The rules (and rides) of bicycle season
Five new Hubway stations, such as the one in the Radcliffe Quad, are being set up to increase the total to 27 around the city. (Photos: Tom Meek)
With the coming of spring, the city is enforcing bicycle parking laws more strictly.
Spring is in the air, and that means bikes on the road. Sure, many ride year-round, but the spring thaw and Bike Month (May) gets the full two-wheeled populace out in force, and every year there’s more on the road. Between the years 2002 and 2008 the biking population in Cambridge doubled, and implicitly that means greater demand for bikes facilities and amenities.
To that end, the city has enacted some of its own spring cleaning-measures: tagging and removing derelict bikes from packing facilities (a bike locked to a bike parking facility for more than 72 hours can be deemed derelict; after being tagged, if it is still not claimed and moved, it will be cut and removed) and parking meters (it is okay to lock up to public signs that are not marked as bike restricted – including handicap zones – but not meters, as stipulated in the city’s parking ordinances ). Historically the ordinance has not been enforced regularly, but this past week bikes with winter-rusted chains in Harvard Square were noted and tagged. In the end, less cluttered racks will mean more space and ease of parking for those on the move.
Five new Hubway stations, such as the one in the Radcliffe Quad, are being set up to increase the total to 27 around the city. The beauty of the system is its one-way ride from station to station system, made all the more appealing by the seamless interconnecting stations across the river in Boston and Brookline.
And finally, on May 18 the Cambridge Bicycle Committee will conduct one of its two annual rides. The spring theme is food, with historical food spots as points of interest along the ride. The event is family friendly, free and open to the public and conducted with a police escort. Snacks and food are served along the way.
For information or to sign up, visit the committee’s website.
Tom Meek is a member of the Cambridge Bicycle Committee.
A comment regarding the need to obey the rules of the roads for bicycles would have been greatly appreciated by both motorists and Pedestrians.
Fat chance eh? Oh, I almost forgot Bike riders can and do WHATEVER they want.
If we cannot ALL (motorists, pedestrians, bike riders> work together it will not be a Pretty Spring or Summer.
Thank you for reading. The article is not meant to offend or disenfranchise pedestrians and motorist but to highlight a few seasonal trends and events around cycling. Rules of the road was not in the scope, but is a good idea for a future article. I think more than rules, the best thing all can do is to be polite and civil and share. There will be more head butting but over time, that should abate with education, outreach and living together.
I will say that the Cambridge Bike and Pedestrian Committees work together pretty well on a number of issues.
Thanks again
Tom