Until bicycles are seen as vehicles on the road who are bound, as they are in the law, to he rules of the road, the accident count will be higher than it ought to be.  Everyday I see police do nothing as cyclists run red lights, ride the wrong way on one ways, cut off pedestrians, etc.  EVEN THE POLICE BICYCLISTS DO THE SAME THINGS.  Time to hold cyclists accountable - not crate moray crackdowns but on steady and consistent basis.  Enforcement like this will not only get the cyclist scofflaws in line but will create respect in auto operators.  Mayor Menino - the time has come. Get on it.

Cyclists need to remember that they are bound by the rules of the road. I've seen too many who ride outside the bike lane, swerve in and out of traffic lanes, run through red lights, etc., and many without helmets, lights, or any reflective gear to increase their visibility. I'm relieved that more cyclists haven't been killed, but more will be unless they start being smart about how they ride.

Don't ask me to cry for bicylcists who have been hurt or killed. I'm a dedicated pedestrian, and I have come very close to being seriously hurt many, many times by bicyclists who apparently think they can do as they please on Boston's streets with total impunity. They race down one-way streets the wrong way, they don't pay any attention to walk signs or traffic lights, and too often they're going too fast to stop no matter what the obstacle. As long as these people use no common sense and flaunt the law, they deserve what they get.

I agree with the three comments so far. This past summer in Brookline, I hit a cyclist who was not following road rules who darted out into an intersection from behind a truck, not in a bike lane while I was turning with the light. Cyclists don't want to stop at intersections because it is hard for them to get going again. He bounced up on my hood but was very lucky he was not seriously injured or killed.

I cycle a lot in Europe, where there are 4 or 5 times the number of bicycles on the narrower, windier roads, and where this is a non issue because there is much more of a cycling culture.  Cyclists are more apt to ride defensively, although no less aggressively, but the huge difference is that motorists are more aware of them and much, much more likely to see a bike as an "equal" on the road.  In this country many if not most motorists see bicycles as a nuisance that they have to tolerate and I often hear shouts of "get off the road!" or watch as a car suddenly turns right directly in front of me just as they pass me.  In their mind, they have the right of way and have no idea how to gauge my speed or anticipate my intent based on my actions.  They simply don't want to have to pay attention.

When I ride my bike, I try to ride defensively, hug the side of the road and follow the rules of the road.  When I drive, I see too many cyclists riding 2 or more abreast blocking the travel lane, ingnoring the traffic rules (failure to yield!, red lights, stops signs, etc.).  Car drivers must be careful but cyclists have a responsibility to keep themselves safe.  In any contest between a car and a bike, the car always wins.

Agressive drivers and agressive bicyclists don't mix.  Unfortunately the bicyclists don't win.  A little common courtesy on both sides would help.  Of course some consistent enforcement of the rules might make a difference.

While I appreciate the article -- I thought the lead photo shows why bike lanes aren't always the safest place to ride -- and drivers shouldn't be surprised when we need to veer out of the bike lanes. Doors, deliveries, double-parked cars, buses, poor road conditions. However, the caption (and the story itself) unfairly left out this aspect of the story!

The comments reflect that this is a country of lawyers, as the knee jerk reaction is to crack down on the enforcement of existing laws and enforce the status quo. A better course of action is to question the laws and policies that may no longer be relevant to peoples changing desired mode of transportation. People are free to get around however they want, be it by bike, car, foot, wheelchair, ect. - lets make sure we are best balancing the needs of each user group first before starting a crackdown. Cyclists do not run stop signs and red lights because they want to tempt death, they do so because the timing, placement and frequency of lights is designed for cars. A bicyclist can typically treat a stop sign as a yield sign safely, and a red light as a stop sign without incident. One thing the article fails to mention is that despite hundreds of thousands of rides and lack of helmet use on Hubway, there has not been a single reported injury. This is because the bicycle is designed for slow relaxed riding, and those using the bikes ride this way because of it. I'm sure people on hubway bikes run lights and stop signs all the time (it's really not that big of a deal if the bicyclist pauses to check that the way is clear of cars and pedestrians). Cycling in the city is not an inherently dangerous activity.

