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The state painted some fresh lines for parking spaces on Truman Parkway - unfortunately, they're supposed to be a bike lane
By adamg on Thu, 11/30/2017 - 1:09pm
The recently finished DCR repaving of Truman Parkway in Hyde Park included the creation of a bike lane on the southbound side. But as Vivian Gerard discovered and photographed yesterday morning, motorists responded to the new lane by ignoring it. It's especially bad in front of the apartment building at 605 Truman, just before Fairmount Avenue, but a quick drive at lunchtime today showed both car owners and truck drivers ignoring the lane south of Fairmount as well.
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Comments
Do the bike lanes have the
Do the bike lanes have the figure of the bike like all other bike lanes do? This photo doesn't show that. If there is no such figure than I would not hold these motorists liable. They did a similar type of painting behind the West Roxbury Court House on Morton Street. Instead of bikes, cars park there instead. In fact, it looks just like this photo.
I couldn't tell right in front of the apartment building ...
Since all the space was taken up by cars when I drove by a little while ago, but along the rest of the bike lane, from the Milton line to Neponset Valley Parkway, yes, they have bicycle icons on the path itself as well as periodic "Bike Lane" signs.
What is unusual in front of the apartment building is the stripped separator mini lane - for most of the length, it's just a solid white line.
On Columbus Ave. / Seaver St.
There is parking followed by a painted bike lane, but people double park, it dos't help that there is a church near by, I don't know if there will be a solution to the issue.
A look at Truman Pkwy near 605 before the bike lane
Google street view 3D has an image of Truman Pkwy near 605 from earlier in 2017
bicycle icons
Doesn't stop motorized jackasses at the Schrafft's Building from deciding that their fat lane-clogging spewboxes are special guests.
uh
Either way, the clearly visible “No Parking” sign should be a dead giveaway that you can’t park there.
Isn't that a No Parking sign
Isn't that a No Parking sign in the photo? It appears so to me. The lane is also too narrow for a parking spot and any person with half a brain would realize that.
Regardless, you will constantly find lawless drivers ignoring well marked bike lanes throughout the Boston area. They also park on sidewalks, in front of fire hydrants, drive through pedestrian zones etc. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it.
Street Sweeping
The sign says street sweeping.
Googles
The sign that you see on the
The sign that you see on the picture is a no-parking sign that applies only to street cleaning. What leads to confusion is that there are plenty of posted signs restricting parking for street cleaning and snow emergency exclusively, so one could think that it's Ok to park there at all other time.
You are supposed to know what these lines mean
If you don't, you need to refresh your knowledge by rereading your driving manual.
Ignorance is no excuse - it just makes you look even lazier.
The bike lane does have a
The bike lane does have a painted figure of a bike every few feet, including in front of these apartments. When I ran through here on Sunday, people were parking right on top of the painted bikes.
Bike Party Time
Time for the Bike Party to do a Rush Hour Ride - hey, gee, we planned to use the bike lane, but ...
Let ticketing begin!
During Sunday's Logan Square tree lighting, I buttonholed a couple of city cops about this. I told them I'd walked down from Fairmount Hill and counted 7 vehicles parked in the bike bath in front of the giganto-apartment 605 Truman complex and U-Haul. They agreed these clowns needed ticketing.
I think regular calls to E-18 [(617) 343-5600], ideally with a car count, will help. It did with the scofflaws speeding and not yielding to peds crossing in front of the Y.
Harrumph.
Mass Towing
Mass Towing is in order.
Ticket them and they will ignore it.
Tow them and they won't do it again.
It isn't any different from any other parking take over of a travel lane.
Ticket first, then tow
As Gary C noted, people have been parking there for years (I've only been running by there for 6 years, but look at the google street view.) Something tells me that the residents of the apartment building probably were not told of the impending change. I'll give them some slack. That said, perhaps some fliers the first day, then tickets days 2 through 14, then the residents get to learn where the local tow lots are (which, since it is Hyde Park, is remarkably close.)
That's like, your truth, man
They choose a different truth.
Welcome to 2017.
Just more
proof that motorists are the problem. What more proof do you need? They are only marginally better at noticing the still-alive cyclists who share the roads. Seeing is believing.
That parked car swerved right
That parked car swerved right in front of my U-lock.
