Somerville PD stopping cyclists running red lights (Sat 11:45am)

[dcltdw]

3 officers standing by the CVS stopping cyclists. Not sure if they're ticketing or not, but I suspect so.

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Looking at the map, Hancock is only one-way for that one short block, likely to deter cars from using it as a through street from Highland to Summer and Elm while still allowing vehicle access to Charnwood and Windsor.

I bet lots of bikes turn down Hancock off of Highland and then are surprised to be facing a one-way sign. At that point, they're screwed, because to continue their journey legally, they'd need to turn right on Charnwood, right on Willow, go back out to Highland, and find some other street that goes through to Summer. It's a nasty trap. If ever there were a scenario to *allow* counterflow bike travel, that's it.

I bet there are some improvements that could be made to address the visibility issue while allowing counterflow bike traffic. Eliminating left-hand-curb parking, painting a counterflow bike lane, and then posting signs for car drivers to watch for counterflow bike traffic might do it.

[keithn.livejournal.com]

Other cyclists can walk their bikes on the sidewalk for the whole 30 seconds it takes to walk that stretch like I do - it's legal, fast, and doesn't put anyone in danger.