The comments thus far indicate that there is more than one side solving the problems bicyclists have riding in Boston.  Unfortunately, the article ignores the concerns that many comments have expressed about the conduct of bicyclists which create problems.  Presenting a public policy issue by only expresing the concerns of a single party is something Fox News would do.  The Globe can and should look at the concerns of various sides of an issue.

I suppose all those bicyclists who are hitting pedestrians are in the right too? What a slanted article. My handicapped mother was hit in a crosswalk on a walk light by a bicyclist who only stopped about 10 feet past her to scream at her for not getting out of his way. If I wasn't helping her up, he would have ended up in an accident too. They need to stop for lights...sorry if it is an inconvenience, people in cars don't like it either. Pedestrians have to wait and they are certainly slower than any bike. How about a balanced article that doesn't put bicyclists on a pedestal...

The entire tone of this article serves but to reinforce the state of warfare between cars and bikes.  The problem is not the vehicles, but the people. Yes, there are a lot of bad drivers in the Boston area, who repeatedly do things that are stupid, illegal or both.  However, bikers are not without sin.  They routinely flout the traffic laws, run stop signs, make illegal turns, ride on sidewalks, block traffic, try to pass a vehicle on the right when it is clearly signaling a right turn, violate pedestrian right-of-way and much more. The either don’t understand the traffic laws, or the rules of the road, and assume that they have an exemption. On those rare occasions that we see a biker stopped for a red light, we assume that they are from Europe.

In every accident that occurs between bikers and drivers, the immediate assumption is that the driver of a motor vehicle is assumed to be at fault.  A closer examination of the facts will often reveal that the biker did something to put themselves at risk.  One begins to assume that they are riding bikes because they are unable to pass the test for a driver’s license. We have seen the loss of traffic lanes and parking spaces to accommodate bicyclists; they respond by thumbing their noses at cars and assuming an entitlement which they don’t deserve. Have you ever seen a biker get pulled over and ticketed for a violation?

Unfortunately, the bike lobby is vociferous and active to the point of creating lots of bike infrastructure at the expense of car infrastructure.  The bike lobby essentially took the BU Bridge renovation and added a bike lane on each side, cutting down the number of car lanes to one each way.  Now, we can guarantee that there are backups on both sides of the BU Bridge every morning and evening when traffic used to flow more smoothly pre-renovation.

I drive and I give bikes their space, yielding when needed.  But when there are cyclists to the right of me, the left of me and in front of me (as well as on the sidewalk), what is a person to do?  There has to be some order out there among cyclists and they all have to follow bike traffic rules if they want be safe out there.  Colleges and universities also need to conduct bike safety trainings for their students, encourage use of helmets and keep the students off the sidewalks. 

I commute from the Roslindale/West Roxbury line to the Financial District for work, and am tri-modal for my commute: some days I drive, some I take the T, some I bike commute. I also ride road bikes, mountain bikes and cyclocross - and race all 3. I've been commuting by bike since 2000, going from Cambridge to the city, and back when it was me, the bike messengers and a few other brave souls. I've seen an explosion in the number of cyclists, both commuting and recreationally. Any statistician would tell you that as the number of people doing something increases, the number of related events will increase proportionally. More cyclists = more accidents. No big surprise there. Here's the rub: I think there is a serious lack of knowledge and skills amongst too many of the newbies, especially the Hubway riders. They don't know the rules of the road, the unspoken ways things work or how to ride safely or competently. No helmets, riding on sidewalks, riding with iPod buds in their ears, riding against traffic, running red lights without even looking. Even the idiot in the picture with this article. Sheesh! I'm looking out of my window on Ft Point channel right now and see: 1 Hubway rider, no helmet, turning from Summer St and instead of riding on the road going up on the sidewalk. I see another rider on Summer St, heading towards South Station, on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road. These people make it bad for the rest of us, allowing drivers and pedestrians to lump all cyclists into one group. I think the City, MassBike and Boston Bikes could do more beginner education. I think the Hubway could do more to educate and enforce rules. In Europe, it helps that people really follow the rules. Maybe we need a bit more of that

I like riding a bicycle on the narrow roads of a small town. I do not enjoy driving a car among bicyclists, either on those small town roads or on streets in urban areas.  Read this:

“We’re in a transitional period where many more people are starting to use bikes to get around,” said David Watson, executive director of MassBike, the statewide bicycling advocacy group. “The relatively sudden increase in our numbers has caused some level of confusion on the roads among motorists that just don’t know how to interact with us.”

