Congress St where new bike lane barriers were installed... Infuriating...

This morning was my first ride to work since Louisa’s murder. The entire ride, I could only think of how much she deserved to make it to work that morning too. 💜

If the city and the state can send over 20 cops to confront me for my various activities, I have full confidence they can spare the personnel to enforce traffic laws.

I have shown across my video how cheaply it can be done and how much revenue can be made.

We need more than transparency reports. We need them to start building and fast. They are supposed to be smart people running one of the best educated states. So where is the investment in mass transit, cycling, health protections, and climate proofing?

Unpaywalled version here

I've been building a small project (see yesterdays post) that pulls Boston's Open311 data into a local database so I can analyze parking and bike lane obstruction complaints.

After backfilling every parking-related 311 request since May 1, a few results surprised me enough that I figured I'd share it here.

Confirmed Bike Lane Blocking
These are complaints were a certain logic was used thats fairly convoluted: the description contains the literal words "bikeway" OR "bikelane", OR the description contains one of bike / bicycle / cyclist / cycling AND also one of lane / lanes / path / pathway (anywhere in the text, not necessarily back to back)

So for example:
"Multiple cars parked in bike lane" matches
"Abandoned bike in front of our residence" does not match

• 786 total reports
• 91 closed
• 695 still open
• 11.6% closure rate

Other parking / vehicle / bicycle requests

• 12,984 total reports
• 2,883 closed
• 10,101 still open
• 22.2% closure rate

Much to my dismay but not unexpected, at least based on the Open311 data, bike lane obstruction complaints appear to be closed at about half the rate of other parking-related complaints.

Possibles
I also built a third category I call "Possible bike lane blocking". Using my stale grey matter, I put together a rather eloquent solution to try to narrow down more qualifying reports.

These records are Illegal Parking and Abandoned Vehicle complaints where the reported GPS location falls within 15 meters of Boston's official on-street bike lane network, even if the person never actually wrote "bike lane" in the complaint.

Interestingly, that group came out almost identical:

• 1,650 reports
• 11.8% closure rate

I keep those separate because they're based entirely on location and almost certainly include some ordinary parking complaints on streets that happen to have bike lanes. Still the numbers so closely match the bike lane group, I am going to assume a good capture.

A couple of notes:

• This isn't saying Boston isn't responding to complaints. (you can make that conclusion)
• "Closed" is whatever the Open311 system reports. I haven't yet analyzed why individual requests were closed.
• The "possible" category is not included in the "confirmed" statistics.

I'm still digging into the data. Next on my list is looking at:

• how long open requests remain open,
• where they're concentrated,
• and what the closure dispositions actually say.

If anyone has experience with Boston 311 or parking enforcement, I'd genuinely like to know:

Is there a different workflow for bike lane obstruction complaints that would explain the lower closure rate, and is this something worth investigating further?

One favor to anyone who uses 311: If you're reporting a car blocking a bike lane, please actually write the words "bike lane" in the comments. It makes these reports much easier to find in the public data!!!

Changes due to construction can be difficult. In my commute in to Harvard Sq. today, I found that the path was closed east of Eliot Bridge. The problem was that the sign read "sidewalk closed" and didn't have any hint of how far or where to detour. The traffic lane was closed and a runner was on that, so I followed him, only to get chewed out by a construction worker. I told him that there was not clear signage of how to detour. His response was "it said 'sidewalk closed', what else to you want?"

Anyway, I think the path is probably closed from Eliot Bridge to JFK and you have to cobble something together on the north side of Memorial Drive on the sidewalks.

As an additional fun part of today, the rain was torrential with lots of flooding. Thankfully it was short-lived.

https://itemlive.com/2026/07/21/a-two-wheeled-memorial-on-the-lynnway/

Thank you to Ellen Simpson of Salem for installing the ghost bike in Lynn where William Beard was killed, only a short distance from the Northern Strand/ Bike to the Sea.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEbIM-k8qH/?igsh=aWhpbnM1djM1ZG55

Amsterdam became the bike friendly city it is today by residents forcing the government to act via physically blocking intersections with bikes and strollers, flipping cars to block streets, blocking off streets and in general aggressively demanding change or implementing change themselves. 311 and polite emails to city hall did not get the job done.

https://medium.com/vision-zero-cities-journal/the-baby-carriage-blockades-9b33c64db34d

No more comments!