True story, Bro.
I heard a motorist had similar thing happen to him with a cyclist.
Too Many Lanes For Through Traffic
Many of these roads would be safer and more useful with fewer lanes dedicated to through traffic. If this section had only one lane for through traffic in each direction, there would be plenty of room for protected bike lanes and parking.
This would also make room for dedicated turn lanes at intersections, which would make them safer and more efficient. Traffic bottlenecks always occur at intersections, and not because the roads leading to them have too few lanes.
A single lane for through traffic eliminates merging and lane changing, so it flows smoothly to each intersection, fanning out into the turn lane(s). The same amount of traffic (or more!) gets through, but fewer cars are queued between intersections.
Instead of two lanes of slowly moving traffic, there's one lane of faster flowing traffic. The space where cars were queueing — basically going nowhere — is now put to useful service, making it safer for everyone.
This is doubly true on Centre St / J-way
The stretch between the two rotaries has eight lanes! Just an opportunity people to race down to the next merge point to try to get ahead of someone before getting stuck in the same traffic. Outdated and in need of fixing.
There is a reason for those lanes....
That's where I grew up. The outer two lanes are for traffic going up Rt 1, the inner two lanes are for traffic going on 203 or around the rotary to Center St. If it were marked better it might work as expected.
But US-1 Doesn't Go Through There Anymore
It was a ridiculous design then— it's even more absurd now to waste so much land on pavement for motor vehicles.
Modern, channelized roundabouts can be a big improvement from old, confusing designs of the past. The MDC/DCR acts like the configurations of these roads are somehow historically significant, and can never be changed even to make them safer and more efficient.
Ride a bike around in any
Ride a bike around in any part of Boston on any given day and you will see rampant illegal parking in bike lanes. I'm more surprised when I don't see it. I'd venture to say many of these same people illegally parking there are at no loss for words when it comes to complaining about cyclists not following rules. What's good for the goose....
Mista Gaffin
You ahr an outside agitator
*old southern governor voice*
Gov Anon!
There's a black agitator in your washing machine!
(with apologies to LaughIn)
If there isn't "No Parking"
If there isn't "No Parking" signage, then it's legal to park there, regardless of the roadway markings. We had the same issue on N Harvard St in Allston when parking was removed from one side and replaced with a bike lane but the signs weren't updated right away.
Wrong-o
State law (chapter 89, section 4D) makes it illegal to park or even stand (a.k.a. stop) in a marked bike lane. Various municipalities have fines on top of the state $50. Boston can write a ticket for $100 for scofflaws.
Well, that's a poorly-written
Well, that's a poorly-written law.
The general expectation for city streets is that parking is allowed unless there's a No Parking sign. Or something else besides road paint, like a hydrant or curb cut.
What if there's a dusting of snow on the ground? How would you know not to park in the bike lane if it's only designated by road paint and no signs?
General Expectations From The 1960's Can't Be Assumed True Today
Back then, there were no such things as bike lanes, and cars were deemed more important than pedestrians.
In modern cities, the expectation is parking is not allowed on thoroughfares and streets in the urban core. Where parking is allowed, there will always be some signage — at a minimum, to indicate restrictions for street sweeping.
Nonetheless, there should also be better protection for the bike lane, including clear signage displaying the fine for stopping, standing, or parking there.
If I can draw your attention
If I can draw your attention to the picture above, you'll notice a distinct lack of snow. So the law is pretty clear in *this* case, at least.
Parking illegal on state highways
No Parking signs are not *required* on Truman Parkway because it is illegal to park on a state highway, at least that's the DCR tells me. Nonetheless, signs are needed here, as well as enforcement by the state police.
The real issue
Was parking allowed there before the re-paving? If so, then how could these people be faulted for going back to parking there? (I know, the bike symbols, but they could be missed.)
I would say they deserve warning tickets to let them know things have changed and see what happens after a few weeks of that.
Read the Manual
Lots of information there on what the lines mean.
Why would anybody who passed
Why would anybody who passed their driving test 30 years ago have a drivers manual handy?
Because ...
The manual is easy to download.
The rules change.
MA was not with national standards when they took their test.
Driving takes skill and knowledge.
It is a driver's job to know the rules and follow them.
How's that?