"Confusion among motorists" says this advocacy chief.  Who is he kidding?  Too many of those he claims to represent think that because they put on a silly looking helmet and tight panties and assign reflectors to parts of their bikes, they have the right of way to proceed through traffic like the idiot in the picture shown with this Globe story.  Stories that don't appear about bicyclists ramming into automobile doors being opened by drivers who just parked horizontally to the curb - drivers lambasted and cursed out by idiots who swear they were merely riding the way traffic forced them to. 

Too much hype over bicycling by the likes of Mumbles Menino and the academic poobahs around Harvard - it won't take too long to turn the Boston area into a version of Beijing, 1985.  How many dead peddlers before the bicycle advocates wake up?

How can you possibly claim the motorists need to improve their expertise?

A picture is worth a 1000 words and the pictures that accompany this article tell the story:

#1. The cyclist in the first picture (B-1) shows a) the cyclist driving directly in front of a car, b) the cyclist is not wearing a helmet for head protection - and the cyclist is riding in the center of traffic; The second picture (B-6), shows#2. a) two cyclists not wearing protective helmets,and they are b) driving their bikes across the path andc)  in front of the Metro Bus! 

Who can possibly look at the evidence in the pictures and claim the problem is with the motorists?

Drivers are indeed painfully aware of the increase in bicycles on the roadways - both major and side streets. Your article seems to paint the picture that it is some shortcomings of drivers who have yet to adjust to this new reality. In some cases, of course, that is true. But in my experience, it the the cyclists who are often at fault (as your accompanying photo suggests). Cyclists often ride in "packs," - often at speeds well beyond the posted limit for cars (and often as if it is the Tour de France). They don't wear helmets, don't stay in designated bike lanes (as shown in your photo), come up from behind the drivers, on the right and the left, and even cutting between cars at lights, blast through read lights and stop signs, or veer out of the bike lane, to avoid some small obstruction, directly into the path of oncoming traffic. Further - their hearing is often compromised while wearing earpods, listening to music, and the like. There also seems to be some general sense of entitlement - that cyclists are not polluting the air or causing traffic gridlock. There have been suggestions made by folks who deal with this day after day - that perhaps cyclists should purchase insurance or pay for the privilege of using these roads - just as drivers must do; helmets should be mandatory - just as seatbelts and child carseats are. Perhaps that would make cyclists more accountable for their driving behavior. Bicycles are vehicles - just as cars and trucks are - and there should be rules, especially given the growing numbers being added to the roads each day. I for one drive responsibly and feel overwhelmed in trying to look out for cyclists who simply do not care about responsibility on the road (not wearing a helmet seems like evidence of this). Maybe we can start a meaningful debate about creating new laws or regulations for bicycles and cyclists - just as we have for cars and drivers.

“The relatively sudden increase in our numbers has caused some level of confusion on the roads among motorists that just don’t know how to interact with us.”

OR one might say, “The relatively sudden increase in our numbers has caused some level of confusion on the roads among bicyclists that just don’t know how to interact with motorists.”

“We’re in a transitional period where many more people are starting to use bikes to get around,” said David Watson, executive director of MassBike, the statewide bicycling advocacy group. “The relatively sudden increase in our numbers has caused some level of confusion on the roads among motorists that just don’t know how to interact with us......”

No, no, no, NO!!  I disagree totally with this statement by a bicycle advocate. "Motorists that don't know how to interact with us" sounds just as arrogant as how the riders on the road act.  Of course he's going to be on the side of bikers.  In all that I've read and heard through media, never is it mentioned that bike riders are breaking the very "laws" they set up to be on the road.  No helmets, no lights or reflectors on bikes, no hand signals, and not riding in bike lanes.  Bike riders act as if vehicles are supposed to yield to them and not vice-versa.  The concept is that we are ALL sharing the road.  Sharing being the key word.  People who drive vehicles have to be tested and licensed.  Anybody can get on a bike and try to ride in traffic and thats a problem.

I submit that all motorists should be forced to get on a bicycle and ride around the city for a day.  Thus they would be subjected to the aggressive behavior of many motorists who seem to think that driving is a video game, not a serious business that can mean life or death.   As one respnder said, it would change their tune.  

