The biker killed Monday on Comm Ave is Marlene “Marly” Pineda. Heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. This is a piece from Smith College, where she is an alumna: http://www.smith.edu/news/2009-10/pineda-216.php

The Smith community is mourning the sudden loss of alumna, record-setting athlete and former swim instructor Marlene “Marly” Pineda who died in an accident in Boston Monday, Aug. 9, according to her family.

A native of Bosque Farms, N.M., Pineda graduated in 2008 with a bachelor of arts in education and child study and, two years later, earned her master’s in exercise and sport studies.

Marly Pineda ’08 BA ’10 MS
She was in Boston working as the interim head coach at the Cambridge Master’s Swim Club and serving as a volunteer coach on the swim team at Harvard University.

“This is clearly a great loss for us all,” said Kim Bierwert, coach of the Smith swimming and diving team. “Marly was a great force in our lives and lived life to its fullest, giving much more than most people give in a lifetime let alone in 20-some-odd years. We will miss her, and she will live on in us all. Her contributions and ability to give were unmatched.”

At Smith, Pineda was a four-year member of the swimming and diving team and served as team captain during her junior and senior seasons. She was named to the New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference All-Conference first team in 2007-08 and led the Pioneers to an appearance at the NCAA championships in 2008.

At Opening Convocation in 2006, President Christ mentioned the fact that Pineda had broken two Seven Sisters swimming records at the Seven Sisters Championship. Pineda remains the Dalton Pool record holder in the 1,000- and 1,650-meter freestyle.

“She was someone who really gave back to Smith College,” said Lynn Oberbillig, director of athletics. “Swimming was always her passion, and she used that passion once her days in the pool were done to help out the swim and dive program.”

During the spring semester, Pineda taught swim conditioning while enrolled in the exercise and sport science program.

“Today we are all suffering the loss of a remarkable young woman, struck down in the prime of her life,” said Jim Johnson, a professor in the Exercise and Sport Science program. “ESS has lost a wonderful student and we mourn her loss. I want to remember her positive outlook, her smile.”

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Edit: the BPD has reported the woman, 24, died
of her injuries. http://www.bpdnews.com/2010/08/10/fatal-bicycle-accident-in-brighton/
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keep check on www.bostonbiker.org
Shane is posting updates, with photos and witness accounts

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I’ve been hearing reports of a bad bike accident, yesterday evening at the intersection of Kelton St and Comm Ave. There is nothing official yet, but you can read reports/tweets here: http://www.universalhub.com/2010/bicyclist-hit-car-brighton

From what I’ve heard, she was a 24 years old, no helmet, wearing headphones, who may have run a red light. The driver apparently had the right of way. Again, the reports are unverified.

I’ll repost with details when facts are known, but regardless of fault, this is terrible and tragic, and a reminder to ride SAFELY and remain ALERT and please pay attention to the right of way. So many cyclists don’t slow down at intersections, so many cyclists ride distracted, so many cyclists feel they are invincible — when all it can take is one incident of bad timing to take a life.

Remember Andy von Guerard who died in Newton in May zooming down a hill and running a red light.

Please be careful out there!

Hi ABbikers,

Looking for something to do this Saturday? Come down to Heter Park along the Charles River in North Allston, and join your fellow neighbors for FREE rental bikes, games, food, music, and fun.

from 10am to 2pm, Boston Bikes is going to bring their Rock Roll and Ride to our side of town, with bike maintenance, obstacle courses, guided rides along the pathways, and more. It will be a great time, and fun for all ages.

I hope to see you there!
Galen
ABbiker

The Rumors are true!  They are paiting bike boxes at the intersections down the brand-spakin’ new Comm Ave bike lane.  I caught them in the act.  Check this out:

and

The deal is bikers can pull up at the stoplight and get in front of cars.  Then when the light turns green, bikers get a head start to get themselves up to speed, and the ones that need to turn right across traffic now have a lane to do so.

