Category: bicycling

Bluebikes Docking Stations Along the Carriage Road in Newton

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

Did you know that FOUR Bluebikes docking stations exist along (or one block from) the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Road in Newton? Bluebikes allows those who do not own a bike, or who do not have a bike accessible to them at the time of need, to rent a bike from one docking station, cycle to where they need or want to go, and drop the bike off at another docking station near their destination.

A Bluebikes brigade, Marathon Monday

The Bluebike network extensively covers locations as close as Brookline, Cambridge and as far away from Newton as Malden and Arlington. The network map can be found HERE. When you click on any station, you will learn how many docking stations there are, how many bikes are available, and how many e-bikes are available.

Currently THREE docking stations exist along the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Road in Newton and ONE docking station is conveniently within one short block of it. East to west, these FOUR docking stations are:

“BOSTON COLLEGE T”

This docking station is open all year long.

Located in the triangle by the MBTA at the end of the Green Line B (“Boston College) branch.

Opposite the Dunkin’ and other shoppes.

If this is your starting point to head west, Commonwealth Avenue is to the left; the Carriage Road is to the right.

“CENTRE STREET AT COMMONWEALTH AVE”

This coming winter, check to see if this station is being serviced.

Located west of Centre Street, in the village of Newton Centre, on the footpath between Centre Street and Grafton.

“NEWTON LIBRARY”

One block south of the Carriage Road, along Homer Street, at the intersection of Beacon St and Homer.

This coming winter, check to see if this station is being serviced.

View toward Homer Street, the City Hall Park, and the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Road.

View toward the Newton Public Library.

“AUBURNDALE”

Located in front of Starbucks, in the village of Auburndale, just west of Lexington Street.

This coming winter, check to see if this station is being serviced.

View across Commonwealth Avenue toward Dunkin’ Donuts.

View east toward the N/S cross street of Lexington St. To the left of the footpath is Starbucks.

For other Newton Bluebikes docking stations, click HERE.

Manet and Mt. Alvernia: Green Bike Lanes Now Include Two More Intersections

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

Due to water main work, the striping through intersections of the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Road and Manet Road, and the Carriage Road and Mt. Alvernia could not be done. We are pleased that the water main work has been complete and DPW has completed the required green paint for the eastbound bike lanes.

Here they are:

The Carriage Road Crossing Manet

Heading eastbound toward Boston: Crossing Mt. Alvernia Road

Heading eastbound toward Boston

Legally, this is the eastern terminus of the Two-Way for Bicycles.

The two-way for bicycles do not legally extend east past Mt. Alvernia. Bicyclists are asked to take the footpath to Commonwealth Avenue and proceed east from there.

We are working on extending the two-way past Mt. Alvernia to Boston and Boston College.

Stay tuned.

Beaumont Avenue: Western End of Footpath from Centre St

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

Though it’s across the street from City Hall, it is was included in the City Hall Sidewalk Restoration Project. We’re glad it was!

View across Beaumont, looking east.

View across Beaumont, looking west.

New sidewalks, new bollards, new ADA curbs wide enough for wheelchairs, runners and bicyclists to safely head both east and west at the same time.

Cobbles Removed

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

DPW removed the cobbles along the Carriage Road.  While some bemoaned the loss of the cobbles with their mystique, this is a tremendous improvement for public safety. The Carriage Road is now safer for pedestrians, runners, people with disabilities, and bicyclists (whose tires sometimes could get stuck in between the cobbles). Some day we hope for funding to add flowers and foliage in the berm to further adorn the Carriage Road.

Before:

Current:

Legal Two-Way Non-motorized Bicycle Travel on Commonwealth Ave Carriage Lane “North Drive” Passes Traffic Council 5-0 TC112-20

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

There are several landmark projects occurring in the City of Newton. One is called the “Commonwealth Avenue Carriageway Redesign” project. It is not to be confused with the “Commonwealth Avenue Two-way for Bicycles.” Information about the “Commonwealth Avenue Carriageway Redesign” can be found : here: Commonwealth Avenue Carriageway Redesign. It’s fully funded through MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, and construction is supposed to begin in 2023.

