Report: Boston Getting More Bike Lanes, Hubway

Boston will be getting more bike lanes and Hubway bike share stations, the Boston Herald reported Tuesday, just two days after a visiting MIT scientist was struck and killed while riding her bike in the Kenmore Square area. The city plans to add up to 20 miles of new bike lanes and 20 new Hubway kiosks and might also look to install cycle tracks on major roadways from Roxbury to the Public Garden, Transportation Commissioner Tom Tinlin told the Herald. Last week, a new Hubway station opened at the recently built Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in the Charlestown Navy Yard, and Boston Bikes Director Nicole Freedman told Patch that another kiosk is planned in the Hayes Square area. With plans to install more stations in South Boston, Roxbury and other locations, the total number of Hubway options could soon approach 100, the Herald reported. Also in the works are more divided bike lanes, like the one on Western Avenue in Brighton, and cycle tracks—bike paths that separate bicyclists from motorized traffic—on Charles Street, Malcolm X Boulevard, Seaver Street and around the Public Garden, officials told the Herald. With plans to step up the bike-friendly features in Boston, there are still concerns about the safety of bicyclists, particularly following the May 19 death of Kanako Miura, an MIT researcher from Japan. Miura was reportedly struck by a motor vehicle while riding her bike near the intersection of Beacon Street and Charlesgate West at around 3:30 p.m. Several media outlets have reported that police are looking for a garbage truck that may have been involved. In March, officials announced plans to install new warning signs, reflectors and lane markings along busy Commonwealth Avenue in an effort to improve safety for bicyclists following the 2012 deaths of two Boston University students, both bicyclists who were struck by vehicles in separate incidents. The city also recently installed protective guards on 20 Public Works trucks to prevent bicyclists from getting crushed in a collision, the Herald reported. Boston Police Capt. John Danilecki told the Herald that most of the recent fatalities have involved trucks or buses and that, even when in a bicycling lane, cyclists should assume large vehicles can’t see them and use extra caution. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch

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