u/HuckleberryTough512

Last night, I was biking home from Arsenal Yards and going uphill on School St. Somewhere around Cypress or Spruce I saw a couple with their 4 or 5 unruly dogs they were evidently having a difficult time controlling coming down School. I moved over to the right hand side of the sidewalk and slowed down.

The man saw me and did not move and stood directly in my path, essentially taking over the entire sidewalk and said "Whoa, you should be doing that in the street." To which I replied, "Sidewalks are for everyone."

The woman said "Not for you" and the man said "No they're not, bike on the street" or some such confidently incorrect statement.

I don't have an e-bike, I wasn't going very fast (as I was going uphill), and I yielded - yet these complete strangers thought it was important to not share a public sidewalk and try to force me into a busy street that has no bike lanes and is generally unsafe, and where I have been hit by a car already one time.

I commute to work in Cambridge, and I use bike lanes when they're available but first and foremost I value my safety and will bike where ever I feel the safest and not put myself in harms way because some self important people think they can own an entire public space because they cannot control their dogs.

To those people, maybe next time you decide to be insufferable and meddlesome, you should actually be sure you're correct. Have a great weekend.

https://www.watertown-ma.gov/bicycling

In Union Square at that four way intersection —last week I had the walk signal so started crossing, driver sped by almost hitting me and shouted “don’t worry you weren’t in any danger“ (thanks for the heads up). This morning, also at a walk signal, a driver drove into me and killed me. I’m fine physically as I’ve cultivated some mass, just please be careful as many times I’ve seen day care children, elderly, people with baby strollers etc also using those crosswalks

Cambridge driver are some of the most entitled individuals I’ve ever met and the fake survivability high horse doesn’t merit cosplay Tour de Florida emotional support vehicles and a shitty personality. If you’re offended by this I bet your coworkers are tired of seeing you in the morning.

 walk a lot in Cambridge/Somerville. Without fail, I see drivers of all kinds, trucks, vans, people driving cars to single speeds, to dudes decked out in leather looking like they're training for the Tour de Florida, completely blow red lights, ignore crosswalks, drive through an intersection while the walk sign is on, and pretty much drive dangerously without any regard for pedestrians. It's not even one or two drivers; it's nearly everyone I see. Rarely do I see someone follow the law and stop at a red light.

With all the support for drivers in America, and that "community" complains all the time about bikes, you'd think ya'll would drive with some integrity.

So what is it? Why don't you drivers follow the rules of the road?

Use the bike lane. There is a bike lane for you, and a sidewalk for me.

It takes a lot of hard work and tax dollars to pave the roads to fit a bike lane across the entirety of the city.

Yet you decide to beam down the sidewalks going 20 mph yelling “ON YOUR LEFT” at people walking like we’re in your way - when there’s a BIKE LANE 4 FEET AWAY ON YOUR LEFT.

I await the day when a cyclist crashes into me and injures themselves, and I can just laugh and call them an idiot as I walk away.

Rant over.

I passed a bicyclist going the opposite direction on a fairly narrow road and they had an orange stick or pole attached to their bike which looked about 4 ft long sticking out into traffic. I assume this is so they force passing cars to give distance but I assume there's no way that's legal right? If someone passes too close and scratches their car or whatever the bike rider would be partially liable or get cited for something?

Massachusetts legislators are considering bills that would authorize cities and towns to install automated cameras for speeding, red lights, prohibited right turns on red and blocking intersections. If its your car, you could get ticketed even if you werent driving at the time. Just 5 mph over the speed limit can be enough to trigger a ticket.

Cape Cod Times article:

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/traffic/2026/06/15/ma-traffic-camera-bill-fines-tickets-speeding/90550551007/

The bills are **S.2344** and **H.3754**. As of June 15, S.2344 is sitting in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. H.3754 remains in the Joint Committee on Transportation, which currently has until July 31 to report on it.

Official bill pages:

S.2344:

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2344

H.3754:

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3754

Under the current text:

* Speeding tickets could begin at **5 mph over the limit on roads posted below 45 mph**

* The threshold would be 10 mph over on roads posted at 45 mph or higher

* Fines could range from **$25 to $150**

* The fine would generally be issued to the **registered owner**, without the government first proving who was driving

* After three qualifying unpaid notices, the RMV could refuse to issue or renew the owner’s vehicle registration

* A municipality operating the system could designate its own employee or another chosen person as the hearing officer for appeals

* The hearing would be informal and normal rules of evidence would not apply

I support measures that actually reduce dangerous driving. But I oppose giving every city and town broad authority to create an automated ticketing system on ordinary roads—especially when tickets can start at only 5 mph over, liability initially falls on the vehicle owner and unpaid civil fines can eventually prevent registration renewal.

This is not limited to school zones, construction zones or drivers traveling at obviously reckless speeds.

Who to contact

The most important thing is to contact **your own state senator and state representative**, because legislators pay much more attention to constituents.

Find them here:

https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

Tell them clearly:

I am a constituent and I oppose S.2344, H.3754 and any substantially similar automated traffic-camera language. Please oppose advancing these bills and let me know your current position.

Senate Ways and Means

S.2344 is currently being held by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

**Committee office:**

617-722-1481

**Senator Michael Rodrigues — committee chair**

Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov

617-722-1114

Ask the committee not to release S.2344.

### Joint Committee on Transportation

H.3754 is still before the Transportation Committee.

**House Transportation office:**

617-722-2400

**Representative James Arciero — House chair**

James.Arciero@mahouse.gov

617-722-2400

**Senate Transportation office:**

617-722-1350

**Senator Brendan Crighton — Senate chair**

Brendan.Crighton@masenate.gov

617-722-1350

### For Dorchester residents in their districts

**Senator Liz Miranda** is a member of Senate Ways and Means:

Liz.Miranda@masenate.gov

617-722-1673

**Representative Christopher Worrell:**

Christopher.Worrell@mahouse.gov

617-722-2396

Even if you support cameras in limited situations, consider asking for major restrictions: school and active construction zones only, a threshold of at least 10 mph over, independent appeals, hardship protections, no registration holds and a mandatory expiration date unless the program is affirmatively renewed.

I've been using Bluebikes to cross the city for my commute recently, and while I myself haven't had any trouble, I've noticed a shockingly high rate of apparent suicidality among other cyclists. I've always known cyclists can be aggressive, but *wow*.

Don't get me wrong, I jaywalk just as aggressively as everyone else here, but there's something different about blasting through a red light on a bicycle and crossing in front of the I-93 offramp during rush hour.

So what's the deal? Do people have great life insurance, or just nothing to lose? I make great time across the city without offering myself up to the blood god.