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Bicycling groups push for year-round bicycle paths

A number of bicycling groups are reacting to an e-mail exchange over the Southwest Corridor bike lane with by asking why major bike lanes aren't given the same clearing priority as roads.

MassBike takes the issue of snow removal on off-road pathways – and all bicycle facilities - very seriously because many people who ride bikes rely on them for their daily transportation 365 days a year. In many cases, pathways like the Southwest Corridor or the Charles River bike paths are the only safe route for people who ride bikes where parallel roadways are unsafe or uncomfortable for bicycling. Furthermore, all state agencies should be unequivocally committed to well-established state laws and policies, such as the Healthy Transportation Compact, that support increased bicycle use for everyday transportation.

This is why I have written DCR Commissioner Jack Murray to request a meeting to address the issues raised in these emails and ensuing public discussion. I appreciate the challenges that DCR and other agencies have faced this winter, and can understand the frustrations expressed by both DCR and bicyclists, but we have the opportunity to shift this discussion to a real dialogue.

Groups posted photos today of the "0.05%" - a reference to the way one official referred to what he said was the small number of bicyclists he says just refuse to accept the realities of winter in Boston.

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Comments

Do we put transportation on parks? Storrow Drive, Mem Drive, Mystic Valley Parkway etc should be declared transportation and taken away from DCR. Paths through cemeteries, state, and national parks probably don't need as much attention. Cemeteries are a special case - under state law its illegal to use them for non-cemetery business and transiting through. Arlington Police have a special exemption (by lack of enforcement), however, and use a cemetery as an employee parking lot.

Make the same decisions for bike paths. Which ones are transportation and which are recreation. Treat accordingly in winter, perhaps also take from DCR. Real parks like the Boston Common don't have a primary function of transportation, though used as one by some cyclists - hence the clearer ban. Necessity does require the Common cut in half by one road. NYC Central Park has more.

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So, let me make sure I'm clear on this. Car owners fund excise tax, gas tax, property tax, registration, title, and inspection fees for the privilege of being able to drive their car down the street they live on, and for cars to be able to come to and from said location. Bicyclists fund just property tax, and yet believe they should have access to all main roads AND bike paths throughout the city in addition to all other city services provided to the car owner.

Lighten up Francis. On the most weather friendly day, only 2 percent of all trips in the city of Boston are done so by bike. I can think of about a thousand other things this city needs to pay attention to than shoveling your bike path. You know, they path they already provide and maintain that still somehow doesn't prevent you from ignoring the basic traffic laws, driving down streets the wrong way, or those fancy monthly slow-speed group bike rides you do that block traffic during people's commutes home from work. Winning lots of friends with that gig. Deal with the snow like every other person in this city who lives on a private way, or move somewhere warmer.

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Bicyclists fund just property tax,

Not even close. Virtually all the cyclists I know own cars, own houses, etc., and pay all the taxes non-cyclists pay. Most of the cyclists I know pay more in taxes than most people make in a year. Simply put, this isn't a tax issue.

But, you're getting better whan you say this:

On the most weather friendly day, only 2 percent of all trips in the city of Boston are done so by bike.

And I think you're being extremely generous with the 2%.

It's just a matter of allocation of resources - and politics. Is it worth spending the $$$ for a few dozen riders? Not an easy answer. And yes, this comes down to a lot of money, no matter how much one tries to trivialize the expense. Have you tried buying salt lately? HA! I asked for salt at Lowes on Monday and the guy laughed at me. Coincidentally while driving home from Lowes, I heard a report on NPR about road salt and how the price is 5 times what it was earlier. But, price is irrelevant because you can't get it even if you do try to order it because it's all spoken for.

So, is it worth spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep a few cyclists happy? Cyclists are going to have an uphill battle with that one.

Cyclists are definitely under the illusion that all roads are perfectly maintained and free of snow. The same priorities of snow removal are applied to streets. There are a lot of less-traveled streets that have a lot of snow and ice on them, enough so that they would be tricky to ride on. I was just talking to a co-worker who lives in Milton who said her road rarely gets plowed, and if it does, it's usually by a guy that lives on the street. I can go down a lot of streets in my town and find them still covered with snow, and they're not going to get plowed again.

I wish MassBike a lot of luck on this one. They seem to be approaching it in the right way.

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Way wrong. http://www.bikeleague.org/content/bicycle-commuting-data

Be sure you look at Cambridge and Somerville, too, which are listed separately but not walled off from Boston (and also served by the DCR).

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For Boston, the chart says 1.7%, which is < 2%. The chart isn't specific, but I'm guessing the 1.7% is not applicable to winter months.
FWIW, I'm an avid cyclist

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DCR isn't just Boston - Cambridge and Somerville have much higher rates of cycling.

