I recently arrived in Cambridge from Copenhagen, Denmark, shocked to find cyclists zigzagging around me on the sidewalk. I found this apparent disregard for the safety of pedestrians confusing, until I hopped on a Bluebike myself.
Car drivers routinely open doors in our faces, cut us off as they turn without looking, and block the bicycle lane to drop people off. It is extremely dangerous. No reasonable city should accept this level of risk for its citizens.
Then, I read that John H. Corcoran ’84, a father of two, was struck by a car on Memorial Drive — the third cyclist since June to be killed in Cambridge. Just this morning in neighboring Allston, yet another crash occurred outside of Harvard’s Science and Engineering Complex.
How many more stories must we read until our streets become safer?
With its slow-footed response, Cambridge is gambling with its citizens’ lives. The City of Cambridge must act now — using tried-and-tested approaches from cities like Copenhagen — to prevent more cyclist deaths.
I was initially very happy to see Cambridge’s bike lanes. Getting more people on bicycles reduces congestion and air pollution, promotes public health and saves money. I prefer bike travel because it is fast, efficient, and oftentimes fun.
Cambridge’s problem? The city averages over 100 crashes involving bicycles annually.In cities like my hometown of Copenhagen nearly half of commuters ride a bicycle to school or work, while in Cambridge, it’s about one in 11. Still, research demonstrates that the number of accidents for every million bicycle […]
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