Just FYI — all you red light blasting bikers out there:
I’ve gotten a few reports of cops pulling over bikers who have been blowing the reds at the BU Bridge. The ticket they’ve handed a friend of mine was a warning, but with the threat of $150 (!). Not sure if this was BPD or BUPD, I’ll update if more information comes to light.
Now, whether you agree with this style of enforcement or not, this intersection is a particularly hairy one (and is affectionately called “the knuckle”): with MBTA buses, the Green Line, train tracks (careful…), cross traffic that connects Brookline to Cambridge to that extended part of Boston known as A-B, tons of kamakaze peds and undergraduate bikers, and dangers with the bridge infrastructure of metal joints and crumbly pavement. This intersection should be respected, along with the laws of the road.
So heads up, all you BU Bikers! After the Mayor’s Safety Summit just two weeks ago where we stressed road-friendliness and the need for helmets and respect, and which took place just down the street from here, it seems as if BPD is playing with the idea of enforcing the law.
Ride Safe, Ride Easy, and Stop for this Red!
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This is a really good thing, I believe so. Even though I have to admit i’ve run the light at the BU bridge a couple of times (usually only when there is clearly no visible traffic coming), I think that police need to start paying attention to cyclists’ traffic violations. Because we can cause accidents just as readily (and sometimes probably even more) as drivers who run lights.
That being said, I think that on any other intersection the rules on bikes are different… if it’s a straightaway and there are no pedestrians or cross traffic, go ahead and run the light. Just stop when there is traffic that clearly has the right of way.
bupd can’t enforce traffic violations. they’re not allowed to. JUST SAYING.
yup, you’re totally right Nuggetross. That falls on the duties of BPD, for both cars and bicycles.