Back in June I wrote about how Cambridge installed traffic lights that indicate whether it’s alright for bikers specifically to go, stop or slow down. Naturally, the lights act as a safety precaution by keeping cyclists stationary as traffic, however seemingly nonexistent it may be, because those opportunities when you least expect it are those when you’re most likely to get sideswiped.
Some people took my support of the bike light as being sympathetic to cars on the road and less so to the dangers of biking, making digital along the lines of “Oh. Like how cars run the light, roll thru stop signs, speed, illegal rt on red, I can go on about masshole drivers.”
What those people failed to realize is that I’m all about bike safety measures, not choosing sides in the perpetual battle of who owns the road. Hubway, Boston’s popular bike-share is in the same boat, er, bike, as myself.
On Monday published a set of safety reminders because, as Greater Boston bikers are abundantly aware, “There’s a lot of traffic on the roads of metro-Boston, and while you can’t control the actions of other riders and drivers, there are some simple day-to-day and ride-to-ride things you can do to keep yourself and others as safe as possible when riding Hubway.”
Of course, the tips were intended for Hubway users but, as you’ll see, they’re applicable to all types of cyclists regardless of age or experience.
Says Hubway:
- Stop at lights.
- Yield to pedestrians.
- Ride with traffic.
- Avoid sidewalks.
- Watch for doors.
- Wear a helmet.
To reinforce all of these suggestions, Hubway even printed them out on stickers and slapped them on every single bike in its arsenal.
As Hubway evidently recognizes, riders need to be preemptively safe when it comes to city cycling and can’t rely on the wherewithal of those behind the wheel. Bikers also need to get out of this ‘cars v. bikes’ mindset and stop basing their practices on whether or not a car drives, and gets away with driving, like the Massholes of yore.
Happy cycling.
