Community Corner

Is Bicycling's Success in Boston a Danger to Pedestrians?

More bicyclists are on the streets of Boston. That's good for a lot of reasons. But will we start to see more bicyclists running into pedestrians?

 

Most of the recent news about bicycling in Boston is positive: More people are bicycling and the city is becoming an easier place to bike.

But when you put more pedestrians and two-wheelers crossing the same streets and intersections, bad things could happen. Especially when one or both parties are flouting traffic rules. Boston pedestrians don't seem to pay much attention to whether the crossing light is red or green. And we've all seen bicyclists zoom through red lights.

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A recent infamous case comes out of San Francisco, where a bicyclist ran a red light and slammed into a pedestrian. The man fell and hit his head. He died a few days later.

Atlantic Cities recently posted a round-up of cyclist-on-pedestrian incidents. They conclude it's hard to say whether such collisions are on the rise or not. Data from a Hunter College study shows that while there are more bike-pedestrian accidents than people thought, the number is actually declining.

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Of course, pedestrians and bicyclists are in more danger from cars than they are from each other.


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