Swerve and Protect: Boston’s Bicycle Bible
In this month's issue of the Boston Phoenix, a 20 page supplement called the Bicycle Bible offers advice on bicycle safety and how to stay alive on the streets of Boston. Although there is a nice piece on Boston's Livable Streets Alliance, the paper may have done more harm than good. With subtitles like "Urban Bikers Need to be Careful, repared, and Paranoid" and "Biking on the Defensive," bike commuting is presented as a fringe activity for people with an urban death wish.
There is no shortage of hazards for urban bikers, and any one of them can send you flying. Mike Budka, who has been biking in Boston for about two decades, told his oldest son, "Just behave as if everyone is trying to kill you, and you'll be fine."
Actually, that might not be such bad advice. And, given what happened to a cyclist in clean and peaceful Toronto the other day -- he was beaten by an off duty cop for slowing down at a yellow light -- there might be something to the "Biking on the Defensive" angle. But, hey, what about the Joy of Cycling, Boston Phoenix? It's not all bad out there.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Stockholm Leader’s Message to NYC: ‘Congestion Pricing Just Works’
"In Stockholm, people really thought that congestion pricing would be the end of the world, the city will come to a standstill, no one would be able to get to work anymore and all the theaters and shops would just go bankrupt. None of that happened."
Friday’s Headlines: Trump Trial Trumps Safety Edition
Is anyone going to bother to fix the dangerous mess on the streets and plazas around the Trump trial? Plus more news.
Adams Offers Bare Minimum to Seize Congestion Pricing’s ‘Space Dividend’ Opportunity
The mayor's list of projects supposedly meant to harness congestion pricing's expected reduction in traffic is mostly old news, according to critics.
OPINION: Congestion Pricing Will Help My Family Get Around As We Navigate Cancer Treatment
My partner was recently diagnosed with cancer. Congestion pricing will make getting her to treatment faster and easier.
