Making Boston streets safer for bicyclists

More than painted bike lanes are needed to keep bicyclists safe on Boston’s busy streets, a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researcher said September 14, 2015 at a Boston City Council public hearing on how to make roads safer for cyclists in the city.

Anne Lusk, research scientist in the Department of Nutrition, was among the bicycle safety advocates who urged members of a council committee to do more to protect bike riders. She advocated for more cycle tracks, which are physical barriers next to sidewalks that separate cars and bikes.

“Bike lanes are safer for the pedestrians, bike lanes are safer for the car drivers — bike lanes are less safe for the bicyclists,” Lusk said in a September 15, 2015 WBUR article. “And Boston will proudly talk about the miles and miles and miles of bike lanes that are going to be put in. You’re putting in bicycle facilities that are less safe for the bicyclists.”

About 12 bicyclists have been killed in Boston in the last five years, including two recent cases in which the cyclists were reportedly inside painted bike lanes, according to WBUR.

Listen to the WBUR broadcast and read the article: Cyclists Call For Greater Barriers On Boston Streets

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