Starting from Friday night, August 26, the MBTA’s month-long shutdown of the Orange Line for overdue repairs will be scheduled to resume service until Monday, September 19.
According to Governor Charlie Baker, in this way, the subway will get faster track maintenance instead of five-year-maintenance on nights and weekends.
What does this public transportation decision mean? What population will it affect? When reading this article, the readers of SAMPAN might already sense the influence of the temporary shutdown of the subway. Most of us might even affecting by it. While September is the month for the students to go back to school and colleges, the routes are getting and will be getting more crowded and dangerous, as bicyclists and motorists try to live together. At the same time, numerous shuttle buses are also added in order to cover the closed subway routes.
Based on the situation, the public worries that the overcrowded traffic will cause safety issues. On Friday, August 12, a 72-year-old Somerville bicyclist was killed after the driver of an SUV opened a car door and hit the bicyclist at 1055 Broadway near Somerville’s Teele Square, which the cyclists call this type of injury “dooring”.
The cyclist’s injury and death were preventable. The bike lane at this stretch of Broadway is unprotected from car traffic.
“Paint isn’t protection,” said Arah Schuur, one of the founders of Somerville Bicycle Safety. “I live about three blocks from where this happened. I ride my bicycle on Broadway all the time. There is no safe way for people in West Somerville to get to and from places in the city safely by bicycle, and that needs to be remedied immediately.”
In order to ensure the safety and convenience of the bikers, one way is to set the block from the bike lanes and roads. Yet this strategy might cause debates and controversy at other places in the city.
On Tuesday, August 2, more than 150 bicyclists lined on Charles Street, petitioning that the neighbor needs the state to install a two-way bike lane, in regard to safety consideration. However, not everyone will be benefited from this possible decision. Some local business owners worry that the reduced traffic to one or two route lanes might decreased the customers and business in their congested neighborhood.
In response to the death of the 72-year-old Somerville bicyclist, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne has committed to make safety changes on the road. For now, the schedule for bike lanes is not decided.
To ensure the safety, what are the solutions that we can take as public, as a driver? There is one easy solution that does not cost expensive infrastructure changes: the Dutch Reach. It means that the driver using the farthest hand from the car door when opening it. This posture will force the driver to turn the head and get a broader vision of the road. The driver will be more likely to notice the potential near bicyclists. In this case, it will help to reduce the accident between the drivers and bicyclists.
The cyclists need to check the bike before riding. When riding on the road, a good-fitting helmet will protect the safety. Ride in a straight line and signal others before moving.
For the students who are going back to schools in September, the general public has the responsibility to ensure their safety. The pedestrians need to always walk on the sidewalk or walk facing traffic when necessary. When crossing the road, the pedestrians need to use crosswalks when available. The pedestrians need to look left, right, and left again before crossing. The children under age 10 need to walk with an adult when crossing the street. Putting away the phones can avoid the distraction when walking on the road.
The following is a list of instructions and information created by the MBTA, Mass 511, and MassDot:
Alternative travel options for riders: Click Here
Orange and Green Line Service Alternatives: https://www.mbta.com/projects/building-better-t-2022
Check the latest traffic for drivers: https://www.mass511.com/
Recommended route for the northern Orange Line Section for bicyclists, inbound: Click Here
Outbound: Click Here
Recommended route for the southern Orange Line section for bicyclists: Click Here
In the same time, beginning Friday, August 19, a free 30-day Bluebikes passes will be available. You can get a pass by downloading the Bluebikes app or go to Bluebikes.com/join and select a Monthly Membership.
