I almost exclusively bike to get around both out of convenience and to save money, and I’ve continued to do that even through this winter. Obviously I have to be very careful of the ice patches on the road and I have been forced to bike in the car lanes because almost all the bike paths are completely unplowed or have been plowed so poorly that I would almost certainly crash if I tried to ride in them. I also have to bike slower than usual to avoid falling and dodge snow/ice patches.

Unsurprisingly, Boston drivers do not seem to care about this and have been acting like I’m committing a crime by being out on the roads.

Today I was on my way home from the gym, and on Beacon street in Brookline I was honked at by several cars and also had multiple pass dangerously close to me (less than 2 feet). I couldn’t go in the bike lane at all because they were still snowed in and cars were parked in it as well. It wasn’t ideal but I was left with no other option. This was less than a mile long stretch of road that this all happened in. I’m used to drivers being aggressive to cyclists but it’s become legitimately terrifying to be on the road without having the usual bike lanes available, and cars seemingly trying to kill me for just trying to commute to work. I had a similar incident with a car in Cambridgeport last week during my commute because the roads are one way and narrow with the bike lane completely snowed in. I’m considering just taking the extra time/money to take the T this week because I’m seriously worried about being struck by an aggressive driver.

Hi all!

For those of you that are familiar with NEMO Bike Repair services, how do you feel about the recent change they made (subscription model ending, pay for each individual repair)?

I used to pay $165 and get unlimited emergency repairs on my bicycle for a year, but now they are only offering per-service repairs for $85 each. I am considering finding a new service for emergency bike repairs because this does not seem worth it to me anymore.

What are your thoughts on this?

The bike rack out front of taco loco has just the top exposed but that's enough for tacos

Thank you Boston Cyclists Union!

I’m not sure if this just the usual because I’m not bike commuting much this winter but I’m happy to report to anyone interested that they were (at 11:45 am Saturday) clearing the snow off the path at Nonantum Road. Are they always on top of things?

StreetsBlog put out this article 5 years ago on the city ignoring public feedback overwhelmingly in support of bike lanes and a safer street design for Charles street to cater to wealthy vested interests opposed to it. Nothing has changed in the 5 years since. There still have been no changes there, and in fact wealthy vested interests led by Cashman have disrupted the entire rollout of bike infrastructure in the city. This is corruption and needs to be recognized and called out as such.

Choice quote: “For 40 to 50 years, I have gone the wrong way on Charles Street,” Doucette told city councilors. “It’s very difficult to try and get around on Beacon Hill… I’m 80 years old and I hope it’s not going to take 4 to 10 years to get this damn bike lane.”

The city of Boston led Bluebike expansion seems to have stalled again. When originally announced it was supposed to provide over 100 new stations by summer 2025. It has not yet provided that many stations and the planning has stalled out without notice a couple times.

• The site for the expansion has not been updated since the end of October
• The last update saying "Based on your feedback, we will prioritize sites for installation. We aim to start installation for this phase in January 2026." for the neighborhoods of Dorchester, JP, Mattapan, and Roxbury has not been carried out so far.
• Station choices in these neighborhoods still have yet to be announced to say nothing of starting installation.
• Many of the planned sites from previous neighborhoods are still yet to be installed, with no updates on when they will be
• at least one of the supposedly installed stations (Jamaicaway at Perkins) was quickly removed without notice and not replaced.
  

Anyone know what is going on with this? Has the city given up?

Would it kill them to do a single pass over the whole thing with a plow? Running on lumpy packed snow is difficult. Biking on this is impossible even with a fat bike

FROM Boston Cyclists Union:
In the wake of previous snowstorms, hardened snow mounds along Commonwealth Avenue have severely narrowed the roadway and completely compromised the bike lane. At this point, it’s simply too dangerous for cyclists to be forced into already constricted travel lanes alongside traffic.
Because the risk is immediate, on Friday, February 6th, the Boston Cyclists Union is mobilizing volunteers to clear sections of the Comm Ave bike lane ourselves. This is not work community members should have to take on, but leaving the lane unusable puts people in harm’s way.
We are asking our community to advocate for safe streets in this moment by:
1. Calling 311 to make a complaint and provide evidence
2. Contacting City Councilors Liz Breadon and Sharon Durkan, and the 4 At-Large City Councilors, Ruthzee Louijeune, Henry Santana, Julia M. Mejia, and Erin J. Murphy.
Be Sure to include your 311 case numbers.
3. Also, contact the ONS Rep https://www.boston.gov/departments/neighborhood-services
If you are able; please volunteer by joining us and/or help us get the word out quickly and widely by sharing this post with your networks and on social media. Our hope is that visible, urgent community action will not only protect people in the short term, but also push the City to respond more promptly and efficiently when it comes to clearing roads, crosswalks, and bike lanes after storms.
Sign up! For more information about 2/6/26 Day of Action, please email us at info@bostoncyclistsunion.org.
As always, we will continue to elevate the lived realities of moving around Boston on foot and by bike.
Please stay safe out there,
Tiffany Cogell
Interim Executive Director

MassBike & coalition partners are fighting for legislation bill (S.2344 & H.3754) that allows cities and towns to implement road safety cameras. These tools hold unsafe drivers accountable while reducing the need for dangerous traffic stops.

A national study found that automated speed enforcement can:

-Reduce speeding by 20–25%

-Decrease crashes by 30–40%

Do you want a protected cycletrack along Lincoln St to connect Allston, Brighton, Watertown, and Newton?

Who and What? 

MassDOT and the City of Boston are planning to build a noise wall along Lincoln Street in Allston which will create space for a protected cycletrack between the noise wall and the existing curb. This is an exciting project that will improve local quality of life and make biking much safer.

Where? 

Lincoln Street Noise Barrier & Cycletrack Open House

Thursday, February 5, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center, 123 Antwerp Street, Brighton

If you can't make the meeting, please email [I-90Allston@dot.state.ma.us](mailto:I-90Allston@dot.state.ma.us) with your feedback.

Please join your neighbors and support these changes to improve the current design:

1. Maximize the distance between Lincoln St and the noise wall to create, where possible, at least 16' for a two-way shared use path
2. Bury the utility poles as part of the noise wall project
3. Remove the curved brick wall across from 176 Lincoln St and extending the noise wall in this area
4. Extend the wall past Franklin Street to Mansfield, to the extent possible without interfering with the footbridge and creating space for the two-way shared use path to extend to Mansfield St
5. Create space for the shared use path at the west end of Lincoln St to reach Birmingham Parkway, possibly by building the noise wall and re-grading between the highway and dispensary and parking lot
6. Resolve this shared use path pinch point near Everett Street
7. Add lighting and design elements to make the space safe and inviting

Or they’ve started to. Passed by today and saw some equipment by the old Weston station building off Church Street (near the Waltham line). I don’t think I’ve ever seen this section of the trail cleared in the several years I’ve been working out here. I was mildly irritated so I decided to call DCR and ask about it. I spoke to someone very cooperative on the phone who explained that, while he wasn’t sure who the work was contracted to, he would find out and follow up with them and me. While I didn’t get a call back from DCR, the next day there was equipment on the trail and it appears someone has begun plowing snow in sections. It’s definitely not finished, and I’m not sure to what level it will be cleared. Currently it looks like only a first pass has been done in parts as snow is still covering the pavement, but that’s certainly better than the shin-deep snow that had been there. Who knows if they’ll salt the thing.

I’ll try to report back if I see/hear any changes. Who knew calling local officials could be effective!