Two traffic accidents in Cambridge claimed the lives of a bicyclists in June. This shakes me, as my bicycle has been my main mode of transportation since October 2021. At the time, I lived in Germany, where the network of cycle paths matches – if not exceeds – its more-famous highway and train system. I wasn’t a cyclist before I moved to Germany, but the cycle paths gave me safety and freedom and inspired exploration of my surroundings.
I’ve maintained my car-free life since moving back to the United States last summer and settled in East Cambridge, less than a three-minute ride from the latest cycling fatality. I’ve discovered how much nicer it is to take the bus to visit my parents in New Hampshire than to fight the traffic myself. I never worry about parking. And certainly, the cycling networks around Boston and Cambridge have improved since I left in 2015.
I ride cautiously: Cars are bigger, heavier and more powerful than me. Plus, I have fresh memories of “One Day,” the book and Netflix series in which – spoiler alert – the protagonist dies the same way my husband’s first wife did, in a cycling accident after a swim. I’m terrified that someday my husband might have to mourn a second wife lost to a bicycle accident.
Yet I still love and rely on cycling, though sometimes it’s a bumpy road.
A few weeks ago, I nearly T-boned a car that sped up and turned right at Hampshire and Union streets. I’ve come to expect cars and trucks to ignore the bike lanes and the people using them.
I’ve memorized the locations of potholes and maintenance hole covers to avoid being jostled off my bike and into traffic. I’ve adopted different approaches to cross traffic at tricky intersections, like when cycling west on Memorial drive to the Boston University Bridge.
And I’ve learned to keep my eyes up and my head down. Recently, while I was cycling in the right lane, a driver passed me in a right-turn lane, called me an obscenity and informed me I was not a car before cutting me off.
I understand why cyclists and bike lanes are fraught topics. In Massachusetts, we are subject to many of the same laws as motorists, yet I sometimes ride through stop signs and red lights. I’m grateful for separated bike lanes, but I understand the fears and frustrations they provoke for small-business owners, delivery services and drivers.
Still, cycling remains my favorite way to move around Cambridge. At rush hour, I flow past traffic lined up on the Longfellow and the Charles River Dam bridges. I’m more present in the environment, observing people, spying flowers and listening to orchestras of birds, even in the midst of city traffic. I get exercise and fresh air, and it’s faster than walking while economically accessible for many.
Germany may be known for its autos, but America seems to have a stronger car culture. Cars provide the freedom we love. When we drive, we’re unfettered by train schedules, unburdened by inclement weather and able to multitask with phone calls, podcasts or other distractions.
I remember that feeling from when I first passed my driver’s exam. If I could use a car, I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, without having to rely on my parents, my friends or my feet. Today, I find that same feeling when I’m cycling.
I don’t know if we’ll break this dependence on cars, or even if we should. I don’t expect everyone to trade their cars for bicycles, nor do I want cars to be prohibited in cities. I just don’t want to get killed while I’m riding my bike.
While we navigate this issue, I hope we navigate it safely, with consideration and with our eyes open to those who choose different paths than we do.
Kerry Summers, Bent Street, Cambridge
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Drivers: Please remember that cyclists are helping reduce traffic.
This morning, I counted 30 cyclists at a stop light in Inman Square. Thirty cars would take up about three blocks.
Do drivers really want all those cyclists to be in cars, clogging the road?
There was only 5-6 cars on the same block. I imagine those drivers wouldn’t like it if 36 cars were on that block instead of only 6.
I believe in cyclists having lanes to use and respect from drivers of cars… but as Ms. Summers states “I sometimes ride through stop signs and red lights.” As a driver of a car, I would be ticketed. This is why bicycle riders MUST also obtain licenses just like car drivers, dog owners, people who want to be married, hair stylists, etc… etc… When I emailed my state representative, he agreed this should be done, but only the RMV could be the issuer, and they weren’t able to take this on. I am tired of seeing bicyclists riding down the wrong side of the street, not wearing helmets, not following the bike lane signals and looking at cell phones while riding (something a driver would be ticketed for as well). Blue bikes should be forced to provide helmets. If a bicyclist had to go through a safety course just like an automobile driver, maybe there would be less discussion about accidents and bad car drivers and more peace for all of us on the road.
