I am often asked whether biking in Boston is getting safer, more dangerous or staying the same. My answer has always been that it is not possible to really know since there has never been a means for collecting the necessary data to truly delineate any trends, due in large part to how the Boston Police and EMS collect and disseminate data.
Some changes are being made to the forms which the BPD uses and it should now be easier to collect and analyze data on where and how bike crashes are occurring. Coupled with accident data collected by Boston Bikes, these adjustments in accident reporting by Boston Police and EMS will inform a range of policies including enforcement and bike lane design.
This is great news for cyclists, who will in the future be armed with more information about how to stay safe on the roads.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Marlene Pineda Bike Accident
Sad news about Marlene Pineda, a 24 year old Smith College graduate who was killed in a bicycle accident on Monday August 16, 2010. She was riding down a hill in Brighton MA when she was hit by a car. I am familiar with the area as I have commuted on that road, and I know from personal experience that drivers can be careless and distracted by various things including the train tracks and the carriage road. The City is trying to do a better job making Boston more accomodating to cyclists but this unfortunate event shows that there's still a long way to go.
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