When my husband took his test, you could roll through a stop sign if one or two drivers in front had stopped. (Three through on each stop) That doesn't mean he won't get a ticket for doing that now - or shouldn't get a ticket.
Pet peeve
The three-on-a-stop law changed literally before I was born, but I see people do it literally every morning at the 4 way stops in my neighborhood. I often think that if more people drove stick shifts, they would be more likely to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. It's just so easy to roll through a stop in an automatic.
That section previously unmarked
The bike path runs along side Truman on that side. Cyclists could get on at Mattapan Square on the path and see and end-of-pat sign at U-Haul. Now it's painted all the way with the repaving. Clearly marked...no excuses.
Clearly marked... with street
Clearly marked... with street sweeping signs.
Could it be that Public Works stripes the ground while Transportation is in charge of the signs, and the two didn't coordinate?
DCR project = DCR in charge
DCR project = DCR in charge of signage changes. Most likely that the contractor hasn't finished the work.
That's the odd part
The street cleaning sign is very much a BTD sign. I wonder if this is one of those jurisdictional morasses where the DCR road becomes a Boston road until you get to Wood Ave.
no subject
Bike lanes should be on
Bike lanes should be on lightly traveled roads only. Roads with heavy traffic and yes, parking, should be for cars only. Put the bike lanes on the side roads and leave the main roads for cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles.
There needs to be something in this area
The Neponset River Trail goes through this area. Up the hill there's a good path for riding (sure it's the sidewalk, but it's wide enough for bikes and people,) and it's the same thing after Wood Ave. The gap has to be handled somehow. They could have expanded the sidewalk by removing the lane that was used for parking, but that would end up with more work for the apartment management and still a loss of parking.
I mean, if you've got more of a suggesting than "put the pike lanes on the side roads," let's hear it.
On the west coast that works
Around here, it does not. I take lightly traveled roads where I can, but there is very often only one or two roads that go all the way through an area.
So while that would be nice for lots of reasons, it isn't possible in many places in this area as we don't have the necessary redundancy.
You should also be aware that NO streets are "cars and trucks and buses only" - only limited access highways like I-93 are. That means that "no bike lane" means "cyclists can take a travel lane". Sure, we get over where we can, but whether you like that or not, that's the law.
So if I understand you
So if I understand you correctly, you're advocating for bicyclists taking the full lane at all times on larger roads? *takes notes*
Bike bubble
I hate antagonize but based on the comments in this page the bike bubble is real. Listen, we live in a motorist's world. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If your primary mode of travel is bicycle you probably have no children and few places to go. Live your best bike life, but enough with the pursuit of some bike utopia.
When do you bike?
Most avid cyclists (even the many who are married and/or have children) also own a car and drive, or at least have significant experience driving cars. That means that most cyclists understand both sides of the challenges facing car drivers and bicyclists while you can only speak to one.
I could refute what you wrote point by point as someone with that dual-sided perspective but, like in politics, those who exist solely on one side of the divide are the most unwilling to see another perspective.
Wrong
My children are grown now, but I started bike commuting because I wanted to spend more time with them. Not only was it more efficient for getting across the city, biking meant that I didn't have to go to the gym, either.
We also found it very efficient to leave a bike trailer where the kids were, and share drop off and pick up via bike.
You need to get used to the world not revolving around cars. It can't anymore. It is an unsustainable situation in terms of space, resource constraints, traffic, pollution, and public health (physical fitness).
You are merely showing all of us how much you absolutely don't know. Maybe we should all go park our cars in the middle of the travel lane for cars? Our bikes aren't big enough to waste that much space.
Why do you like to use
Why do you like to use arguments bringing in your personal life? I don't mean that your should never, I have read posts you made that it is appropriate and fitting way to counter something you don't agree, but way too many times there's no connection. This is one of them.
That's great biking is allowing you to have more time to see your kids and get your exercise without the gym. And I don't say that with snarky hatred despite I feel irritated. How does bringing that up counter his argument cars outnumber bikes so resources should follow?
ok thats bizarre.
citing your personal experience brings a frame of reference to your opinion. I would agree anecdotal evidence should be weigh less against more objective statistics, but to characterize it as snarky hatred is dishonest.
Or are you just so insecure about your life that you try to bully someone that promotes healthy living?
