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[USA] Boston city councilor wants to fine cars who block bike lanes, declares pedestrians ‘king’ of Hub
(www.bostonherald.com)
this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2026
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Bike lanes are car infrastructure. Bike lanes exist to segregate cars and bikes, so that bikes are safer and cars can go faster. But the only reason bikes are unsafe on the streets, is because car drivers want to go fast and refuse to obey the law. So by transitive property, bike lanes exist so cars can go faster and so cars can go faster.
If you remove cars from the street, or force them to slow down, then bike lanes aren't needed. In the Netherlands, many streets with successful traffic calming are removing their bike lanes, because there are so few cars, going so slowly, even an 8 year old can safely cycle in the street.
This is what the world looks like when we don't let car drivers hoon through our neighbourhoods by threatening everyone else. We never needed bike lanes. It was always for the cars.
With existing infrastructure in much of the US it is currently better to do protected bike lanes and still keep car lanes at least on larger streets. The accident area has parking on both sides, bike lanes on both sides, then two lanes of auto traffic.
Remove the parking make it a protected bike lane and add some sidewalk and bushes.
Having recently driven in Boston, there is seriously lacking safety awareness or enforcement. Narrow winding streets with 20-25mph speed limits have cars careening around at 40+mph. Cars crossing double yellow lines frequently even near hospital areas. I have yet to see anyone pulled over other than on the highway. Ofc the cops drive crazy too...Just getting some speed cameras would probably result in a major improvement. And that is something that was just recently funded/passed very recently. Once they are set up things will at least improve.