Descripción

When I'm riding a bike to and from work and appointments, I feel unsafe on Huntington Ave on the stretch between Mass Ave and S Huntington.

This area has sharrows and is often a recommended bike route on Google Maps. However, there is no bike lane (but there are two lanes for cars and even parking along some portions), and I find that both "taking the lane" in the right hand lane and biking further to the side feel unsafe. If I bike to the side of the road, vehicles in the right hand lane will often pass me by at high speeds, very close to me, and I'm concerned about either not being seen, or a driver making a poor judgement that could result in me being hit. In the portion of the road with parking, I also worry about being doored. If I take the lane, I'm subject to harassment by drivers. (For example, the last time I took the lane, which was during the current lower-traffic conditions due to COVID19, a driver in a black vehicle wearing a US flag mask honked loudly, zoomed up close to me, rolled down the window, and yelled "Get the F*** off the street!")

If this road is really intended to be used (safely!) by people on bicycles, as the sharrows seem to suggest, something needs to be done to make it safer, ideally by adding a bike lane, at least for the portion of the road where the T has its own tracks separate from other traffic. I've had fewer problems in the area of the road where the green line shares the road, possibly because motorists are already required to be more aware and accommodating in that area and don't attempt to traverse it at such high velocities.