally, it’s long, long overdue that intersections at Watertown square, Mt Auburn & Route 2, North Beacon &Soldiers Field Rd are dysfunctional & dangerous. We need to think creatively to find real solutions. Watertown is undergoing an historic transformation. Increased traffic will kill the quality of life AND people. This is the time for action. I applaud some of the measures taken on Trapelo Rd and Mt Auburn but they’re not enough. Here’s looking at you Main Street.
      Finally, pedestrians who cross streets with earphone, using their cell phones, oblivious to their surroundings put the responsibility for protecting their lives in the hands of drivers need to be fined. Yes, let’s vigorously enforce the laws for all who use the streets. I just don’t buy the “we can’t afford it” argument. We have to buy it…the cost to our city in lives lost and destroyed by outdated streets is going to increase. We need to pay for a multimodal transportation system that works otherwise we’ll be slowly, inevitably, grinding to a deadly future.

  2. Let’s be realistic bike lanes are a menace and very dangerous in this part of the state. The roads were built over 100 yrs ago. Cyclist should be registered and pay excise tax to travel the same road cars do and be accountable to the laws of the road. I often travel to Kendall Sq. and see constant disregard for the rules by cyclist. As far as as video surveillance law enforcement, I would support it 100% if the cyclist were also held to the same rules of the road. It could be a great revenue stream stacking up all their violations.

Leave a Reply to Joe Levendusky Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *