Boston after snowfall - a giant middle finger to all cyclists and pedestrians

Who's afraid of the big, bad snow? Boston's Department of Public Works, for sure! This happens pretty much every winter season - when it comes to plowing, traffic lanes get priority while many sidewalks and bike lanes remain forgotten for weeks... waiting for spring to come and snow to melt.

The situation is not pretty as many excellent examples found on Twitter show. What can we learn from it?

Create a free storage space and it will get filled. Sometimes you may wonder how many cars parked in on-street spots in Boston get used on daily basis. Normally, it's not easy to figure that out without careful observation, but snowfall makes it easy:

The main excuse is that people don’t ride bikes during winter and #bikelanes are unnecessary. Cars are parked in our streets for days, some for weeks & months, because we have created spaces for cars. So our City must keep investing in safe walking & cycling infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/e9z1nMx8TG

— Ydanis Rodriguez (@ydanis) January 7, 2018

Apparently, it's more than you may think. Many cars don't get moved everyday. They just park there for days, occupying expensive street real estate that could be used by others.

Walked some residential streets in Boston today and four full days after the snowstorm <40% of the cars/on street parking spots I saw had been dug out

— Ryan Cullen (@transporyan) January 8, 2018

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Bike lanes are excellent... for storing snow. Everyone was so excited in the summer when new bike lanes were built in Boston. Unfortunately, half a year later we can clearly see what this space is best used for - snow storage. It's just seems so easy to push all the snow away from the street and parking spaces into bike lanes. No one uses them anyway, right?

Mass Ave from the Bridge through Back Bay: snow clearance from the #VisionZero protected bike lane was non-existent. Cars parked in bike lane all along corridor. Only space for people to bike was travel lane with impatient drivers. @BOS311 @BostonPWD @marty_walsh pic.twitter.com/bAciZG1NvX

— BostonCyclistsUnion (@bostonbikeunion) January 8, 2018

And even if you wanted to, you'd better learn how to ride your bike on top of a giant snow bank:

Oh, Boston. You continue to communicate that your commitment to cycling is…superficial, at best. Is cycling *really* a valid mode of transportation? If so, will you treat it on a par with driving? #snow #bike #DoBetter@rightlegpegged @BostonBTD @bostonbikeunion @bikeboston pic.twitter.com/AGM6ZFzgbg

— Steve H (@just_steve_h) January 8, 2018

But at least it seems that DPW has a sense of humor, requiring cyclists to ride in the bike lane buried in snow:

Dear @BostonBTD: If you're going to completely plow under and prevent access to your new Comm Ave bike lane, you could at LEAST have the decency to TURN OFF THE SIGN TELLING CYCLISTS TO USE THE BIKE LANE!

Thank you.@rightlegpegged @bostonbikeunion @bikeboston @universalhub pic.twitter.com/KeN8Mq8AOZ

— Steve H (@just_steve_h) January 9, 2018

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Safe route to school is best taken in snowshoes and traction cleats. Otherwise, how do you expect your kids to cross huge snow piles and not break their legs on patches of ice?

When you have to walk in street because snow that was plowed covers the side walk....#Safe Routes to School pic.twitter.com/lHREywUWL6

— Yvonne Ramirez (@YvonneR45449275) January 8, 2018

Parents in Boston (and elsewhere) are using the hashtag #snowroutestoschool to highlight their struggles with impassable snow-covered sidewalks this week (HT @CoachBalto) pic.twitter.com/IpggBOREF0

— Streetsblog USA (@StreetsblogUSA) January 9, 2018

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If you want a snow-free sidewalk, shovel it yourself. Don't count on DPW even though it's their job.

Spent a few minutes clearing the bike path crossing and crosswalks at Mass Ave and Cedar because it was unacceptably impassable. Now it’s ready for the Monday am commute! pic.twitter.com/GTjyzczL7S

— Colin Durrant (@bikinginorange) January 7, 2018

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Walk in the street just remember that "cars are going to hit you". At least that's what our mayor said. Considering how Boston treats its sidewalks, I'm guessing that "may use full lane" should apply also to pedestrians.

. @BOS311 corner of Mass and a Tremont Streets, no access to crosswalks in front of Dunkin Donuts but for a single path to Mass Ave the width of a human foot. Pedestrians and wheelchairs using street. pic.twitter.com/V3w2NNEYpY

— Maria Dee (@furious02118mom) January 8, 2018

@MassDCR, why is the Mass Ave bridge ramp in such dangerous condition? This is listed as Priority 1 for snow removal. @StreetsBoston @WalkBoston pic.twitter.com/DVZuLFK5Wa

— Jeff Gang 🌹 (@jeff_gang) January 9, 2018

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That's all folks. Welcome to the city of "a car guy"!