FW: Delineator post on wide separated cycle tracks on the Longfellow bridge

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-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Lusk [mailto:ANNE...@hsph.harvard.edu]
Sent: Tue 10/19/2010 7:38 PM
To: LongFellow Bridge Task Force
Subject: Delineator post on wide separated cycle tracks on the Longfellow
bridge

Dear MassDOT and the Advisory Task Force for the Longfellow Bridge,
Attached is the Letter to the Editor of the Boston Globe that was
accepted for publication by the Globe but then not run. Second, attached is
the short Power Point I delivered at the New England Bike/Walk Summit held
recently in Providence, Rhode Island.
Providing wide sidewalks on the Longfellow Bridge will not address
health, economic development, or even traffic reduction. Fifty percent of
the population in our study walked slowly and slow walking does not control
weight. For economic development, more people will buy goods if they can
bicycle because they can then carry those goods on the bicycle. Finally,
individuals who bicycle replace car trips because they can travel farther on
a bicycle compared to traveling by foot.
Colleagues in Montreal told me that they can have delineator posts up
to 65 feet apart and it deters cars from driving in the cycle track. If we
had a more narrow sidewalk and wider bicycle-exclusive cycle tracks with
delineator posts, the cycle track could be the default car break down lane
but still give more separation for bicyclists. A car driver could slow down
and then slowly drive into that cycle track lane between the delineator
posts. Therefore, the road could have two lanes of cars, a wider cycle
track with delineator posts, and a more narrow sidewalk. The road could also
have one lane of cars, a wide cycle track with delineator posts, and a
slightly wider sidewalk.
The current 6 foot break down car lane (that is called a bike lane) and
13"6" wide sidewalk is very 1970's in design, out-of-date, and unhealthy in
so many ways. Please reconsider this design and give us a much wider cycle
track. In two academic journal articles (one of which has just been accepted
by the journal and the other of which is nearing completion to be sent to a
journal) the results from the data indicated that cycle tracks have less
risk compared to bicycling in the road with cars.
Please feel to contact me if you want more information.
Anne Lusk, Ph.D.


Anne Lusk, Ph.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
665 Huntington Ave Bld II Rm 314
Boston, MA 02115
Anne...@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-7076 work
617-872-9201 cell
617-432-2435 fax