Post by edthebiker on Dec 13, 2019 1:45:49 GMT
This is the text of the letter from MassBike, received 9 December 2019
December
9, 2019
To
the Town of Hopkinton:
Thank
you for the opportunity to comment on the Main Street Corridor Project. Since 1977, the
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition has been your statewide bicycle advocacy organization, with
over two thousand members in all corners of the state, we focus on cre ating better bicycling for
all types of riders throughout the commonwealth. As such, we support any project that will
create safe, attractive, and low stress bicycling, especially in town centers such as Main Street,
Hopkinton.
Though
we are generally in support of this project as it will create grade and physically
separated bicycle lanes independent from travel lanes for automobiles, we have some serious
concerns about the designs as they currently stand. Our two main concerns are as follows:
Firstly,
the bicycle path will cross multiple driveways, at slopes near 6.5%, which create
the potential for dangerous conflict between fast moving bicyclists and people in cars
turning in and out of driveways along Main Street. This may be especially exacerbated
as this is an innovative treatment, and many drivers will not be familiar with the two way
nature of the bike lane on one side of the street.
Secondly,
the grade separation between the street level and the bicycle lane may
present a dangerous drop from the bike lane onto the street if the person riding a bicycle
slips, steers, or needs to maneuver around an obstacle. The buffer as presented
provides two feet of space, which may not be ample enough for maneuvering around
blockages in the bike path.
We
make two recommendations to mitigate these concerns which I ask you to study with the
project team at VHB:
First
Recommendation: All crossings should be made at grade of the bicycle lane, not
the motor vehicle lane, and turning car traffic should have to rise up and over raised
crossings before crossing the bicycle path. Raised crossings would be an infrastructural
element to prevent drivers from pulling their cars into the bike lane while they wait to
turn, and will force driver to slow down and be aware as they cross the bicycle path.
This
is common practice in these types of separated infrastructure, recently implemented
in the City of Cambridge on Western Avenue, and in the City of Boston on Atlantic
Avenue in the North End.
Second
Recommendation: Expand the right of way to include a larger buffer zone
between the bicycle lane and the curb along the travel lane. Having a larger buffer would
help mitigate the danger of a bicyclist losing control and falling into the vehicular travel
lane, and would allow bicyclist to ride side by side in the lane. By creating wider, more
ample
room for a person riding a bike,the design will allow for both the safety of riders and be poised to handle the expected rise in bicycle traffic in Hopkinton.
Again, we do support all efforts to create separated facilities for all ages, especially families and those who do not feel comfortable or safe riding with traffic in current conditions. We expect that by building this infrastructure you will see a rise in bicycling in downtown Hopkinton, to benefit the health, congestion, and general community cohesion of your downtown, so we applaud your efforts to make this crucial bike lane as safe and attractive as possible.
I would be happy to answer any questions and engage further with the Town and the project team as this process moves forward.
Sincerely,
Galen MookMook
Executive
Director
Massachusetts
Bicycle Coalition (MassBike)
www.massbike.org
galen@massbike.org
Galen has proved very helpful, interested, and utterly dedicated, even helping and advising me while in the consummate chaos of dealing with a death in the family. I very much appreciate his assistance.
December
9, 2019
To
the Town of Hopkinton:
Thank
you for the opportunity to comment on the Main Street Corridor Project. Since 1977, the
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition has been your statewide bicycle advocacy organization, with
over two thousand members in all corners of the state, we focus on cre ating better bicycling for
all types of riders throughout the commonwealth. As such, we support any project that will
create safe, attractive, and low stress bicycling, especially in town centers such as Main Street,
Hopkinton.
Though
we are generally in support of this project as it will create grade and physically
separated bicycle lanes independent from travel lanes for automobiles, we have some serious
concerns about the designs as they currently stand. Our two main concerns are as follows:
Firstly,
the bicycle path will cross multiple driveways, at slopes near 6.5%, which create
the potential for dangerous conflict between fast moving bicyclists and people in cars
turning in and out of driveways along Main Street. This may be especially exacerbated
as this is an innovative treatment, and many drivers will not be familiar with the two way
nature of the bike lane on one side of the street.
Secondly,
the grade separation between the street level and the bicycle lane may
present a dangerous drop from the bike lane onto the street if the person riding a bicycle
slips, steers, or needs to maneuver around an obstacle. The buffer as presented
provides two feet of space, which may not be ample enough for maneuvering around
blockages in the bike path.
We
make two recommendations to mitigate these concerns which I ask you to study with the
project team at VHB:
First
Recommendation: All crossings should be made at grade of the bicycle lane, not
the motor vehicle lane, and turning car traffic should have to rise up and over raised
crossings before crossing the bicycle path. Raised crossings would be an infrastructural
element to prevent drivers from pulling their cars into the bike lane while they wait to
turn, and will force driver to slow down and be aware as they cross the bicycle path.
This
is common practice in these types of separated infrastructure, recently implemented
in the City of Cambridge on Western Avenue, and in the City of Boston on Atlantic
Avenue in the North End.
Second
Recommendation: Expand the right of way to include a larger buffer zone
between the bicycle lane and the curb along the travel lane. Having a larger buffer would
help mitigate the danger of a bicyclist losing control and falling into the vehicular travel
lane, and would allow bicyclist to ride side by side in the lane. By creating wider, more
ample
room for a person riding a bike,the design will allow for both the safety of riders and be poised to handle the expected rise in bicycle traffic in Hopkinton.
Again, we do support all efforts to create separated facilities for all ages, especially families and those who do not feel comfortable or safe riding with traffic in current conditions. We expect that by building this infrastructure you will see a rise in bicycling in downtown Hopkinton, to benefit the health, congestion, and general community cohesion of your downtown, so we applaud your efforts to make this crucial bike lane as safe and attractive as possible.
I would be happy to answer any questions and engage further with the Town and the project team as this process moves forward.
Sincerely,
Galen MookMook
Executive
Director
Massachusetts
Bicycle Coalition (MassBike)
www.massbike.org
galen@massbike.org
Galen has proved very helpful, interested, and utterly dedicated, even helping and advising me while in the consummate chaos of dealing with a death in the family. I very much appreciate his assistance.