the new bike lanes on Mt Auburn are very dangerous- they disappear intermittently and cars are weaving into and out of the lanes to adjust to the bus lanes- and then into bikes! I almost was hit twice today with cars appropriately moving into the right lane by Star market and then back left by the split past Aberdeen.
Response from Will
I know what you mean.
My own take is that overall they are much safer than the complete absence of lanes that preceded them.
We have to let the cars move over in the left turn areas and even before the lanes you had cars making that move at that point.
Do you feel we are better off with the old way — no lanes at all? Or do you see another alternative?
First of all, congratulations on your reelection! The problem with the bike lane is that the cars move over to the right by star market, and they aren’t looking for bikes (and there is no place for the bikes to go (jump the curb?).
I don’t have a solution alas
Hi Will,
Has the removal of the left turn onto Aberdeen from Mt. Auburn eastbound been evaluated? It would allow the bus/bike lane to continue uninterrupted in front of Star Market.
I realize full well that the left turn traffic would need to be re-routed, and the left turn/straight through at Mt. Auburn and Brattle would be the next choke point, but it already is one now. Unsure of how to address that already considerable mess.
To minimize the cut-through impact on Homer Ave and Larch Street a compensating left turn lane from eastbound Brattle on to northbound Fresh Pond could be added. A few permit only parking spots on both sides of Brattle would need to be removed and the breakdown lane shrunk to make room for the re-alignment of a straight/right turn lane as the current eastbound travel lane would need to be shifted left to maintain safe room for bicycles. Basically, the west side of the intersection would mirror the east side in configuration.
To slightly contradict my response to your previous post, I agree with Lisa that the stretch between the Star and Aberdeen St has worsened. The inbound right lane seems to have narrowed with the wider lane markers. But I just do what I’ve always done there—take the sidewalk up to Aberdeen St.