Parked cars hog the road, bicycle riders complain

Parked cars in the bike lane on Perkins Street by Jamaica Pond force riders to fend with traffic. (christina pazzanese for the boston globe)

Share the road. It's something of a cri de coeur for cyclists who demand that drivers give them the same respect - and space - as motorists enjoy. And though it's the law, divvying up the pavement doesn't always come easy for some. Just last month, Cambridge police reported that two cyclists, apparently irritated with the driver of a car that had been veering into the bike lane on Massachusetts Avenue, caught up with the vehicle, pulled out the two occupants and assaulted them, leaving one unconscious.

Though she's hardly advocating that draconian solution, tipster Margaret Livingstone tells the Globe something needs to be done about inconsiderate drivers in Jamaica Plain who are taking more than their fair share of the road.

"There are often many cars parked on Perkins St. on the north edge of Jamaica Pond in the bike lane (at either end of the legal parking region)," writes Livingstone. "This entire weekend there were at least 30 cars parked in the bike lane. I think someone should either enforce the parking restriction or take down the signs and stop pretending there is a bike lane there. I have notified the city police, who say it is a Parks Department problem, so I notified the Parks Department who said it is a State Police problem, and the State Police say they have more important things to worry about," writes Livingstone.

During a visit one hot weekday morning last week, seven vehicles were parked along sections of Perkins Street clearly marked by signs that said "No Parking Anytime." The cars partially or completely blocked the faded white lines of the bike lane, forcing riders to swing out into the busy street. But to be fair, the bike lane was hard to see in parts and both cyclists and drivers would have benefited from having "Bike Lane" painted in bold letters somewhere as a reminder.

The tug of war between cars and bicycles isn't likely to abate anytime soon as the first official bike lane on city-owned streets is slated to open in July along Commonwealth Avenue between the Boston University Bridge and Kenmore Square. Plans are also underway to put bike lanes on stretches of Mass. Ave. between Back Bay and the South End, on Tremont Street by Boston Common, and on the newly refurbished American Legion Highway in Dorchester and Roslindale.

The state responds
Though Jamaica Pond and the surrounding park land are city of Boston property, the nearby roads belong to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. Officers from the State Police barracks at Leverett Circle in Boston are responsible for patrolling the roads by the pond, said spokesman Lieutenant Eric Anderson.

Lieutenant James Jones, commander of the Boston barracks, said troopers do regularly patrol the Jamaica Pond area and tag at least one or two vehicles a day for parking in bike lanes. Jones said cars are also often parked illegally at the rotary opposite the pond along the Jamaicaway despite signs saying "No Parking." But unfortunately, it appears the scofflaws remain undeterred. "I myself have tagged a car there and it doesn't make a difference," he said. After GlobeWatch called, Jones said he sent a trooper to Perkins Street last Wednesday afternoon who found five cars parked in the bike lane there and issued $25 tickets to each. Officers will keep a closer watch there, said Jones.

As for restriping the Perkins Street bike lane, DCR spokeswoman Lisa Capone said that it was "not immediately on the to-do list," but that the department would look into it in the next few weeks.

WHO'S IN CHARGE
Lieutenant James Jones
Massachusetts State Police
Troop H-4
250 Leverett Circle
Boston, MA 02114
617-727-6780