|
|
Post by edthebiker on Sept 13, 2019 16:26:36 GMT
I attended what I believe to be the first Public Meeting, in the high school cafeteria in November, if I recall correctly, on the Main Street Project, then known as DISC. I spoke at the meeting and my picture, in that act, was posted on Hopnews. I left my contact information on the sign-up sheet with the expectation that I would be advised of future meetings, etc. A bit Naïve on my part. I have attended and spoken at other meetings, notably the DOT meeting held at the Senior Center 9 January 2018. I have written letters and emails to MassDOT Staff, the Hopkinton SelectBoard, spoken with Michael Trepanier of MassDOT at the MACC conference this year, and, for all practical purposes, I have never received a response from MassDOT. Specifically I have asked MassDOT (I believe Peter Sutton, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator) to advise me of bike lanes in Mass, or ANYWHERE with the characteristics of the planned bike lane in Hopkinton, to wit: • Urban setting • Many curb cuts • On significant grades Never a response from MassDOT, but recently a response via David Daltorio (But I originating from Matthew Chase of VHB) on the ClearGov web site. There are links to photos of six bike lanes in David’s response. In my opinion the six satisfy the ‘urban’ aspect… I'll attempt to put one of the photos here, later. OK, couldn't post, but can link, click on the links  ![]() goo.gl/maps/FZEt62eoi9VYdxM99goo.gl/maps/2XBCmGmvacwqd4pe6goo.gl/maps/1UKwCkFwJmsm3hqM6There's more on the ClearGov web site. I suggest these are not similar to Hopkinton with respect to either grade or curb cuts. I took a pleasant afternoon stroll along Main St from Hayden Rowe to Center Trail, between 3 and 4:00. A party pulled out of 25 Main St without ever looking to the right. Another pulled out of 77 Main St and stopped across the 'marked' sidewalk. I cannot attest as to whether that driver looked to the right or not. But this is why I am so concerned about the two-way bike lane, especially in conjunction with the grades (6+% between the library and Rt 85). |
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Sept 16, 2019 13:17:50 GMT
For years I have ‘preached’ my realization (with some hard-won ‘experience’) that the reason drivers can look right at one riding a bicycle, and pull out right in front of the rider, is because ‘we’ have all been taught, from a very early age, to “Look both ways for CARS before crossing the street!” (Note, this experience is familiar to those who ride motorcycles as well.)
Back in the 70’s a study by Ulrich Neisser, involving a basketball being passed between ‘players’, and the subjects tasked with keeping track of the number of passes, and a person walking through the players dressed as a gorilla, with a substantial number of the subjects not ‘seeing’ the gorilla, was, I believe, the first to demonstrate ‘inattentional blindness’. This study was replicated by Simons and Chabris in 1999.
Notably, the Simons and Chabris study was used on British television as a public safety advertisement pointing out the dangers to cyclists caused by inattentional blindness in motorists…
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Sept 18, 2019 2:41:14 GMT
We had a meeting late this afternoon at Town Hall, attended by more than 15 people, to discuss the planned bike lanes. Attendees were from VHB, DOT, and Town officials. I especially thank Police Chief Lee, John Westerling and Dave Daltorio of DPW, Elaine Lazarus, and, in particular, Norman Khumalo for his efforts to corral all these people into one room. With the notable exception of one, I believe the attendees listened to my opinions seriously, tho as far as convincing anyone, well that remains to be seen.
My friend, John Allen, a nationally known bike safety and expert witness also attended. Before the meeting he rode thru Hopkinton on Main St, across Rt 85, which did nothing to change his view that the plan for bike lanes is not appropriate. John video taped his ride, and will provide some expert commentary. I asked, and again received no examples, of bike lanes in Massachusetts which are similar in topography and curb cuts. The recently published study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety noted that a typical bike lane has 6 crossings per mile. Hopkinton's, as planned, has about 30. MassDOT Separated Bike Lane Planning & Design Guide, 2015, suggests a minimum (OK, my interpretation) of 40' between parked cars and a curb cut. That is 40' in both directions... I do not believe the current plans meet the current State requirements.