Anyone have a good route from Albany to Boston? Gravel sections are okay, but not single track. From the routes I've seen on RWGPS, it looks pretty tricky especially around the NY/MA border.

Just looking through posts over the years on this sub you can see people talking about making 311 reports, compiling vehicle infractions, and generally creating a paper trail that the city can avoid.

I'd like to suggest something different. One day a week during the morning commute cyclists call the emergency line and report vehicle(s) stopped in a travel lane when they inevitably come across them. If you feel comfortable you can even ask the driver to move from the bike lane before reporting them. In the event that they refuse you can even say that the driver would not move their vehicle when you politely requested. Then provide their plate number, and the location, and request assistance in getting them to stop blocking traffic.

If we would keep doing this on a random day each week we would create enough of an annoyance that the city would come to the table only to not have their police department inundated with such calls.

I used to think that my experience on the road made me safe. But the tragic death of Louisa Gag has shaken my confidence.

I love cars. I own two — an old rusty Saab that I bought off a kind lady in Ipswich for way too little money in my early 20s, and a two-seater Mazda convertible that my wife and I coveted as our last gasp of freedom before starting a family. You’re just as likely to hear me railing against the loss of manual transmissions as you are to see me on a weekend bike ride out to Walden Pond.

But for the better part of 17 years, my primary mode of transportation around Boston has been a bicycle. What began out of necessity as a broke college student working a bar job long after the T shut down morphed into a passion for exploring every corner of my new home. Before long, I strapped a hammock to an old steel Univega and rode from Boston to Los Angeles. When I got back, I took a job selling and repairing bikes at a North End shop — getting my real first taste of the local cycling community — and the rest, as they say, is history.

I used to think that my experience on the road made me safe. Thousands and thousands of miles. Countless hours mapping routes. A few too many seasons in a bike shop storage room. So, so many rolled-up greasy pant legs. But the tragic death of Louisa Gag, the 36-year-old bike advocate and city worker killed by a driver in a recycling truck this month, has shaken my confidence. Are any of us really safe if one of the most experienced cyclists in the city was killed doing the thing she loved?

Gag’s death has inspired renewed calls for action as Mayor Michelle Wu rightly faces criticism for stalling road safety projects in the run up to last year’s election. But amid all the talk of truck designs, traffic-easing measures, and accountability, one thing seems to be forgotten: addressing the disdain that each group of commuters feels for the other.

Every day as a cyclist, I witness gobsmacking displays of lawlessness, road rage, and distracted driving on our streets. But you know the scariest part? All it takes is a few minutes behind the wheel for me to be the one cursing under my breath, cutting corners, and putting others in danger. Cars and traffic just have a habit of bringing out our absolute worst tendencies as humans.

Bikes, on the other hand, bring out our best. Multiple studies have shown that bike commuting has large, measurable, positive impacts on mental and physical health. Seriously, try riding on two wheels as an adult and not smiling — I dare you.

For me, bike commuting means that there’s no such thing as a bad day at work. Riding home is like getting to be a kid again, even just for a few minutes. Clearing my mind every evening makes me a better journalist, a better husband, a better father, and a better person.

Make no mistake, I know cyclists share some of the blame for the current climate. We run red lights, often ride unpredictably, and tend to look down on those of you “stuck in cages.” But as I’ve entered my mid-thirties, I’ve sworn off most of the reckless riding that dominated my youth. Having a kid — especially one that loves riding on the back of Dad’s bike — tends to crystalize things like your own mortality as a sack of meat and bones amid two-ton killing machines.

The day Gag was killed, I picked up my daughter from day care on my bike like I do most afternoons. What would have normally been the best part of my day, and hers, felt harrowing. Still, we rode to day care the next morning. And the one after that. And the one after that.

