Last weekend, over 250 bicycles took to the streets of Boston surrounding the Public Garden. Their goal was to to highlight the need for protected bike lanes in the area. The city has seen a great deal of improvement to bike infrastructure in recent years, with the driving force being area cyclists and advocacy groups.
The city of Boston recently released a planning document that proposed protected bicycle lanes around the Public Garden. It’s been discussed before and never came to fruition, so the Boston Cyclist Union took the opportunity to organize a ride to show support for latest plan. Riders circled the area for several hours where multi-lane roads in some areas encourage high speed traffic without a place for cyclists on the road.
With so many programs encouraging biking in the city, proper infrastructure is more important than ever. Park&Pedal allows car commuters to leave their vehicles outside the city and cycle the remaining distance to work. This leads to more bikes and less cars in the most congested areas of the city, further highlighting the need for bike lanes and safe riding routes.
With Park&Pedal, Hubway, rising parking costs, employers offering cycling incentives, and limited space downtown, we can expect to see more and more bikes on Boston’s roads. It’s time to give all road users a place.