I'm seeing 5.7% for Cambridge and 4% for Somerville.

Also, that data is 5 years old, and there are a lot more of us than there were 5 years ago.

You might also look at the counting efforts by Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, and Medford - these are very recent.

Also notice what happens in cities with lots of snow when cycling facilities are cleared: http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/07/worlds-most-bicycle-friendly-cities...

Or are you going to tell me that cities in Switzerland and Denmark and Germany don't get any snow?

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of cyclists in Amsterdam and Copenhagen cycling through...what, like an inch of snow? Are you really comparing the weather here this past ten days with the weather there?

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These countries all have multiple cities on that list.

But it never snows there. Nope.

Nice misdirection you got there, Sally!

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Are you trying to argue that average snowfall in Berlin or Copenhagen is higher than Boston? Because really--I'd be happy to see any stats. Really.

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It isn't in Sweden. Nor is it in Switzerland or Finland.

You seem to be fixated on Copenhagen and Amsterdam for some reason - and miss this simple fact.

Several cities on that list have higher average snowfall than Boston. They are also far further north and colder. Also, nearly all those top cycling cities are in Northern Europe.

But you are clearly not interested in learning anything that isn't about Copenhagen or Amsterdam or rebuts your fixed concepts.

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Copenhagen is in Denmark. It may top that list, but I believe Anon was talking about far snowier, high bike culture cities in those four non-Denmark and non-Netherlands countries he or she listed.

Berlin may not get much snow, but higher elevation portions of Germany do. Basel can see snow from November to April (I was there in August and remarked about the number of bikes, only to be told "wait until school is in session!"). Sweden and Finland are so far north of us that they get cold, snow, and darkness to a much more intense degree despite the marine climate.

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Copenhagen and Amsterdam are by far the most common cities that cyclists--myself included--cite when describing cities with excellent biking culture and infrastructure. And yes, I'm aware that there are high rates of cycling in these other cities but I'm not seeing or hearing any information about how they deal with the kind of serious snow and ice we've dealt with this month.

Honestly though--the snotty, condescending responses (in particularly the Anons) do nothing to advance the cause here.

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Who has been snotty and condescending?

Finland packs the snow and people utilize studded tyres. http://brandscycle.com/product/nokian-hakka-extreme-26x2.2-300-studded-t...

Sweden is rethinking its snow clearance priorities to put local roads, paths, and walkways ahead of larger roadways: http://jamstall.nu/en/jamstalldhetipraktik/gender-equal-snow-clearing-in...

Switzerland eliminates parking. Germany varies by city and area - usually parking elimination and focus on non-auto clearing (cars use snow chains).

Reading about places rather than visiting on holiday and talk to people doesn't validate your assumptions that Europe = the low countries.

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Look, you showed me a chart and it said 1.7% - WTF am I supposed to do? You didn't show any numbers for Cambridge and Somerville, plus as I said before, I'm sure these aren't winter numbers which is what this is all about.

But again, I don't care. I ride my bike as much as most people here (not in Boston) and I hope they get something out of this. Don't be so fucking defensive. Nothing in my original post was anti-bike.

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serves zip codes with high bike mode share - for example - Mission Hill is around10% bike mode share.

The last bike count showed that over 1,000 cyclists use that path during "peak hours" - the emerald necklace path sees closer to 1,500 cyclists in some sections (real numbers are likely much higher) - even if a fraction use these paths in the winter - it's still significant enough to require better plowing.

and the ACS counts for bike usage have a very high margin of error, btw...

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The Boston Cyclists Union and MassBike deserve a lot of credit for working this issue to a positive direction with a sense of humor and adroit use of social media. At first, I thought the reaction to that rather petulant biker's email was understandable although inappropriate, but the whole conversation has now led to a reasonable discussion of what can and should be done. This is huge progress. It's not like you just flip a switch and everyone "gets it;" the process evolves and shockingly, it seems a critical mass of people in government ARE listening and trying to do the right thing.

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for the general public to come around. For government officials, though, the cost savings and economic (and health and safety) benefits of moving more people around by bicycle is becoming too big to ignore.

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If you are going to gripe about the government fixing YOUR problem (plow the sidewalk for bikes, pay the teachers more money, save the whale - whatever - and I'm in favor of all three of those if you can afford it but...)

While government can chew gum and walk at the same time - i.e. prioritize multiple objectives at the same time, the budget as a whole is a zero sum game unless you propose new taxes, soooo - if you have an idea like this -

a) propose a new tax to pay for it - and as they say - rots a ruck in getting that passed.
b) don't just say - give us money to fix MY problem.