After having been intentionally hit by a motorist who didn't like the fact that I was travelling in his lane and slowing him down I can say that there are many motorists who take our their life frustrations on cyclists.  When riding in the city I adopt what I call the Yossarian stance, that is, "They are all trying to kill me."  This is the only way for a cyclist to survive.

It is a fallcacy that cyclists must stay in the bike lane.  Massachusetts State law stipulates that bikes have the same right as motor vehicles to use any part of the road that they need to in order to make the manuvers that they need to make to reach their destination.  So, yes, a bike can leave the bike lane to use the left hand turn lane to make a left turn.  Also, a bike does not need to stay in the bike lane if doing so would force it to travel too close to parked cars, and run the risk of getting doored.

There are many motorists who behave corteously and with civility toward bikes.  My hat's off to them.  However there are a critical minority who do not believe that bikes should be on the road (contrary to the laws of our state) and drive with agression toward cyclists.  Then there are those who are hurried and distracted, talking on their cell phones in heavy traffic, eating, etc.  It makes for a very dangerous environment for both cyclists and pedestrians.  It is not consistent with a civilized society.

The author and safety officials have missed a key part of the equation.  They need to collect statistics on the number of bicyclists who don't know how to share the road as well.  They should count the number who run red lights, go the wrong way down the road, who don't stop for pedestrians, and who ride on the sidewalks.  The riders are out of control in Cambridge.  There is no enforcement and no education for them and they come flying from all directions at top speed sometimes.  It's very sad but it's not a surprise that people are being injured.  Don't forget the pedestrians who are hit by the bikes.

Cyclists, PLEASE observe the rules of the road. Just this week I observed a cyclist ignoring a school bus's stop signal as very small children exited the school but and crossed in front of the bus. A child was nearing hit by the speeding cyclist who then ignored the screaming bus driver, witnesses, and parents and proceeded on his way. This behavior certainly doesn't build any respect for the cyclist community; their disrespect for those around them earns them their 'annoyance' categorization.

I could write a lot more to help put these comments into perspective but would just like to point out that: 1. bicyclists are not required to wear helmets 2. bicyclists are not required to stay in bike lanes at all times 3. bicyclist do not exceed the speed limit (since the lowest legal speed limit in MA is 30 MPH) 4. police do issue tickets in Cambridge (and elsewhere) to bicyclists 5. police also do not ticket most motorists who only slow down at stop signs, go thru red and orange lights, turn right on red where not allowed, park in bike lanes, double park in traffic lanes, do not stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, etc. I'm sure that a accurate counting will show many more such motorist infractions that bicyclist infractions. And, most importantly, the motorist infractions are potentiall more deadly than the bicyclists infracttions. So please, stop blaming each other and just obey the law and drive and bike safely. THANKS

This article totally suggests it is always the drivers fault. What about bikes who run red lights? Who ride on sidewalks and crosswalks?  Who ride against one-way streets?  Should a bike be passing a group of cars at a red light if there is no designated bike lane or should he get behind the car in front of him and act like traffic? 

I am not saying there are no bad drivers but as a ped and a driver I have seen way too many bikes who do want they want and the rules of the road don't apply to them.  This is what needs education and enforcement.

“Wear white, day and night” is the simplest way for a cyclist to be seen, and thus avoid being hit.  The saddest words from a driver are, “I’m sorry, but I just didn’t see the kid in time.”

Look at a group of people, and those wearing white are the first you see. Look at a row of parked cars, and the white ones is the first you see.  Along the side of the road, you quickly pick up the white mailboxes and posts, long before you see the black ones.  For drivers over 40, it’s ever harder to see darker objects.  

Now what we also need is for those who make and sell clothing for cyclists to do their part and promote white and back away from more dangerous dark outfits.

lesvalseuses - get off your bike and walk from South Station to my place of work and you will see the world different as well.

I hate to say this as a lifelong cyclist, but I am sympathizing more with the folks calling out bad behavior on the part of cyclists.  People, believe me that this is a minority of cyclists, though I can definitely see how they stick out and seem like a majority.  Some cyclists are just jerks, I am very sorry to say -- like the bike nazi who yelled at me for briefly riding no-hands on the bike path -- then proceeded to run a red light and cut in front of a car.  Of course, everything that Alan from Porter Square says is exactly right as well.  There is room for more safety-consciousness and courtesy on all fronts here.  By the way the bad guy in the photo isn't actually committing any infraction, thought he does look like kind of an idiot for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's the vaguely out-of-control vibe seeming to emanateg from him.

