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Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte
What do you think of them making Central St. a one way from Summer St. to Highland Ave.?
They widened the bike lane and the sidewalk. They left a small path for vehicles. This was the subject of my Facebook poll. All new readers comments are in quotes.
“They want everyone to be careless and bike or use the T. It is getting so dangerous”
“In West Somerville on a crazy rainy cloudburst morning where you couldn’t see 5 ft. in front of you. I blew out a tire on one of those curbs making a left turn”
“The whole neighborhood (and I live right down the street) is a mess. There have been at least five major accidents at Summer, Harvard and Benton plus the bikes that have plenty of room on those wide paths still ride in the street, still go the wrong way on both ends of Central Street. Emergency vehicles avoid this area whenever possible. There are much better ways to have made these changes but the city doesn’t listen to all of its constituents only those with the loudest voices that haven’t lived here very long.”
“Well, didn’t they pretty much say they wanted to make it a ‘walking’ city. If you have a car and no driveway the parking will be a real deal breaker for tenants.”
“I am a senior citizen (75) and handicapped and there is no way I can get to my many doctors using anything but a car. Guess this is the thanks I get for living here my whole life.”
“My husband and I have this conversation often. He asks, where did all these cars come from?”
“We grew up in the 60’s, one car – if any car – families. We grew up with families of 3, 4, 5 – even 10 kids. All those kids – ok – most of those kids worked hard to buy a car at age 16. So, in just a household of 5 siblings – 5 more vehicles need parking. I think you get the picture.
Somerville is a great walking city. We have gotten so used to driving everywhere ever since our first vehicle. And now as we age, walking can be difficult.”
Thank you to all who contributed to this story.
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Apparently the goal is to drive the remining “old Somerville” types out. Ever heard of “7 Hills”? Ever heard of “winter”? The under 45 types apparently think, well, everyone should walk everywhere, and take the bus. Many simply CANNOT. And for what? If EVERY car in Somerville disappeared the impact on climate would be….zero.
@MARK J. CRESSE: Rank insubordination! It’s back to the FEMA re-education camp with you!
😛
Many simply cannot drive. Equating “Old Somerville,” a city built before the car and around transit, with the car is misguided. The FEMA camps reference is demonstrative of losing your mind to conspiracy theories.
Transportation is the biggest form of carbon emissions in MA. Reducing car usage in fact has a profoundly positive impact. If everyone does nothing because it isn’t enough we will never get anywhere.
I really don’t see why Somerville Times continues to publish the unhinged rants of local Facebook reactionaries as “Latest news” articles.
If you can’t see 5 feet in front of your car, then it is very much not safe to be driving it, at all! That’s when you should pull over and wait for the downpour to stop.
Much of the point of improving infrastructure for bikes and transit is to get the people who don’t need or want to drive out of the way of people who *have* to drive or be driven. I recently came across a great video from someone who has lived in many countries, and found that driving in the Netherlands is the most enjoyable. 50% of trips there are taken by bike, so traffic congestion is far less, and bikes have their own dedicated paths (which are favored because they are more direct) so they are seldom getting in the way of cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8RRE2rDw4k
People don’t stop biking there just because it’s winter, or in other truly bike-friendly cities. The city of Oulu in northern Finland famously has Amsterdam-quality bike infrastructure. It’s a university town, a lot like Camberville and with about the same population but obviously much colder, darker winters. People keep biking through the winter there, too, including K-12 school children. Here in Massachusetts, I don’t stop doing my work commute by bike just because it’s winter, and I hate being cold. I just put on a windbreaker and some good gloves, and avoid biking when it’s actually snowing or ice hasn’t been cleared yet. The major obstacle for most people continuing to bike in the winter is that bike paths either don’t exist or it’s a paint-only lane that gets filled with snow and slush and you have to risk biking partly in car traffic or on ice. This does not happen to our Community Path or grade-separated bike paths which are separately plowed.
Our relatively low hills are generally not an impediment to biking. Far more people bike in Seattle, which is much hillier, simply because the infrastructure is better there. Not to mention that these days if you don’t want to break a sweat going uphill, you can always get an e-bike, including from Blue Bikes.
I agree with Christopher Beland except the point about Seattle. More people bike in Somerville. We have among the highest rates of bike commuting in the country.
Very well put Christopher. Having alternate means of travel for those that can use it only make it more pleasant for those who must drive. The “I can’t see 5 ft in front of my car” comment also highlights the reasons why separated bike infrastructure are a must. The curb could’ve easily be a cyclist.