TC112-50 Passes Traffic Council

TC112-50, which requested action to allow legal two-way bicycle travel on the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Lane between Woodbine Street and Mt. Alvernia Road, passed last night, Thursday March 17, 2020. Support among the five members of Traffic Council was unanimous. The mandatory 20-day appeal period, ending April 6, came and went with no appeals. This project is also known as Commonwealth Avenue Carriageway – 2-way Bike Travel.

The measure was co-docketed by Councilors Andreae Downs, Jake Auchincloss, Alicia Bowman, Andrea Kelley, Mark Laredo, Marty Markiewitz, Emily Norton, Pam Wright, Vicky Danberg, Josh Krintzman, Maria Scibelli Greenberg, and Rick Lipof.

Impact of This Historic Vote

This historic vote will have far-reaching impact. It will positively impact bicycle and pedestrian safety. It will help Newton reach its Climate Action goals. It will:

  • Help fulfill Frederick Law Olmstead’s goal of a linear park along Commonwealth Avenue “to which people may easily go when the day’s work is done, and where they may stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing of the bustle and jar of the streets where they shall, in effect, find the city put far away.. “;
  • Support the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Task Force’s mission of providing safe routes for school children to get to and from school;
  • Make life more pleasant for all who walk, run, or bicycle along the Carriage Road, whether eastbound or westbound;
  • Help fulfill the Carriage Road’s potential as the unique resource that it is.

The five voting members of Traffic Council were Newton Transportation Coordinator David Koses; City Councilor Alicia Bowman; representing the Police Dept, Sgt. Wade; citizen representative Jeremy Freudberg; and from Newton’s Dept. of Public Works, Transportation Engineer Isaac Prizant.

Newton residents and community leaders Scott Oran, James Purdy from the Newton Energy Commission, Jenn Martin from SRTS, and Jerry Reilly from Village14 and Newton Nomadic Theater all spoke eloquently to support passage of this motion. I am grateful to each.

With the 20-day appeal period now in the past, with no appeals, the City will begin making the street signs, such as the smaller STOP signs for the bicyclists heading east.

Thanks go out to all who played a part in this momentous vote.

Jane Hanser

2nd Public Discussion “Commonwealth Avenue Carriageway – 2-Way Bike Travel” Thursday Nov. 4, 2021

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

Mayor Fuller approved the commission of a consultants’ report on the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Way 2-way for bicycling. This report is now complete and was submitted to the DPW Engineers. That report is available to the public on the Transportation Planning web page. That report was discussed by, and has the support of the Complete Streets Working Group, and the Transportation Advisory Group (TAG), and representatives from Safe Routes to Schools Task Force and BikeNewton. I will be providing my own comments to DPW and Transportation Planning tomorrow, 11/25.

The 2nd Public Meeting is scheduled to be led by Nicole Freedman of the Planning Department, on Thursday, November 4, 2021, 5:30-7pm via ZOOM.

You can download the flyer here.

Please come out and support this project! We know our children and others ride legally eastbound. And they need to be able to return home safely, the same way.

Carriage Road 2 Way Bike Travel: Transportation Dept Public Outreach

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

Did you miss the Sept. 29 2020 public meeting? If you did, not only are you not alone, but you can now read or listen to what you missed.

The Transportation Planning Dept now has a web page devoted to the project.

On this page, Commonwealth Avenue Carriageway – 2 Way Bike Travel, you can find links to:

* the design plan presented at that meeting, and to
* the audio recording of the meeting.

Stay tuned for more news.

Signs? Striping? See What We Are Proposing for Two-Way

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

You may be asking yourself, “What’s this I hear about the proposed two-way bicycle travel on the Carriage Lane?” People of course want to visualize what our proposed changes to the Carriage Lane will be. We want to make it easy for you. Whether you are a driver, a walker, a dog-walker, a bicyclists or a runner, we also want you to feel safer with these modifications.

We have provided you two downloadable documents; see the links below. Read what the major modifications proposed will be, and why, and what they will not be:

  • NO changes to vehicle direction of travel
  • NO parking removal
  • Signage and occasional paint added, generally only at intersections, to ensure safe travel for all users.
  • NO white stripe down the middle of the Carriage Lane

1) You can download a .pdf of the PowerPoint presentation which Phil and I made at that meeting. You can put yourself in the point of view of a bicyclists or pedestrian, or a driver. Please note these are not official Dept of Transportation drawings, but Phil’s and my rendering of approximately what the signs and striping would look like. Final decisions are of course made by the Transportation Dept. engineers in compliance with State law.

