Boston Globe Editorial: Urban roads aren't meant for cyclists

[druptight]

I guess this is what it takes for major newspapers to get hits on the internet these days. Trolling at it's finest. Mr Jacoby brings up all the old favorites - roads are made for cars, cars are bigger and therefore more deserving of space, cyclists don't pay taxes, don't require insurance, no registration.... classic arguments. Seems like every 6 months someone re-writes this same piece of crap and pops it up as an editorial to boost internet traffic ad revenue.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/09/01/boston-roads-aren-meant-for-bicycles/a6RRmhYUEJgHYwHnWsSJhO/story.html

[AJosiahK]

Guess I'll pull the ol roller blades and elbow pads out...

What junk

[unterhausen]

Boston would be great for bikes if it weren't for the inappropriate number of cars.

[RonW87]

I suppose the irony is that Boston's downtown streets weren't made for cars either.

[thwart]

... and not one mention of the health benefits of bicycle commuting... not just for the cyclist, but also for all the city's inhabitants, as there is one less car producing pollution and clogging the roads.

Not one of his better pieces, safe to say.

[in_version]

i suppose the irony is that boston's downtown streets weren't made for cars either.

+1

[TimD]

Jacoby is the token conservative on the Globe masthead. Seems to me part of his charter is to be contrarian to the rest of the editorial staff in any way possible. I don't think his column is worth the time required to read it, one would be better off reading the Boston Herald. But that's just me.

[kevinvc]

Is this a new article or one of his older ones? I refuse to give articles like this the click that they're looking for. He has written previous editorials with the exact same message and "reasoning". It's part of his standard shtick. As print media continues its death spiral, their online sites are all about page hits. My local "paper" has directly admitted that part of their reporter's evaluations are based on the number of page hits their articles generate. It's why we're subjected to a regular onslaught of "articles" consisting of cute animal pictures, top 10 lists, and inflammatory topics. Anything that feeds the bikes vs. cars meme is sure to get a reaction.

[Elefantino]

Bob Ford, semi-retired Globe columnist, also took on cyclists. But he's always been an ass. Personally. An ass.

[druptight]

Is this a new article or one of his older ones? I refuse to give articles like this the click that they're looking for. He has written previous editorials with the exact same message and "reasoning". It's part of his standard shtick. As print media continues its death spiral, their online sites are all about page hits. My local "paper" has directly admitted that part of their reporter's evaluations are based on the number of page hits their articles generate. It's why we're subjected to a regular onslaught of "articles" consisting of cute animal pictures, top 10 lists, and inflammatory topics. Anything that feeds the bikes vs. cars meme is sure to get a reaction.

Posted yesterday. As I mentioned, they seem to just re-word their older posts every couple months to stir up the masses and generate clicks. Bunch of turds.

[merlinmurph]

The editor of the Boston Globe, Brian McGrory, is as equally anti-bike as Jacoby. I've heard McGrory on the radio a few times and he honestly is one arrogant prick.

[Louis]

Hmmm, I wonder how all those folks in Europe manage to do it?

[benb]

You can look at it with an ad blocker if you want to read it. It'll cost the globe money instead of putting money in their pocket.

Damn straight on Boston roads not being made for cars. Not like it needs to be said again but driving in/around Boston is pure hell even if every bike & pedestrian vanished from the earth. The problem is too many cars and nowhere near enough space for them.

[gary135r]

Bob Ryan has been crowing this for a few weeks on Twitter. Found out about it through The Bike Snob's account. Ryan is a respected writer, but is coming from way out in left field if you read his tweets

[zmudshark]

Hmmm, I wonder how all those folks in Europe manage to do it?
Burn the Socialist!

[Louis]

Burn the Socialist!

Maybe that's why they need single-payer health care, to pay the hospital bills for all the idiot cyclists (entitled liberals, that they are) who insist on riding on urban streets, only to be taken out by freedom-loving American tourists drivers.

[bikinchris]

Here you go:

http://www.bicycling.com/training/tips/best-responses-anti-cyclist-claims?cid=social_20150823_51247306&adbid=635421490502995973&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130

[AJM100]

Ironic Boston is called the "hub" . . .

Back Bay from Kenmore into the Public Gardens (Commonwealth Ave.) has a nice bike lane; however, once you hit Arlington along the Public Garden it becomes a free for all during rush hour.

[Grant McLean]

I suppose the irony is that Boston's downtown streets weren't made for cars either.

You mean those Puritan colonists in 1630 didn't plan for cars? lol.
Urban history goes back 10,000 years, somehow we get myopic about city living.

[shovelhd]

Typical Boston Globe biased editorial garbage. In a couple of weeks cyclists are going to take over Government Center for most of the day for the Mayor's Cup. The following day over 5,000 riders will descend on the streets of Boston for Hub on Wheels. Let's see how they report this.

[Ti Designs]

Typical Boston Globe biased editorial garbage.

More universal than that. Typical human [childish] reaction. With any shared resource one group always claims the other doesn't belong there. Multi-use paths, city streets, rivers, Israel...

[CampyorBust]

I was in Boston the other day, we walked from Tremont to Newbury and on both streets we saw a critical mass of inner city youths, maybe 30 deep. Kudos to the kids for riding bikes however almost half of them were doing some (pimp @$$) wheelies on huffys and hybrids while riding through red lights one after the other. Luckily everyone let them pass without incident. Riding like that gives cyclist a bad name.

[sparky33]

Exactly.
Any old clown can write inflammatory editorial. Don't waste your time reading that irrelevant nonsense.

I don't think his column is worth the time required to read it, one would be better off reading the Boston Herald. But that's just me.

[tedbarbeau]

Moved from Boston to San Francisco 5 years ago and it was like a two-wheeled awakening. The city itself might not be set up any better for cyclists but it seemed like given the sheer number of riders, cars were more aware.

Don't even get me started on Marin. Within my first 5 minutes in Fairfax I saw a peleton of 50+ riders. (Not to mention the dedicated MTB trail in town.) I thought I had died and was standing at the pearly gates....

[oldpotatoe]

Moved from Boston to San Francisco 5 years ago and it was like a two-wheeled awakening. The city itself might not be set up any better for cyclists but it seemed like given the sheer number of riders, cars were more aware.

Don't even get me started on Marin. Within my first 5 minutes in Fairfax I saw a peleton of 50+ riders. (Not to mention the dedicated MTB trail in town.) I thought I had died and was standing at the pearly gates....

pelOton..welcome to paceline.