By Amanda Cedrone, News Staff
Mayor Thomas Menino announced Wednesday, April 14 that the City of Boston will work to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety by holding the first Bicycling Summit.
The death of cyclist Eric Hunt, 22, on Huntington Avenue was the third in a string of recent cycling incidents, signaling the need for further precautions to keep bicycle commuters safe. Hunt was killed after he tried to pass an MBTA bus and lost control of his bicycle.
The goal of the summit is to hear the concerns of cyclists around the city and to address these concerns accordingly. In addition, Menino has launched an immediate effort on the part of the Boston Police Department to strictly enforce rules and regulations related to cycling, motor vehicles and pedestrians, for example, jay walking and running red lights.
“Menino made cycling one of his top priorities,” said Christopher Loh, press secretary for Menino. “It’s right up there as one of his top priorities because he wants everyone to be able to enjoy the city, no matter how they get around.”
Loh said Boston has gone from the worst cycling city in America to the 26th best, but admits this is a number that still must be improved. Boston is a walking, not to mention riding, city, and those who ride will be quick to admit the city is not cycling-friendly.
Hannah Ryerson, a middler marketing major, said she thinks there are areas of Boston that could use improvement as far as safety goes.
“I definitely think [the city] can be improved,” Ryerson said. “I think being a pedestrian there’s a lot of intersections and things like that, not everyone is always paying attention to the crosswalks. I think it’s a problem and everyone needs to be more careful, cars and pedestrians.”
Cathy Rowell is a cyclist who feels the same way. She is the president of the Northeast Bicycling Club, one of the oldest clubs in the Greater Boston area that promotes both leisure and competitive cycling, and admits that though Boston is heading in the right direction, the city has a long way to go before pedestrians and cyclists can consider Boston a safe city to commute in.
“Boston is not a bike friendly city,” Rowell said. “That said, Boston is also not a car friendly city. On roads that were built originally as cart paths, it is difficult for cars to maneuver. Add bikes and pedestrians, and that maneuvering becomes even more difficult.”
Though she said she is not satisfied with the status of the safety of cyclists in the city, Rowell said she thinks one of the first things that must be done is further education and enforcement of laws applying to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
However, some Bostonians have no problem getting from place to place. Diana Kelly, a middler marketing major, walks to most of her destinations and said she feels fairly safe doing so.
“I walk a lot,” Kelly said. “I’ve usually felt safe just because of the sidewalks, but I can see how it can be unsafe just given all the one way streets and the way the city is set up.”
Past efforts by the Menino administration to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians include the appointment of Nicole Fredman as director of the Boston Bikes Program, which was established two years ago to address this very problem. Since then, the initiative has resulted in the installation of 15 miles of bike lanes, a Boston bike map and the installation of over 500 bike racks throughout the city, among other things.
“I think that Mayor Menino is really trying to improve the safety of cycling in the city,” Rowell said. “He is certainly reaching out to both cyclists and drivers to hear their opinions and to make things better.”
