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But they weren't. Bicyclists that is, in Boston. Especially after the bicyclist versus truck accident friday where the bicyclist failed to survive the accident. On the corner of Mass Ave and Beacon Street, named by many news stories this weekend as the most dangerous intersection in Boston. (I disagree with that assessment, but is beside the point)
So today I was driving a truck into Boston to make a couple of deliveries for work. I was a bit more attentive than usual for glimpses of bicyclists diving into the blind zones around the truck. So there might have been a bit of observer effect in play. And yes, I did go through that intersection.
I saw more bicycle riders driving unsafely and committing moving violations than I saw cars. Many riding without the mandatory safety helmets. Lots of them blowing through stop signs and red traffic lights. marked lane violations. Riding on the sidewalks. And one bike courier who was probably exceeding the speed limit.
Four times, I'm squeezing the truck between parked cars and fences and so on at a corner stop sign or traffic light, waiting for the opportunity to drive on. Four times I see a bicyclist squeezing his way between my truck and the cars and trucks badly parked and sticking parts of themselves out into the traffic lane.
If the light had happened to turn green and I hadn't noticed them squeezing up the side of the truck, I would have started moving and could easily have squashed them. I'd probably not even noticed running them over, the potholes of boston are bouncing the truck around so much that one more bump is lost in the noise. Then I'd be he truckdriver being persecuted for having the bad luck to be the instrument of evolution, in increasing the average intelligence of the Boston bike riders.
So today I was driving a truck into Boston to make a couple of deliveries for work. I was a bit more attentive than usual for glimpses of bicyclists diving into the blind zones around the truck. So there might have been a bit of observer effect in play. And yes, I did go through that intersection.
I saw more bicycle riders driving unsafely and committing moving violations than I saw cars. Many riding without the mandatory safety helmets. Lots of them blowing through stop signs and red traffic lights. marked lane violations. Riding on the sidewalks. And one bike courier who was probably exceeding the speed limit.
Four times, I'm squeezing the truck between parked cars and fences and so on at a corner stop sign or traffic light, waiting for the opportunity to drive on. Four times I see a bicyclist squeezing his way between my truck and the cars and trucks badly parked and sticking parts of themselves out into the traffic lane.
If the light had happened to turn green and I hadn't noticed them squeezing up the side of the truck, I would have started moving and could easily have squashed them. I'd probably not even noticed running them over, the potholes of boston are bouncing the truck around so much that one more bump is lost in the noise. Then I'd be he truckdriver being persecuted for having the bad luck to be the instrument of evolution, in increasing the average intelligence of the Boston bike riders.