The fact that cars outnumber bikes was not "his" argument. The argument was that the "needs of the many should outweigh the needs of a few".
I would point out that the many need clean air to breathe. I would also say that it is dishonest to argue that you need a car to live in the Truman Parkway area. This specific place is covered by the 24/27 bus and the Franklin/Fairmount Commuter Rail. The many also need more money in their pockets. The need to own a car is based more on perceived social status then actually need. The fact that people perceive walking a few miles a day as insufferable hardship is the reason that life expectancy is decreasing in America. Spending money on a car that is worth less every day you own it instead of investing in a home or just saving it is another reason that the middle class is decreasing.
It is also very short sighted to believe that as the population of Boston rises to levels equal to what it was in the fifties, that 1 car for every 2 people will fit on the streets.
I laugh when I see sentiment
I laugh when I see sentiment like this because it's so self centered.
I don't bike, but I take public transit everywhere - don't own a car, so anywhere my feet can't get me, the bus does. And let me tell you, "the needs of the many" definitely don't matter to drivers when they have the opportunity to illegally block the box, cut people off, speed around disembarking pedestrians, park in the bus stop, double park in the outer travel lane, and a huge list of other bullshit, traffic delaying, selfish, myopic behaviors that only benefit that one driver.
When there's 30 people in one vehicle and a single clueless jerkwad in another, you'd think the many would get priority, but nope. Drivers above all.
That is incorrect, sir.
Actually I have two kids and am seemingly constantly on the move.
And yet, in this case I'm feeling like the people who have (maybe?) "always" parked there are getting screwed in this case. Hopefully there is a way to accommodate everyone. And if not, at least the parkers should be given fair warning and maybe even a chance to fight.
Your thinking is very narrow.
Your thinking is very narrow. People without children shouldn't be allowed to bike on public roads?
Whenever I drive to work, which happens most days this time of season, I am amazed at how many people and the different types I see go by on bikes as I sit in traffic. High schoolers, old ladies, well-dressed girls in wool jackets, hardy crazy-guy-on-a-bike commuter-types, hipster dudes on fixies, moms on Xtracycles or a trailer with 2 kids, and my favorite - a lady with a dog in a trailer (a regular around Fresh Pond in Cambridge).
Get with the times. We DON'T live in a motorist's world anymore, not in this city. And the powers that be are thankfully embracing that.
I can see the confusion
I can understand why people think they can park there.
The bike lane is almost far enough from the curb to allow a car to park. Throw in the sign about no parking at certain times and I can see why the cars are there. I'm sure the drivers are wondering why they made the parking spots so narrow.
I just typed in 605 Truman
I just typed in 605 Truman Parkway into Google Maps - take a look everyone. It is next to an apartment that is far from any other street. It looks like there's a parking lot but it is not discernible how that lot works with the apartment. It seems everyone who lives in that apartment have been parking in the area for years. The lanes have taken out all the spots.
Now this likely draw ire and undermine a lot people's opinion of me here. But I do feel sympathetic to the people who lives there. Anyone who seem my post here knows my tendency to looks for solutions that all parties wins or at least don't lose. Cars don't have a right to public streets, but I do recognize de facto practices. Thus I do recognize a bunch of people who lives got a little harder. Drivers been enjoying all kinds of privileges doesn't means I shouldn't feel bad for them. Maybe I'm wrong and they all have spots in the lot making a bunch of lazy bums, but current I feel sympathetic. There are solutions that doesn't have to be zero sum.
the needs of the many?
This building has at least 25 spots plus 2 handicap spots. And while it may not be enough for the tenants, it was enough when this building was built. And that should not be a public problem.
How do you know that nobody
How do you know that nobody parked on the street the day the building opened?
You have to be careful with "needs of the many" arguments. That's how we end up with suburban roads with no sidewalks. Yes, most people are driving rather than walking, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the needs of the walking minority.
DCR reply
Some of us in the neighborhood have been working with DCR to extend the trail and improve safety in the area. Last year, three people were killed nearby, including two motorists and a pedestrian. The Truman Parkway / Brush Hill Road project includes resurfacing, new sidewalks, new and improved crosswalks and lower speed limits. Here is a statement from a DCR planner: "The project is not complete yet. We are working to remedy the situation."