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Sept 23, 2019 19:43:40 GMT
Subject: RE: MassDOT Hopkinton Downtown Corridor From: "Marvin, Patrick (DOT)" <patrick.marvin@state.ma.us> Date: Mon, September 23, 2019 10:35 am To: Thank you for your input regarding this project. As always, MassDOT appreciates feedback and this has been shared with the project team. Please note that this is a municipal project and the Town of Hopkinton is designing this project. MassDOT will be responsible for monitoring project development and then carrying out construction work. As this roadway is under the jurisdiction of the town, you may wish to also contact municipal officials for comment on design changes. However, MassDOT understands that the town is currently accepting public input on the design in order to make modifications and changes to address any considerations. Patrick Marvin Communications Office Massachusetts Department of Transportation Cell: (617)-894-6553 Office: (857)-368-8909 And there you have it... |
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Sept 23, 2019 20:34:47 GMT
The location of this bike lane was flat... This is a quote. Fatality on Montreal cycle track Posted on August 10, 2012 | 8 Comments As reported in a Montreal Gazette article, a Montreal cyclist was killed on July 24, 2012 when traveling in a two-way cycle track at the location shown in the Google Street View image below. The cyclist entered the intersection from the same direction as the red-shirted cyclist shown in the Street View. A large box truck turned right from the location of the gray car in the foreground. According to witnesses, both had the green light. The trucker was required to yield to the cyclist.  Location of fatal truck-bicycle crash in Montreal Responses were diverse. A commentator on a Montreal blog identifying himself as BrunoG posted one (here in my translation from the French) which I think especially hits the mark: I don’t want to sound like a chronic complainer, but I think that bidirectional cycle tracks on one side of the street add a particular element of danger. Because the path was bidirectional, the cyclist was riding opposite the direction of the truck, on the right (from the trucker’s point of view) — that is, opposite the direction of traffic (again, as seen from the truck). Like anyone who turns right, the trucker had to have the automatic reflex to shift his attention between right and left, close to the truck: to the left to be sure that he would not run over a pedestrian who might be crossing against the red light; to the left ahead to be sure not to collide with a car or truck coming from the opposite direction and possibly turning left and cutting across in front of him; and on the right next to his truck so as not to run over a pedestrian who might be crossing on the green light. But he probably didn’t look ahead and to the right, because he didn’t expect that a cyclist would arrive traveling opposite traffic. (He nonetheless had the duty to do that, as the path is bidirectional, but he didn’t do that because intersections with bidirectional cycle tracks probably represent less than one intersection in 10,000 in Montreal.) Personally, I feel safer in the street, riding in the same direction as traffic, than on a bidirectional cycle track where I risk death at every intersection (the path on Rue Rachel being an off-the-charts example of the danger of these paths). What I find especially distressing is that someone has died because of the inherent danger of an urban accommodation which was thought to be safe. I extend my greatest sympathy to those who were close to the victim. |
|
|
|
Post by Main Street Guest on Sept 24, 2019 11:46:54 GMT
Thank you for providing updates on your bike lane research and meeting. The comment from BrunoG is spot on. Parlez-vous français?
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Sept 25, 2019 15:10:57 GMT
Une tres, tres, tres petit peu, terrible, n'est pas?
It was interesting to know that there was considerable voiced concern for the businesses on Main Street, but none espoused by any member of the board for my concerns re the inherent hazards of the bike lane, and to the potential riders thereof. (A concern principally to little kids zipping down the 6.75% grade from library to 85, where they will tend to be hidden from those entering the driveways from Main St.)
|
|
|
|
Post by Hop Biker on Oct 17, 2019 13:23:40 GMT
Ed- thanks for leading the charge on fighting the poorly thought out two-way bike lane. As an avid rider in town, I would not use that bike lane but would instead ride with the cars as that would be faster and safer for me. For the most part I have found drivers in town are very good about sharing the road with bicycles, but I worry about new animosity if cyclists are in the road when there is a bike lane available. I would much rather see either one way bike lanes (with a buffer to the parked car door zone) or sharrows and signage indicating bikes may use the full lane.
