Dear Mayor Wu,

My name is Charles Franklin. I am a Cambridge resident and cyclist. Although I don’t live in Boston, I cycle through it every day to work as well as to patronize Boston businesses. I recently published a video entitled “Paint Will Not Protect you.”. Although my ride home from work is the backbone of the video, its thesis is that unprotected bike lanes are ineffective and dangerous. It also shows from a first person perspective what it’s like to be hit by a car pulling into the bike lane. As of this time, two weeks after publication, it has over a quarter of a million views, about one third of which are from other countries.

I hope that you watch my video. If you don’t have time, please read the selected comments at the bottom that I think help to demonstrate my point. Many of the comments thank me for putting into a video what was in their minds, that “traffic rules and paint are just guides in Boston,” and that we can’t expect them to “prevent others from causing you harm.” Another called road biking in the US “a blood sport.” Other comments blame cyclists for not riding safely, and some berate cyclists for using the road at all stating that we are “insane” and “entitled.” One driver admitted to almost killing a child because he “was distracted while switching [his] Spotify playlist,” and yet still blamed the parents. I hope it’s satire; I fear it’s not. These are the people that we cyclists are forced to share the road with when there are no protected bike lanes, people who either don’t see us or have outright contempt for our existence.

While I appreciate your letter asserting your commitment to safer infrastructure, I still find it woefully inadequate. The time to conduct studies and engage the community is over, not because this work shouldn’t be done but because it has already been done. Those who are still calling for further study and engagement have demonstrated that no amount of study or engagement will satisfy them. Placating those who seek to maintain the status quo at the cost of the lives of others is not a worthy endeavor. Instead, please take immediate action to prevent further unnecessary deaths, starting with replacing all of the flexi-posts that were taken out by snow plows this past winter. Then unpause all safety improvement plans that have already completed their study and design phases. These are executive decisions that can be made today. There is no reason to wait.

~ Charles Jessup Franklin

Additional Selected Comments:

This video put into words why I refuse to bike in Boston despite not being able to drive. It doesn't matter how many nice bike paths there are if you have to get through "free parking" to see it
~ @padgerman

I’m convinced the US has no road laws…
~ @emsax

America is not designed for the living
~ @blumensekte

As a German who has spent years driving in Germany, I find the biggest issue with driving in the US to be the lack of awareness and the casual, ignorant mindset people adopt when traveling by car or truck.
~ @thydevdom

WHY ARE YOU NOT USING THE SIDEWALK!?
~ @callias6007

The idea you can ride a bike next to a 3,000 lb moving hunk of metal is insane as are the people who think they're entitled to do so 😂 GET OUT OF THE STREET
~ @NemoDollaz-tsc

I once rear-ended a child on a bike once because I was distracted while switching my spotify playlist. It was a traumatic experience! NO PARENTS SHOULD LET THEIR CHILD OUTSIDE ON A BIKE! My car was fine, fortunately
~ @MarchRumble

It's sometimes honestly even more upsetting seeing woefully inadequate bike infrastructure than it is to see no bike infrastructure. Like every time I see a bike just painted on a shoulder or, god forbid, just on the road as though that does anything at all it really gets to me. It's like tipping a penny; “no I didnt forget, I just don't care or respect you”
~ @noodles24601