I plan to keep doing it for as long as my knees allow. While Gag’s death has removed the veil of safety, it hasn’t stopped me from riding. I just love life on two wheels too much. Instead, I’m even more determined to map new routes through the city that link protected bike paths together, choosing safety over efficiency. I already tack on an extra 5 miles to our morning ride just to keep my daughter on the Southwest Corridor longer and out of traffic, what’s a few more?

The times I’ve taken out our car recently, I’ve tried to remind myself of Louisa whenever I feel inclined to respond to a text or tap the gas to make it through that pesky yellow light. But it’s hard. The separation from your surroundings. All those bright, flashy screens. The feeling of constantly being late to everything. I get it, folks, I really do. Driving in this city sucks sometimes, and our roads were not designed for the variety or quantity of vehicles currently occupying them. But until you can find a time machine that gets us that promised 2024 Boston Olympics cycle loop, there is no silver bullet that is going to solve this mess.

We can, and should, demand better of our leaders and city planners to keep us safe. But we can also all afford to slow down and treat one another with a little bit of grace, patience, and compassion. At the end of the day we’re all just trying to put food on the table and get home in one piece. So from one car lover to another, stop trying to kill me. And please, check your blind spots.

Rami Abou-Sabe is Globe Opinion’s digital editor. He can be reached at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

NOW is the time to DEMAND safer streets!

Call or email your state senator ASAP and tell them that you support safety amendments to the Senate Economic Development Omnibus Bill (S.3178). Find your legislator here.

Speed Cameras - Amendment #215. The text mostly replicates the Governor’s proposed language in her FY26 budget this year (Section 46 of H.2)  to allow speed cameras in school and construction zones; this amendment also adds safety zones to those locations. Some municipalities use that tool for areas of particular risk to vulnerable road users.

Truck Safety - Amendment #160 would push truck safety guards, crossover and convex mirrors, and back-up cameras, not by outright mandate but via liability.

Share YOUR stories of scary moments with drivers of trucks and drivers who blatantly ignore speeding restrictions. Now is the time to speak up - debate on amendments starts tomorrow.

“The last two months have been heartbreaking for sustainable transportation professionals and advocates in Chicago and Boston, where two hauntingly similar bike crashes took the lives of well-loved Complete Streetsplanners Riley O’Neil and Louisa Gag. But there’s reason to be hopeful that these tragedies will spur new political support for Vision Zero efforts in these cities, and possibly have a ripple effect across the country.”

**Please no opinions, I need actionable data points!

I'm a Brighton resident and data engineer interested in reviewing bike lane enforcement.

Mayor Wu recently stated that the City has "stepped up enforcement" of vehicles blocking bike lanes. I'd like to see what the data actually looks like.

If you've submitted 311 reports for vehicles blocking bike lanes, I'd appreciate any information you're willing to share.

Helpful information includes:

• 311 case number (optional)
• Date/time
• Street or intersection
• Photo (if available)
• Whether the report is still open or closed
• How long it took to close
• Resolution (citation issued, vehicle gone, no action, etc.)
• Whether this is a recurring location

I'm not trying to build a complaint thread, lord knows I've done that enough already. My goal is to assemble a dataset to better understand response times, recurring problem locations, and how enforcement is working in practice. If the data talks hopefully someone will listen.

If enough data comes in, I'll anonymize it, analyze it, and share the results back with the community.

Feel free to PM me here, or PM me if you'd prefer to send the information by email.

P.S. I do plan on filing a PRR for this, but I am hoping this post will allow me to build the dataset immediately. I'm also hoping the data will help move the discussion from anecdotes to evidence.

I’m using a different account because politics can be dicey. Been following the concerns many people have about Wu’s politics, and I recently learned it seems like she’s behind the whole politics of Landers running and what that could mean for the state.

Here’s an article. It seems like Brownsberger killed a tax bill Wu was behind and developed an alternative, and as petty revenge Wu put Landers from her cabinet up to run and take out Brownsberger. I’m all for change but this seems extreme and I’m concerned for many reasons.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/senator-brownsberger-shrugs-off-boston-mayor-wu-s-backing-of-his-primary-opponent-amid-tax-feud-not-a-surprise/ar-AA26iasz