Do the project planners believe that putting in a very short stretch of two way bike lane is suddenly going to bring families cycling into downtown? I don't see that happening. Without kid friendly bike infrastructure linking the residential areas to the business district, I expect the two way bike lane will be mostly unused and a waste of valuable space.
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Oct 18, 2019 1:38:24 GMT
... but I worry about new animosity if cyclists are in the road when there is a bike lane available... Me too! Big concern, plus the lanes will be narrower, exaserbating the issue. I've made some additional inquiries to seemingly 'appropriate' parties, awaiting response, just as I'm awaiting a response on 'ClearGov' I think that's correct, on the town website. It's worth a visit. Thank you for your interest. |
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Oct 18, 2019 1:47:10 GMT
I just discovered that the photos linked in my 13 Sept comment are 'travellable' or at least the first one is. I went a long way in both directions and it continued FLAT, and featured few intersections or curb cuts.
|
|
Kim Hesse / John Martire
Guest
|
Post by Kim Hesse / John Martire on Oct 18, 2019 12:08:12 GMT
We agree the bike path for such a tiny distance is highly unnecessary,
merely symbolic. There would not be enough space for a two-way bike path with the necessary
cones / vertical reflective markers that protect riders in towns such as Somerville.
Having children ride close to each other, in both directions, on hills, with many curb cuts as EdtheBiker
said, is multiple accidents waiting to happen. Let's revisit this idea, PLEASE.
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Oct 20, 2019 20:14:30 GMT
The following is meant as clarification of points in the excellent article just published in the Hopkinton Independent.
As there is no similar bike lane in the US; at least neither VHB, nor MassDOT, nor I have been able to locate one, it makes finding statistics relating to such a bike lane rather difficult.
However:
• Over the distance of approx. .8 mile, this bike lane will be crossed approx. 30 times by streets and driveways. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in a study published in August of this year notes: “Two-way protected bike lanes raised from the road were crossed by driveways, alleys, exit ramps, or intersecting roads an average of 6 times per mile”. This is a 5x increase, compounded with a speed inducing grade.
• With the grade involved, I attempted to find a study that would show the effect of grades upon speed. I did find one, but for cars at highway speeds, and only a 3% grade, not a 6.75% grade. The study found cars sped up about 8% when travelling down a 3% grade. On my bike, just coasting, from the bank to the drug store parking lot (where I had to brake to avoid a collision with an inattentive motorist) I reached 17 mph.
• Massachusetts has published a bike-lane handbook, MassDOT Separated Bike Lane Planning & Design Guide. It notes, in Exhibit 4J on page 64 what is called ‘Approach Clear Space’. This is the distance from intersecting driveways and streets where parking should not be allowed alongside a bike lane. The slowest car speed specified is 10 mph, requiring 40’ of ‘clear space’. I do not believe the planned parking on the southerly side of Main St meets the spirit of the requirements of Exhibit 4J; I believe doing so would significantly reduce the number of parking spaces.
• Several studies on ‘inattentional blindness’ have been done, the most well known in 1975. It explains why we don’t see bicycles and motorcycles when they are in plain sight, and where they are expected to be. This planned bike lane violates both of those as bicycles will be at least partially blocked by parked cars, and potentially travelling in an unexpected direction, increasing the likelihood of car/bicycle collision.
One wag is reported to have commented upon my rather quixotic quest to show the unsafe design of this bike lane. When there is a bike/car accident on this section of Main St, the Personal Injury lawyer who gets the case will reach for the expert-witness Rolodex, turn to ‘B’ for bicycle, and the first name will be John Allen. I’ve known John for years, and have kept him in the loop through this entire project.
Kim and John, this proposed lane will be elevated from the roadway, and in some portions, will be behind parked cars. In most areas where the lane is beside parked cars, the ‘door clearance’ meets the specs called out in the MassDOT bike lane planning guide, but only because the guide permits too much (In my opinion) wiggle room in the number. Thank you for your comments and support, I very much appreciate them.
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Nov 4, 2019 20:35:16 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by edthebiker on Nov 11, 2019 19:23:19 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by privatei on Nov 19, 2019 18:26:46 GMT
Thank you for posting all this, Ed.
|
|
