Posts Tagged ‘Cambridge’
Bicycle Accidents Rare in Boston Hubway Program, Officials Report
Boston’s popular Hubway bike sharing program will expand into Cambridge and Somerville next spring, providing more opportunities for healthy, environmentally-friendly and fun travel.
Boston’s program, which began in July 2011, is scheduled to close its 60 bike rental stations and 600 bikes this week for the winter. Bikes are expected to be available again next March, weather permitting. At the same time, Cambridge plans to open 20 stations in areas such as Harvard, Central and Inman squares. Somerville plans to open 8 stations including in Porter, Union and Davis squares.
Brookline is also working on adding two Hubway stations at Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village.
Boston’s Hubway program had 3,650 annual members in its first season. The system is partly funded by a $3 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. It is intended for short trips as an extension of public transit. Annual members who pay $85 per year and those with one-day $5 and three-day $12 memberships can take unlimited rides, but they must return bikes within 30 minutes to avoid incurring additional fees.
Among annual members, the average ride lasted 17 minutes.
As officials close up the Boston program for the winter, they report concerns over an increase in bicycle accidents never materialized. The program saw no serious bike crashes requiring ambulance response and only two bike accidents overall.
But one issue is less than half of Hubway cyclists appeared to wear bike helmets, the program reported. Nearly 75 percent of riders on other bikes wore helmets. The city of Boston has tried to boost bike helmet use by working with 30 bike shops to offer subsidized bike helmets for less than $10.
The Boston bike accident lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck urge cyclists to learn Massachusetts bicycle laws. Click here for our guide.
We also urge cyclists to consider purchasing bicycle accident injury protection through their automobile insurance policies. Check your uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which provides protection if there is a bicycle accident. This insurance is affordable and can ease the physical and financial recovery after a bicycle accident. Click to read our guide What Every Bicyclist Needs to Know About Car Insurance.
Click here to read an article in The Boston Globe about the Hubway bicycle sharing program.
Click here to learn more about Boston’s Hubway sharing program.
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Cambridge Leads Massachusetts in Bike Accidents
Cambridge and Somerville are known as bike-friendly communities, but new state figures show they are also among the most dangerous places for cyclists in Massachusetts.
Cambridge saw 400 bicycle accidents involving cars from 2002 to 2009, according to The 2009 Top Crash Locations Report, which was recently released by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Over the past decade, the city had more bike-and-car crashes than any other community in Massachusetts, a recent Boston Herald review found.
Eight of the top 10 areas for bike crashes were in Cambridge. The state’s most dangerous bicycling intersection was Inman Square in Cambridge and Somerville. From 2002 to 2009, there were 106 bike accidents around Hampshire and Cambridge streets.
Other Cambridge areas included several sections of Massachusetts Avenue, including through Alewife Brook Parkway on the Arlington border. Porter Square – at Massachusetts and Somerville avenues – had the third highest number of bike crashes.
The state’s bicycling population is growing as infrastructure improvements continue and new bike share programs begin. Boston and Salem began bike share programs this summer, while Somerville is expected to launch its program next year.
With this growth and changes in Massachusetts bicycling laws in recent years, it is important for both drivers and cyclists to understand the law and follow it. Here the Boston bicycle accident lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck share some basic tips:
- Motorists are required to report accidents with bicyclists resulting in more than $1,000 in property damage or personal injury. It is a good practice to report all accidents in case pain and injuries arise later.
- Leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury is a crime in Massachusetts punishable by up to two years in jail.
- Motorists are required to identify themselves and the owner of the vehicle to the cyclist, even when bike accidents are not reported to police.
- Bicyclists are required to report all accidents they are involved with that cause personal injury or $100 or more in damage.
- When a bicyclist is injured in a car accident, the driver’s auto insurance provides up to $8,000 in Personal Injury Protection benefits (also known as no fault benefits). These benefits cover medical expenses and lost wages, even if the driver was not negligent
- If you are a cyclist, you can protect yourself by purchasing coverage for accidents. Coverage can be purchased through your car insurance policy.
Additional Bicycle Resources
Facts About Cycling in Massachusetts
What Every Massachusetts Bicyclist Needs to Know About Car Insurance
What to Do When Car and Bike Collide. Boston Globe. Sept. 25, 2011.
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Cambridge and Somerville Ranked Among Top U.S. Cycling Cities
Local cyclists have long known Cambridge and Somerville offer some of the best riding in Greater Boston. But a popular website now says they are among the foremost biking destinations in the nation.
The Street.com recently released its 10 Best U.S. Bike Cities of 2011 list, naming Cambridge the fifth best bicycling city and Somerville the ninth. Boulder, Colorado was the leader.
Cambridge was praised for the strong network of bicycle lanes and shared lane space along the Massachusetts institute of Technology (MIT) campus and nearby technology companies, such as Genzyme, Sanofi Aventies, Biogen Idec and Akamai.
Cambridge bicyclists make up 8.5 percent of the city’s population. The city has several bike shops. Cambridge Police are active in educating the public about taking steps to prevent bicycle accidents. The Cambridge Bicycle Committee has been working to improve safety conditions and reduce bike accidents since 1991.
Somerville was recognized for its bicycling infrastructure and the strong community support for bicyclists. Some 5 percent of the city’s residents are cyclists. Many riders are college students, who account for 16 percent of the population. The city neighbors Medford, home to Tufts University, and Cambridge, where Harvard University, MIT, Leslie University and Cambridge College are all based.
Somerville was praised for its “walkable, accessible squares,” and bicycle-friendly businesses, which offer Tour de France specials, bicycle valet services and benefits for local bike groups. Businesses also host an annual bike party that shuts down a portion of Davis Square.
Somerville has several bike shops and formed the Somerville Bicycle Committee in 2001. The committee has overseen development of new bike lanes, sharrows and multi-use paths to prevent bicycling accidents and personal injuries. It has also guided the development of on-street bike parking in corrals and the ongoing installation of bike racks.
To read the 10 Best U.S. Bike Cities of 2011 report, click here.
Click here to learn more about Massachusetts bicycling laws.
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Motorists, Please Help Prevent Accidents: Look Closer for Bicycles and Motorcycles
It is Bay State Bike Week in Massachusetts, a time to focus on safety for cyclists. During this week, cyclists are hard to miss as they gather at large events in Boston, Cambridge and across the state.
But the daily reality is many Massachusetts cyclists are far less visible to drivers, spending the majority of their time riding alone or in small groups. And when drivers get behind the wheel, they usually pay attention to other motor vehicles and pedestrians at crosswalks. But bicyclists and motorcyclists tend to get lost in the scenery, which can lead to bicycle accidents and motorcycle accidents.
We do not make this observation alone. We join many others, including the Transport for London (TPL), which manages a complex transportation network that includes buses, railway, underground trams and more than 900 miles in roads. It also manages a popular cycle hire service, which allows visitors and residents to rent bicycles 24 hours a day from docking stations around the city.
TPL has gained an Internet following in recent years with its “Think!” campaigns, asking members of the public to test their awareness of what they are viewing. We encourage you to watch one eye-opening video below. Others can be found at http://www.awarenesstest.co.uk/.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47LCLoidJh4
We suggest that you watch for changes or unique placements on the screen. But even with this warning, many people have to be told how the scene changes. The message: we should all take a closer look as we travel among others in our daily lives.
Motorists should take a closer look on the roadways to make sure they see bicyclists and motorcyclists. Doing so will prevent motor vehicle accidents, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents and save lives.
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