rumrunn6

the plows will be out in force!

Matariki

Looks to be interesting for you folks up there. Be careful.

acidfast7

me!

we're expecting accumulation even:

Britons warned to take care as more wintry weather is forecast | UK news | The Guardian

Jim from Boston

Metrowest Boston, who's riding Tuesday?

I replied on the Fifty Plus Forum to this thread, ”Snow…Ugh’

Even though I’m mostly Metrocentral, I did get out during the 4+ inch snowfall on that obliterated the Jamaica Pond Bike Path on Saturday, and iced up the Riverway Path on Sunday.



My recollection of the Blizzard of '78 was that it was also preceded by a fair snowstorm that left a significant base layer to build on.

no motor?

I'd like to see pictures if any of you do get out then. We got plenty of notice here several years ago with a slightly smaller snowstorm that closed the area for a day or so, and it was kind of nice riding the storm out inside with the fridge stocked, the heat and lights on. Much nicer than digging out after it stopped snowing.

rumrunn6

well done Jim

new Mass Governor just issued a travel ban, so some companies will be closed

sing

Should be a nice easy ride getting out of downtown tonight, given a nice (northeast) tailwind. Just hope the sanding and plow truck drivers are wide awake since it's only the beginning of the storm.

As usual, the Southwest Corridor bike path was better plowed today than some of the bike lanes on the downtown streets. Thanks DCR!

sing

Jim from Boston

Monday, about 9:00 PM



Tuesday, about 4:00 PM



Went for a walk in Kenmore Square with the iconic Citgo Sign in the background (can be seen during Red Sox broadcasts). Traffic ban was in effect and Public Transit was shut down. Went to an Irish pub in the Lenox Hotel about 1.5 miles away, and my son commented this was his ideal of an Irish pub, "Warmth and hospitality on a cold winter night."

Tuesday, about 8:30 PM



Walked back home to Kenmore. Appropos of cycling, my family forbade me to ride Tuesday or Wednesday, but my winter cycling gear served me well on our walk. In particular I wore my cycling goggles with the right and left Take-a-Look eyeglass mounted mirrors to watch for upcoming snowplows; and the threadbare balaclava.

When we got home, we watched the History Channel special, "The Sons of Liberty", which focused on Boston's role as the "miscreants" who started off the American Revolution.

Wednesday, about 6:00 AM

Same street was down to salted, wet bare pavement. Subway ran fine, and my train left on time and arrived only about 10 minutes later than usual.

bruce19

Nice.

rumrunn6

ready for the next one ...

no motor?

Really? Where's all that new snow going to go when they're trying to move it out of the way? We had over 3 feet of snow here last winter and it took a long time for it all to finally melt. And that was with some of the snow being taken away in trucks.

rumrunn6

yeah too much of a good thing. just got back from dropping my son at Emerson. saw a couple guys out riding. was jealous. with traffic though and those big mounds making blind spots everywhere, it's too much of a good thing. just heard Thursday could be 6-12 w enough prolonged wind to make a blizzard.

Jim from Boston

Yesterday I posted to a Fifty-Plus thread about a planned organized ride this October:

12strings

You are making me miss Boston Big-Time! (I moved away from Boston to the mid-west in 2006)

TransitBiker

They could send the snow south in open top railcars.... would melt pretty quickly i'd imagine....

- Andy

rumrunn6

if they can get the trains running!

rumrunn6

had to get my kid back to school last night and rove to Boston. you can barely see this guy on his bike at the left side of the screen but indeed there were 2 guys out last light. the 2nd clip shows the rd conditions on the main roads Comm Ave and Boylston

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_x-...ature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBBnaj1yDyk

Jim from Boston

Hi 12strings (of Madison, IN),

Did you happen to see a post I wrote about cycling through Madison, IN? No reply necessary; just FYA (with an edit).

Coluber42

I've been out riding to my studio (Boston area - live in Medford, work in Somerville) every day, snow and all, even during the travel ban (which applied only to motorized vehicles). It's been sloppy, and often slow and a lot of work to ride through, and there's not much to lock up to if I stop for coffee, but otherwise it's really not been too bad. At least during a snow storm there's no traffic. There are plows, but it's easier to stay out of the way of a handful of plows than it is to dodge normal rush hour traffic. What with parking bans, the difficulties the transit system is having, etc, a bike is by far the most convenient way to go if you live close enough to where you're going for it to be practical.
What really sucks is how bad the sidewalks are. People and businesses aren't always equally good about clearing them, or cutting pathways to the street at the corner, or at keeping those pathways open when plows go by. And any sidewalk that abuts public land like parks, or bridges over T tracks, or various other sidewalks that don't have houses or businesses, often don't get cleared at all. I'm amazed that more pedestrians don't get hit, since they have to walk in the street and as soon as the pavement is mostly clear people go back to driving as fast as ever.

But anyway, if you want pics of snow, and biking in the snow, check out my instagram feed: Instagram

rumrunn6

awesome!

12strings

Yes, I did, sorry I didn't respond. It is a nice place to live, though riding a bike from downtown to uptown is not so fun unless you really like going uphill.

I know a life-long Madisonian in his 60's who has ridden accross the country himself, and had a daughter go to MIT. He often hosts cross-country cyclists in his home...but you said you stayed in a motel, and he would have only been around 30 in 1977.

Jim from Boston

Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall a fast downhill run apparently into the Ohio River Valley.

Immediately prior to reading your reply, I noted this zombie thread from 2012 that was reawakened just today,”1976 bike touring”, to which I had replied describing our cross-country tour:

Limpingbass

Honestly, biking has been the only thing that kept me sane throughout this commute nightmare. Delays and gridlocks everywhere. I was moving at ~6 mph on mass ave yesterday, and I was probably the fastest moving object.

buzzman

Still doing my daily commute from Newton into downtown Boston. No more bike path, too bad because I could avoid cars entirely if the path were plowed consistently. Instead it's a streets route as I make my way along all the stopped cars virtually the whole way. I don't know how the drivers can stand it. They are travelling at roughly walking speed for miles.

Coluber42

As much as the snow is a drag sometimes and is messy, nothing makes me count my lucky stars that I can get around by bike and don't own a car like snow does.
Things like watching the neighbor across the street having difficulty maneuvering a tiny Fiat out of the driveway because there's so little space with all the snow banks. Or all those times when I might be managing only 6mph through the traffic, but I'm still going 6mph faster than the cars.
And then there's the disaster that the MBTA has been. I have one friend who usually gets to work on the commuter rail followed by the subway, and it usually takes her two hours. There was one day it took her *seven* hours; the commuter rail was delayed, then the subway was delayed, so she took a bus instead to a different spot where her company had provided a shuttle bus, and then the shuttle bus got stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, trying to go a distance that most of the passengers could have walked in less time.

I'm also fortunate to live close to things and to have a lot of control over my schedule. But it seems like the only people I know who have reliable transportation and who are able to mostly go about their business as usual, are the ones who bike.