Tourists get in the Boston swing of things on Hubway bikes

I really thought these things would be a good idea. With a lot more cyclists out there I had believed that driver awareness would increase and perhaps facilities would be improved (maybe bike paths would get paved to the same standards as roads instead of a cobblestone street, or the cop standing 10 feet away from a car parked in a bike lane would actually ticket it).

Instead, however, it has gotten much, much worse. The T is unreliable and I sold my car because I didn't use it enough. My bike is how I get to anything 10 miles or less away, in all weather and all seasons. Everything out there is out to kill you, from poorly maintained roads, open sewer grates, pedestrians, trucks, buses, drivers, and uneducated cyclists.

And now, that last category has just increased exponentially, leading to the already pissed off drivers permanently seeing red. Since the hubway opened (and that wonderful blockade in Allston the other week) I have been flipped off, cut off, screamed at, and even intentionally bumped at a traffic light (Yes, I stop). This used to be an occasional occurrence, now it happens almost every trip. I'm not an antagonistic rider, I stick to the side of the road unless it is unsafe to do so, and I frequently ride with, if not faster than traffic.

Something needs to be done. Something big. There are already people fighting in the streets daily for dumb reasons. The last thing we need to for people to start getting out of their cars and beating cyclists, or the other way around. I've ridden all over Germany on a rental bike with no issues whatsoever. They however have extensive cycling facilities, which is something our city is still severely lacking in, no matter what Mumbles says. However I was recently in Bucks County, PA riding along the Deleware, and all the dense little towns around there (most with smaller sidewalks with more people on them then downtown) are able to cope with bicycles just fine. That includes my parents, who ride maybe three times a year tops, and not very well.

It's not just the tourists who are going to die from stupidity. I am really afraid we are going to see far more civics plowing into cyclists for no reason other then that they are there. And as a daily rider who has convinced three people I work with to ride their bikes in most days, that is a horrifying proposition.

Most tourists are just being blissfully ignorant. They really don't bother me unless they're on Segways. As long as they're walking, riding bikes, or in their horse carts or trolleys... Let them have their fun.