You have to say - our problem is more important than (fill in the blank - more teachers, better DCF, state lab scandal, paying off big dig debt, trooper pensions etc) and we should divert money from there to - in this case - plow some sidewalks for bicycles. (word to the wise - don't take on the teachers, the cops and the firemen)

If you don't identify the specific SOURCE of the funds - just keep your mouth shut - and that goes for everyone with a new idea about how the state should spend more of my (our) money.

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You introduced logic and common sense into this, stevil.

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Where people who already pay taxes aren't allowed to ask that priorities be changed.

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That's politics - asking for money. People ask for money and others prioritize and dole it out. It's an endless battle and you don't always get what you want.

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60% of funds come from everybody's taxes.

Just because one outdated mode likes to play hog in the manger, doesn't mean that they can't share with other taxpayers.

Simple.

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How much funds does it take to tun a plow truck with the sander on over two paths, around ~20 miles total?

As I already stated above, they don't need to be kept open during the storm, just plowed after. So its not the same as a road. The plow operators likely use more gas getting coffee on their break.

The real issue here is that the DCR doesn't seem to use plows. They use bobcats, which are not ment for moving anything but dirt, and really suck at moving snow. At least this is the case with the sidewalks along Arsenal St (which are so bad I quit my job in east watertown, less than a mile away from my home, because I was tired of walking through a foot of snow and ice every day).

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a) find out
b) don't waste your time proposing a new tax
c) identify something in the budget that we should eliminate to pay for this - such as turning off the engines during coffee breaks to save gas

This is not a one issue thing - it goes for every thing that people say is a "priority".

And keep in mind - no matter what - this is pretty far down the totem pole - even if you get it somebody down the road is probably going to come in and find something better to spend the money on. I'm not saying this isn't a nice to have - but it's definitely not a need to have. And sadly, we live in need to have times.

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I'm a taxpayer, I pay gas taxes, sales taxes, real estate taxes, I own a car, I pay to register it and insure it. I also shovel out spaces for my car on a public street where i have a permit to park. sometimes i put items in that space to save it. i also own a bike, I ride it on paths, And bike lanes, and sometimes sidewalks. i have a MBTA pass, I take the train and bus, and commuter rail.

I think it's only fair that we........damn I forget what I wanted to complain about.

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sometimes i put items in that space to save it

You should have stopped right before that. It's OK - we're both getting older...

You do realize that you sound like the Universal Hub version of Elmer J. Fudd and his mansion and his yacht - you've got it all as far as Uhubbers go! :-)

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Hmeant this for davem's comment re "all we need is one truck with a sander"--not sure how it ended up here.

Have you read the original emails? Do you use these paths? They ARE plowed. It is NOT as simple as one truck with a plow and a sander. The paths have been rideable all winter until this past week when there was snow, rain which then froze. It's not the snow--it's the icy layer of dreck underneath it and the thin layer of black ice of parts of the exposed pavement. Sand does not melt ice.

I love how suddenly everyone is an expert on pavement maintenance and snow removal.

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Well, until the UHub commentariat's spending proposals reach whatever share of the $15B that the state subsidizes, we can just point to wasteful health spending. That should give us plenty of griping headroom.

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Adam, please can you create a separate section for bike posts? The cycling community is overshadowing every other issue that you post on Uhub -- inner city kids getting shot to death rarely get more than a few comments, yet cyclists wanting bike paths maintained year-round gets over 150!! There seems to be a mob rule mentality going on and quite frankly the cyclists have been overtaking this site for a long time and it's eroding the balance and breadth of issues and quality of discussion. Yes, I realize I am an unregistered anon, but I have been reading your site for years and wanted to voice my opinion in case anyone else out there is in agreement and perhaps a little balance can be restored. Thanks.

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If you look at the front page, you don't get all the comments with the posts. You don't even have to read the comments ... just read the item, and scroll down to the next item. The comments are also segregated within the posting so you don't have to wade through 50 bike topic comments to read one comment about something else.

How is it that these discussions "overshadow" anything given the format that Adam is using? Unless, somehow, your browser makes you wade/scroll through all the comments before getting to the next item (which I kind of doubt).

Also: one of the features of having a permanent log-in is that, when you return to UHub, you can tell which of the posts that interest you has new comments.

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No one forces anyone to read or comment on posts about space savers, bikes, Dunkin Donuts, Todd English, yuppies vs townies, the latest shooting in XYZ, Polish doughnuts or anything else. It's not a measure of their cosmic importance. If you have lots of valuable, interesting or controversial opinions about inner city kids getting shot then feel free to post them. The stories don't rise or fall based on most comments.

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TROLL-O-RAMA

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