Typically March has been a tauntingly wintery/spring-like month. This year in reverse as it seems colder the last week than it was the first one. Slowly however we see some of the old faces who went indoors showing up around town and hopefully as the new bike store in Dorchester, Ashmont Cycles, fixes up more of the unending store house of bicycles that are emerging from porches, basements, front halls and wherever they get stuck and forgotten we’ll see some new old faces. Hopefully they’ll sell a few bikes and we’ll start seeing more Linus and Fugi bikes around town as well. Personally the Linus line is calling.
Judging from the signs on the Interstate this weekend March 28th (today!) is the start of road work season. Hopefully that will mean the bike infrastructure improvements for Dorchester will resume and the oversights of last fall will be quickly addressed.
We saw a lot of interstate this past weekend as we had a big family visiting weekend. Uncles in Vermont and a sister in NYC wasted a few gallons of petrol and the Saab turned 219,000. As a result though we got to observe, but not try, New York City’s improved bike infrastructure and burgeoning bike culture. WOW! Your own lane up and down town! Lots of riders with some sweet rides. Lots of baskets on bikes too and anyone looking for parts to old Schwinns would do well on a scavenger walk down 15th from 5 Avenue to 10th. Lots of scofflaw riders though especially on the cross streets. Is it legal in New York to go the wrong way on a one way on a bike? Helmet use has to be below 50% as well. It’s sweet seeing traffic signals specifically for bicycles though. The next time we’ll have to find a ride and do some sampling.
It’s amazing the wave of research emerging that says the cities and towns that have invested in biking and pedestrian infrastructure are seeing it pay off for local businesses and the community in general through diminished traffic, improved health and a more community like feel. Dotriderblog’s dream piece to the local paper is looking more prescient than a dream in terms of what Boston and Mass transportation planners should be thinking. I hope these folks are reading the research insteading of clinging to the car-centric belief that an ‘improvement’ means making more room for cars.
So Earth Day here we come. Be sure to ride. They had a Darken the Night deal last weekend, but why not every night from 2-4am? Makes sense to me. Get out there and show up too folks. Now is an important time for bicycling in Massachusetts. We need to keep on planners and community officials showing them the overwhelming evidence that it is good for the community to invest in bike and pedestrian improvements at the cost to car access and even PARKING! No need for more parking if you get more folks riding! It’s that simple no?