Here’s an image of the Bike Box:

Bike Box on Commonwealth Ave in Boston

And here’s some description from the Public Works guy on his thoughts of the new Boxes:

This is a novel and creative approach for Boston and Bikelanes.  Will the cars stop at the first line?  Will the bikers stop at all? In time, we’ll see how Boston handles this new design concept.

Here’s a feature on myself and the JamBike from today’s Sunday Globe Magazine:

Got the beat

On his drum-equipped bike, Galen Mook, 25, will be riding Boston’s streets every day in May for National Bike Month.

By Sandra A. Miller May 2, 2010

Do biking and drumming really go together? Definitely. It’s the rhythm of the movement. I did marching band for six years in middle school and high school, and we got it drilled into our heads that you walk and play in time. So switching to a bike was a natural progression. They are similar, steady movements – the rotation of the pedals and the movement of the legs.

Our friends at Urban AdvenTours are hosting a Bike Month Kickoff party, this Sunday, 11-3, at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End.  Check the details here, but come join us for coffee and conversation, and of course bikes.

Meeting and Discussion on Tuesday, April 27, 6-8pm

Please join the Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum, Massachusetts
Department of Transportation, Boston Transportation Department,
LivableStreets, Charles River Conservancy, and your neighbors to
discuss the upcoming reconstruction of the Western Ave and River
Street bridges.

The reconstruction of these bridges is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to get the major changes that are needed for these bridges
and the area around them to be safe and welcoming for people riding
bikes. Help us make sure this project is as great as it can be!

Tuesday, April 27
6:00 – 8:00
Gardner School Auditorium, 30 Athol Street, Allston

Hello Bikers,

About a week and a half ago, the City got to striping Allston Village up and down Harvard Ave.  We now have a nice, fresh bike lane, that stretches from the southern end of Harvard Ave in Brookline (by that Staples that used to be a run-down Kung-Fu movie theater (damn you Staples…)) past Comm Ave and Brighton Ave, up to Cambridge Street. Or, just about to Cambridge Street…  I’ve taken video of the lane, which you can see below.

The lanes are great, and right in the business district of a major thoroughfare in A/B, thus they bring a great amount of bicycle awareness so drivers will expect and hopefully respect bikers in the street.  To me, that’s the big success of this style of bike lanes, making bikers feel welcome — regardless of the dangers of door zones, kamikaze pedestrians, double parkers, and cars that pull out suddenly.  Still, it brings a warm feeling to my tummy to see that white stripe with the little painted bike dude in his little painted helmet.  It makes me feel welcome on the streets, even if it doesn’t make me feel safer.  And though these lanes may not get a noticeable amount of new bikers out (Allston is seemingly already at near bike-capacity), they do show that the City is providing for a neighborhood that has an obvious need for biking infrastructure.

Well, for those who haven’t gotten to ride it yet, I attached a little camera to my stem and rode the lanes so you could get an idea of the design. And there are few interesting aspects to these lanes.  The City apparently did not want to tackle that intersection of Harvard and Cambridge, opting to have the lanes peter out at the approaches.  They’ll have to keep that spot on the map marked as a big red X until they get their acts together and figure out how to make that crossing safe.  And there are some Sharrows (arrows combined with bike-dude) when going north on Harvard Ave between Brighton Ave and Cambridge St.  And there are several places where the lines are dashed, to allow buses to pull in, and turning cars.  I guess they fit the lanes however they could, given the constraints of the street.

Check out these videos.  There are the typical problems of merging cars and potholes, but you can see for yourselves. Let me know what you think of the new lanes:

Boston puts down bike lane in Allston Village (1)

Boston puts down bike lane in Allston Village (2)

BU Bridge Evening/Overnight Bridge Closures: Sunday, 2/21/2010 through Thursday, 3/4/2010 the BU Bridge will be closed to motor vehicle traffic from 9PM to 5AM each week (Sunday to Thursday.) The upstream sidewalk will remain open during the bridge closure for bicycle and pedestrian access. For more information and updates, see link below:

http://www.eot.state.ma.us/acceleratedbridges/

Here are the results of the survey we created at the beginning of December.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you can view and take the survey here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W9GLZLY

Here’s the break-down: