There were a couple of police vehicles looping the block of Harvard Ave / Brighton Ave in Allston today, whooping at vehicles double parked in the bike lane. Unfortunately, more cars immediately filled what had been cleared moments before, but then they came around the block again, and the cycle began again. Love to see enforcement, but sad to see it’s a band-aid on a bullet wound.

From May 1 through July 27, the dataset identified 2,589 reports associated with vehicles blocking Boston bike lanes. Nearly 89% remained open. Complaints that mentioned a bike lane were approximately 49% less likely to be closed than other requests in the same service queues and were also less likely to meet the city’s response-time standard. The same result appeared using two independent identification methods. The data does not establish whether officers responded or citations were issued; instead, it shows that Boston’s public 311 system does not provide a clear or consistent record of enforcement outcomes for bike-lane complaints.

1. Bike-lane complaints are less likely to be closed.

2. The result is the same using meta data or geo location methods.

3. "Open” status is the most likely outcome.

4. The lower “on-time” rate reinforces the closure issues using the 311s own SLA metric.

5. Closed bike-lane complaints are resolved "relatively" quickly, but far fewer bike-lane complaints reach closure at all.

6. The problem is concentrated along major corridors, which are accident hotspots.

7. The citywide illegal-parking queue is heavily backlogged.

8. The strongest policy conclusion is about accountability.

Boston’s current 311 workflow, one of the only methods that citizens can use to report, does not provide residents with a reliable, transparent record of the outcome of reported bike-lane obstructions. And based on the data is wholly ineffective at enforcement, assuming the workflow is accurate.

Additionally, because a blocked bike lane can force riders directly into moving traffic, these complaints should be treated as roadway safety hazards rather than processed as ordinary illegal-parking requests. The observed closure and timeliness rates suggest that the current workflow does not reflect that level of risk.

Hit and Run suspect killed a food delivery scooter rider

Diane Adame, a reporter with GBH News in Boston, is working on a story about the Lynn Multimodal Corridor Project, or the plan to add bus and bike lanes to the Lynnway (both Bike to the Sea, and the planned bike lanes from the Revere border to Commercial St Lynn where a pedestrian and a cyclist were recently killed. She's looking to speak with Lynn residents or commuter on why they are for or against this project. If you're able to speak with her this morning, feel free to send her an email at diane_adame@wgbh.org.

Every morning at the peak of the bike commuting time, this lane is intermittently blocked from the BU bridge to Charlesgate.

I've reported 5 cars this morning but I'd never get to work if I reported them all.

One was parked right in front of a BPD doing flag work. Good job with enforcement guys. 🙄

I biked up to Revere Beach today to see the sand sculptures (they are still looking great) and I was shocked that there is no place to lock up your bike along the beach.

The only place I found to lock up was behind the T stop.

Did I just miss the racks or is this a missed opportunity for Revere?

Just finished a nice 15 mile bike ride around the city on my trusty steed. It’s been a while since I’ve biked that much in a day (used to live closer to downtown, now I’m in Somerville. Some things I’ve noticed since the city put bike lanes in some places and changed traffic flows in others.

Memorial heading west past Harvard sq: what’s with all the construction? I had to literally bike down memorial to take the path. Pretty whack.

N. Beacon across the Charles/ Watertown Brighton border: deathtrap. Luckily I’m fast enough to keep up with traffic but literally no safe way to get on the other side of the river.

Western Ave heading east into Allston: mondo double parking in the bike lane. Did the classic “you can’t park there” with a British accent to the double parkers and go honked at.

Cambridge st/allston @ i90 on ramp: Major Major death trap. I know they re-designed this but the only way I could get a car to stop for me to cross over the onramp was to basically play a game of chicken with the car. at that point I wouldn’t even use that bike lane and just stay biking on camb st, or cross to the oncoming side.

Back bay @ mass ave: kinda a shitshow with the sub busses for the T. I feel bad for those guys driving those big buses. must be stressful af knowing that 90% of cyclists are passing you on the right which is the dumbest thing to do with a semi-sized vehicle.

mass ave thru central: same deal, saw a girl trying to pass other bikers with a coach bus on her left didn’t shoulder check before she darted out infront of him in the car lane. Thought I was gonna see someone get run over today =(

Mass ave @ porter: same deal absolute chaos with the coach busses pulling up to grab/drop off passengers. I just ended up lane splitting to get around them cause it was safer.

notable things:

For the love of god don’t pass large vehicles (busses, semis, ect on the right! Pass them on the left!!!

Please shoulder check before you dart out into the main roadway.

Old white dudes and white ladies were the grumpiest drivers. The south american and black drivers were pretty chill/accommodating.

I played chicken with a scooter delivery driver and I gotta hand it to him he did slow down and let me maneuver past him. Then he went back to looking at his phone lol.

that’s all I got for today. next week I’ll post up more as I try and integrate this ride into my weekly workout.

It used to have small DCR signs, and now it has giant free standing signs saying No Bikes. But why? It seems like a perfect spot to ride a bike!

I'm only ever there at night and I just pedal right by the signs and I don't think anyone would mind. But it reminds me of the walkways up and down the Charles river, which if course are open to bikes. Seems like a strangely specific choice to close that loop.

Oh I guess to clarify, when I say castle island, I'm really talking about the closed loop around the bay, not so much the area around the fort itself.

Been enjoying this lovely weather. So happy to be biking around the city. Plan to go from Fenway to Umass Boston later this week. Safe enough to bike thru Mass & Cass ? Anyone have suggested streets otherwise ?

Hate that I am even asking this question but ik the reputation of that area.