As someone who rides frequently, it's very annoying to see cyclists flout traffic laws. Just the other day I was on my way into work where that travels under a section of route 9. I was making a left hand turn and I did not have a stop sign. Meanwhile I saw two bikers approaching the stop sign on the other side of the road. That is all they did, approached it. There was no attempt to stop and I almost hit them as I was making my left turn. I made the turn cautiosly anticpating that they may not stop. Sadly, I was correct. Not only did they not stop, but they flipped me off as if I was in the wrong. Sorry folks. If you are on a bike, you are on a vehicle. You are not a pedestrian. Follow the traffic laws. I don't care if it messes with your cadence.

I've been pedaling to work in the Boston area since 1978, and I've been struck while pedaling 5 times. Other cyclists tell me that I'm one of the most defensive cyclists they know, so I am not setting myself up when I ride- in fact I take to the sidewalks whenever they are clear enough, which is frequently 70-90% of my route. The main hazard I've observed all these years has been cyclists who simply ride too fast for the street they're on. I have succeeded in encouraging most to slow down and take it easy, which I am sure has at least reduced a number of injuries.

As a long time cyclist in Boston, the BPD needs to begin addressing the problem of cars parked and or idling in the bike lanes.  Just bike along Mass Ave, Comm Ave, Tremont St. etc and you'll see cars sitting in the bike lane with or without a driver behind the wheel.  The obvious problem for bikers is that these cars force the bikers to go around them into the car lane which is very dangerous.  I've asked several police officers if they ticket these cars and they all said "No, not yet".  When will they start enforcing the bike lane rules?  Ever, or doesn't the BPD see blocking the bike lanes as an important issue worthy of their time?

I don't know how you can write this article with no mention of cyclists not obeying the rules of the road. This is BY FAR the biggest reasons for accidents.  I don't know how these cycling advocates can be so blind to this issue. I would estimate that 75% of cyclists I see daily do not stop for red lights and that's being generous to the cyclists.  At least once a week I see a cyclist almost get hit at the same five point intersection in Cambridge when they run a red light and don't notice that it's the third street that has the green light and a car is coming.  Personally I have been hit by a cyclist running a red light when I was a pedestrian with the right of way in a marked intersection and cars stopped for me.  I was thrown through the air I was hit with such force and my wedding band was permanantly bent with the force I hit the ground trying to catch my fall.  On another occasion I was crossing the street, again in a marked intersection with a walk signal, holding my toddler son's hand and a biker almost ran my son down as he ran the red light. Thankfully my husband shoved the biker out of the way.

It is clear to me that if the biking advocates spent a fraction of their time on educating cyclists in obeying the rules of the road there would be fewer accidents. I would love to support cycling but this lawless outlaw cycling we have now is horrible for everyone from cyclists to motorists to pedestrians.  We need to stop promoting cycling until this is fixed.

The anti-car bike advocates have little objectivity when it comes to this topic. A more objective source would tell you it's not about the motorists' expertise. As Brian McGrory observed in the 7/15/2012 column,  bicyclists "...blast through red lights and stop signs with no hesitation, swerve into traffic with the entitled expectation that everyone else will screech to a halt, glide the wrong way down streets, across sidewalks, through pedestrian malls, constantly yelling, 'Watch it, dude!’'" 

The City of Boston doesn't want to enforce traffic laws. I've been here over 40 years and I haven't seen any enforcement, except when State Troopers are around. I've also heard officials say that enforcement is "too heavy-handed". In all that time, I have never met anyone who got a ticket for running a red light or blocking an intersection, even though it happens almost constantly and is one of the most annoying everyday aspects of living in Boston.

The City now want to encourage more biking, but I think that pretty soon, all the people who are brave and skillful will be biking but so many others will not because they think, rightly, that the streets are not safe with so many moving violations.

The laws need to be enforced for both vehicles and bicycles, and by enforcement I mean to the point where people will change their behavior because of the fear of getting caught.