@Babs1010, if only that were true.
I walk through Cambridge daily, and at major intersections, I constantly see drivers running red lights, rolling through stop signs, turning without looking, and talking on their phones. Every. Single. Day.
You claim drivers would get tickets for these actions? Nonsense. I never see them getting ticketed.
Studies show that drivers break the rules as often or more often than cyclists. However, when drivers do it, they hurt others.
When cyclists run red lights, they often stop and proceed if it’s clear, known as an Idaho Stop, because it’s safer. Many accidents occur when a light turns green and a driver makes a right turn over a cyclist.
In contrast, drivers run red lights at high speed to beat the light.
Don’t blame cyclists. Drivers behave just as badly, but cars kill 8,000 cyclists and pedestrians annually in the US.
The key to increasing safety is protecting people from cars, not “stay out of the way, I’m driving.”
And why don’t we have bike licenses? That is explained in this article.
Why Don’t You Need a Bicycle License?
Short answer: Because it’s pointless and expensive. But that hasn’t stopped a few intrepid cities from trying.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-29/why-bicycle-licensing-usually-doesn-t-work
We need car licenses because cars have a much, much greater potential to damage people and property. The consequences are much higher.
AvgJoe
I believe that we should work together and not point fingers. Both drivers and cyclists can behave badly, but I do believe cyclists at the minimum should take a safety test. I couldn’t ride a bike as a child without a license plate and that came from the police department. Your article is from 2016 and I believe there has been many changes since 8 years ago. Why not opt for safety instead of saying all car drivers are evil?
Certainly! Here’s the revised version:
Yes, things have changed since 2016. Fatalities due to cars have increased.
According to the DOT:
“Traffic deaths rose from 36,355 in 2019 to 42,795 in 2022, a nearly 18% increase. The most dangerous driving behaviors – speeding, impaired driving, and not wearing a seat belt – all increased in both 2020 and 2021. This impacts not only motorists but also pedestrians.”
Suggesting that cyclists take a test is pointless. Drivers undergo training and testing, yet 42,795 people died in car accidents in 2019. Safety training hasn’t reduced fatalities for drivers, so why impose it on cyclists? This only shifts the blame onto them.
Not all drivers are malicious, but human error in a 4,000+ pound vehicle traveling at high speeds can be deadly. Training isn’t the answer. Despite drivers receiving training, taking safety tests, and obtaining licenses, cars still kill about 1,000,000 people worldwide each year.
The only real solution is to make streets safer. Anything else is superficial. Calls for training and enforcement are just excuses for not doing a real solution.
Moreover, we should encourage more people to cycle, not make it harder. Every cyclist means one less car on the road, reducing traffic congestion and fossil fuel consumption.
“Certainly! Here’s the revised version:”
This what happens when you use an automatic proofreader. Ha
In short, no one is evil. But everyone is fallible. Only the consequences are higher when you are driving. We need safer streets to protect everyone, not just cyclists, from human fallibility.
Training, testing, and licensing cyclists is pointless. Despite these measures for drivers, street deaths remain unacceptably high. Enforcement is ineffective; even with state troopers, people still speed.
We need better street infrastructure: bike lanes, improved sight lines at intersections, speed bumps, and traffic islands. These measures have been proven to save lives.
Saving lives is more important than saving parking spots.
Fixing the infrastructure flaws that exist and which cause bicyclist and pedestrian deaths (don’t forget us pedestrians!) definitely should be followed thru on.
Including bicycle safety courses as part of the curriculum in the public schools (which did exist in many cities and towns in decades past) could also help reduce accidents.
Having the local Universities include a booklet about MA laws and local regulations and information about bicycle riding and safety with Freshman Orientation could also be helpful. In many parts of the country they don’t have helmet laws outside of cities and students may not be aware of such being the normal thing in our region’s urban areas.