Dropping the Ball, Part Deux

The City of Somerville has been adding more and more Hubway Bike Stations around the city, adding more and more cyclists to the urban transport mix. This fall, cyclists have been out in force.

But has City Hall taken the very necessary initiative of educating cyclists about local bike and pedestrian public safety laws? Or providing enforcement of those laws?

Emphatically, NO! That’s NO! despite repeated requests from citizens and the Board of Aldermen to provide enforcement and public education. But City Hall shows no hesitation in bending over backwards to accommodate cyclists. So, what we have here is unmitigated bias towards cyclists and against pedestrians. And unmitigated gall.

And this cynical neglect of public safety has left unchecked the epidemic of sidewalk cyclists in the squares–where it's ILLEGAL for cyclists to ride on the sidewalk. Where seniors and persons with disabilities are left to use the sidewalk at their own peril.

One disabled pedestrian who resides in Union Square considers sidewalk cycling a public safety barrier. “It compromises the ease and confidence of many pedestrians. There’s an analogous situation with heaving [sidewalk] bricks, recognized as an accessibility barrier. Both the bicyclist and the bricks act as sudden surprises that throw pedestrians off balance, cause accidents, and have the potential to cause unrecoverable losses.”

Yes, Union Square especially is tricky for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. There are now bike lanes in the square–but the City should be providing traffic cops in the square during rush hour, for the benefit of all. And to enforce the local ordinance prohibiting sidewalk cycling in the square.

Some aware cyclists do walk their bikes in the square. But City Hall needs to get off its biased rear end, and provide the necessary PUBLIC EDUCATION and ENFORCEMENT. Other cities do. When Somerville doesn’t, it makes a mockery of being a “Walkable City.”

Last year I posted video footage of sidewalk cyclists in Somerville:

http://vimeo.com/55565560

This year it only gets worse with all the Hubway bikes added in. I'll be posting video footage of this year's offenders--and the seniors and persons with disabilities who use the sidewalks.