I had a pint with my friend Matt McGlinn last night. He just got a new iPhone and was proudly showing me a photo he snapped of a brand spankin’ new bike lane that had been painted on Washington between Jamaica Plain and Roslindale.

Washington St. bike lane

Matt is one of those guys that bikes to work rain or shine all year round for the most part. A real die hard. Matt, his wife Rachel moved to Roslindale from Jamaica Plain a couple years ago when it was clear that they needed more room for a growing family. I was their buyer’s agent and helped them buy a cute single family home. They’re very happy there but miss the convenience and community of Jamaica Plain. However, being a stand-up guy, “Matty” insists on cycling to work and doing his part to save the planet.

Matt "Matty" McGlinn

Living in Jamaica Plain right on the Southwest Corridor for the last 15+ years I’ve definitely noticed the increase in two-wheeled activity over the years. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the brave and noble souls who take their lives in their own hands every day and pedal their way to work. While they are working every day to take part in the economy, they are reducing carbon emissions and all the bad stuff that goes along with the petroleum and auto industry, as well as staying healthy, which must play some role at least in not exacerbating the health care situation.

I was pleased to hear that the city was taking some action finally – making a stand for the righteous cause of cyclists. Protecting a noble breed. In the past, the Pacific Northwest has led the way with bicycle friendly streets. To a lesser degree, even our neighbor, Cambridge has done their share to improve bicycle safety and convenience. I started doing a little poking around and it seems that until recently there were no bike lanes on Boston streets. studies have shown that regular cyclists use main thoroughfares as opposed to “bike paths” which are usually fraught with bumps and curves and obstacles that slow down the commute. This is why it’s so important to have designated bike lanes to protect these folks.

The first two lanes in Boston apparently were from Comm Ave to the BU Bridge , one on the American Legion Hwy (things that make you go hmmmmm) and now it seems there is one that was just finished last night from Forest Hills Station to Roslindale Village. Matty reports the city just painted the new lines last night. In addition, the city has added new bike cages at Forest Hills and Alewife stations.

photo by Doug Mink of rozziebikes.com (click  for more info)

A huge round of applause to the city for these efforts. However, I’m a little confused by the choice of American Legion Highway as the second bike lane in Boston. It seems rather odd doesn’t it? If you haven’t ever traveled this stretch of road you probably wouldn’t think much of this decision. Another blogger (and biker) was equally vexed – Harrumph! also notes in a recent post that the decision to spend 67K painting bike lanes on this stretch of road seemed ill-timed. I’m not sure how these decisions are made, or by whom, but it seems that the right way to go about choosing bike routes would be based on use, or congestion, or consensus, or anything that resembled community process. Understand, I know very little about this process or about the process that precipitated painting lines on American Legion – and I welcome any comments in explanation. As you know if you have read any of my previous posts, I am a Realtor and dare I say a bit of a cynic. What some of you may not know is that there are two large developments that this newly paved road passes through – namely, Harvard Commons (Cruz Development) and Olmsted Green (Lena Park & New Boston Fund). As Flaherty recently said of Menino’s email debacle, “a fish rots from the head down”, and I have to admit, I smell something fishy. Not only did the city spend 67K putting in a bike lane, but according to Harrumph!, they didn’t do a very good job.

• There are no markings or signs of any type indicating what the bike lanes are.
• Drivers don’t get it and many encroach into the lanes.
• Neither side has NO PARKING signs, and many cars use the Blue Hill end by Franklin Park as a parking lane, endangering both cars and bikes.
• The newish 30 MPH limit is, shall we say, not fully in the public consciousness. Biking the route today, I estimate that the average speed was 45, with many going faster.
• Cyclists don’t yet know it is there.
• It’s not the best example of where people live to where they want to travel.
• The bike lanes are broad, as in the picture at Walk Hill (click for a larger view) where they piggyback on a bus zone, but narrow in the Northern region to perhaps 3 or 3.5 feet, not really adequate.
• The travel lanes are quite broad and should have each given another foot to the bike lane to make it safe.

It seems rather ill-planned, no? Was this just a developer pulling strings so they could say they had a bike lane from their new “green” development? Listen, don’t get me wrong, but wouldn’t that money have been better spent on Huntington Ave, on Centre St in Jamaica Plain, in the South End, anywhere other than American Legion Highway? I would like to know how many cyclists are using that path on a daily basis right now – as compared to some of the more congested parts of the city? I sincerely welcome comments here. I am ignorant as to the overall plan and would very much like to understand it.

I am really excited about the prospect of Boston becoming really bike friendly. Not only would it be good for the environment and traffic reduction, but it would be nice to sit with front-runners Seattle and Portland in the progressive movement toward sustainability. As Boston becomes a more pleasant place to live, more people will move here and more jobs will be created. Everybody wins.