2) The Transportation Engineer of the Transportation Dept made a presentation (downloadable) which is from a transportation engineer’s point of view. Most of the images are aerial.

The current phase of this two-way bicycling plan excludes signalized and other large intersections.

The two-way would end, on the east, at Mt. Alvernia St. When CIP funding can be obtained to make these intersections safe for eastbound bicycle traffic, other sections and intersections will be discussed one by one.

Whether you are a driver, a pedestrian, a bicyclists, a runner or a dog-walker, the changes we propose will be low budget and safer for all.

Major Announcement: Public Information Session: Monday Oct 19, 2020

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:

Do you like to walk, run or bike along the Carriage Road? Do you want to feel safer when you do? We are thrilled to invite you to now come learn about the proposal to create two-way bike travel on the Carriageway. Yes, the Planning Department has scheduled a public information session. After this public session, the proposal will be tweaked and heads on over to the Traffic Council.

The public session will be held MONDAY OCTOBER 19, 2020, from 5:30-7PM via Zoom.

To download the flyer, click here.

The session will be headed by Nicole Freedman, Director of Transportation Planning of the City of Newton.

Learn about a new proposal to allow for two way bike travel on the Carriageway.

•No changes to vehicle direction of travel

•No parking removal

•Signage and occasional paint added to ensure safe travel for all users.

Monday October 19, 20205:30-7:00 PM Via Zoomhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/81304556425Meeting ID: 813 0455 6425

One tap mobile+16465588656,,81304556425# US (New York)

Washington Street Intersection: Striping and Bike Box

Posted By: Jane HanserPosted On:
View east, with westbound bicyclist

Washington Street (Route 16) is heavily used by light and heavy vehicles, especially because the exit and entrance to the Mass Pike is not far away. As a result, the area where where Commonwealth Avenue crosses it in Newton creates unique dangers to all, particularly to bicyclists traveling west or east.

But this area has been especially notable: At Oldham Road, the Carriage Road is taken over by westbound Commonwealth Avenue traffic, so those lanes of traffic shift right (or north) to the Carriage Lane. For a distance, all lanes of Commonwealth Avenue north of the berm now are completely devoted to traffic heading east. Soon, one lane becomes devoted to right-turn only traffic, one straight ahead, and one left-turn only.

On many levels, the situation presents many dangers to bicyclists who, until now, have enjoyed a safe and “local traffic only” protected lane. Children, runners, anybody who has been enjoying the Carriage Lane is now fighting a for space with motor vehicles and trucks.

Here is a photo of this area, before the striping:

The view from vehicles on the Commonwealth Avenue Carriage Lane heading westbound, before they cross Washington St in Newton

The situation is not rectified until Arapahoe, when motor vehicles are directed back onto Commonwealth Avenue, and where a barrier was erected to keep motor vehicles out of this portion of the Carriage Lane. Bicycles could get through the barriers, but the space between them was narrow so cyclists would have to dismount, walk through the barriers, then continue on. Additionally, there was no signage giving them permission to continue along the Carriage Lane. In winter, the opening might be entirely blocked by snow.

Many bicyclists, while passing through this intersection, were being cut off on their left by cars and trucks. Why? In 20XX, I realized that there was a big shift in travel to the right, as all westbound vehicles tried to shift to the right, and this made crossing this very large intersection exceedingly dangerous for bicyclists.

In the summer of 2018 I realized that bicyclists needed striping through this entire intersection. I contacted the Director of Transportation Planning Nicole Freedman, who gave this her attention: She created a striping plan, and a bike box. Next, Mayor Fuller’s office set up a meeting at the site between me, Director of Transportation Planning Nicole Freeman, City Engineer Lou Taverna, Councilor Downs, Director of Transportation Operations Jason Sobel. The result of that on-site meeting produced many solutions to the danger caused by the lane shift, and many ideas for a safer future.

See the results of our discussion below:

A clearly striped bike lane keeping those faster cyclists who want to ride on Commonwealth Avenue safely separated from motor vehicles. Greater separation between the two barriers are Arapahoe. “No Motor Vehicles” signage on the barriers, which allows bicyclists to continue separated from heavy vehicular traffic.