Monthly Archives: May 2010

Boston bike box

A bike box is a painted area in front of the stop line. It permits cyclists to advance to the head of the queue of vehicles and go into the intersection first. It is especially useful when making turns. The motorist must stop at an advanced stop line considerably short of the intersection where motorists are used to stopping. It protects the safety of cyclists for left, right turns and straight through motions.

In Boston, I saw one hundred percent respect by motorists for the bike box. Otherwise, motorists were quite aggressive. Every car stopped at the advanced stop line. In London England, no motorist would be caught dead respecting a bike box.

Boston motorists were aggressive. So were pedestrians. Walk signals at most intersections were pitifully slow, late, delayed, or otherwise made inconvenient for peds and catered to motorists. The walk signals counted down from the first moment the walk signal came on (Ottawa’s count down only on the dont-start phase).

Boston bike box

A bike box is a painted area in front of the stop line. It permits cyclists to advance to the head of the queue of vehicles and go into the intersection first. It is especially useful when making turns. The motorist must stop at an advanced stop line considerably short of the intersection where motorists are used to stopping. It protects the safety of cyclists for left, right turns and straight through motions.

In Boston, I saw one hundred percent respect by motorists for the bike box. Otherwise, motorists were quite aggressive. Every car stopped at the advanced stop line. In London England, no motorist would be caught dead respecting a bike box.

Boston motorists were aggressive. So were pedestrians. Walk signals at most intersections were pitifully slow, late, delayed, or otherwise made inconvenient for peds and catered to motorists. The walk signals counted down from the first moment the walk signal came on (Ottawa’s count down only on the dont-start phase).

Fenway Park, Boston

Note how the stadium seating cantelevors out over the public street. This would certainly save space at Lansdowne Park and add some interest to walking along Bank Street.

Advertisement outside the stadium. Click to enlarge and read the text.

How would Ottawa bureaucrats cope with signs that prohibited stopping on such variable dates, times, and durations?
Around the outfield there were bars. Entrance was off the street. There was a garage door that opened up to permit viewing of the field. A wire mesh kept the balls away from the customers. I do not know if a game ticket was required for these bars, or if the show was free. At the back of the bar, was a raised washroom with a window above the men’s facilities so that patrons never lost sight of their beer, their table, or the game.