According to a recent news article from Wicked Local Cambridge, a new, two-direction bike lanes program on Brattle Street in Harvard Square is leading to some major disagreements between business owners and cyclists. The bike lanes are a new design that places two bike lanes closest to the curb and sidewalk along Brattle Street.
This design is very different from existing bike lanes in other areas. The first thing that distinguishes it is that it is a protected bike lane. This means that there is a painted divider between the lane intended for vehicle traffic and the bike lanes with plastic poles installed on the painted divider to serve as a physical barrier. This is not an impenetrable barrier like a Jersey barrier as they are designed to brake away, but it would make cars much more likely to keep their distance than if the divider was not present. Continue reading
One of these claims by the surviving spouse is known as loss of consortium. This law, which has been applied in various other states, was addressed in a landmark case in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts entitled 
Decades ago, bikes were pretty much considered something that only kids used. Yes, there were those who raced road bikes, and there were famous races in Europe such as the Tour de France, but they were nowhere near as popular as they are today. The idea of someone choosing to ride a bike to work was basically unheard of on a larger scale because America was in love with automobiles, and those who did not drive a personal vehicle took a bus, commuter rail rain or rode the T to work in Boston. 
However, as we have more people on bikes, we are seeing more serious, and sometimes fatal, bike crashes involving a collision between a bike and motor vehicle. While we are going to talk about a ways biking can be made safer, as well as things bike riders can do to avoid a collision, it is important to understand that, despite the fact that many motorists, and even police, like to assume the bike rider is at fault, the reality of most of these situations is quite different. 
Another reason more people are riding bikes is because it is much better for the environment than driving or even using public transportation such as the T. It is also a lot more cost effective once you foot the bill for the bike itself. You no longer have gas to buy, and, for most people, you don’t need a $6,000 bike ready for the Tour de France. 
As this point, you have basically two choices. The first choice is that you can swerve to avoid the door and possibly crash into another car and be seriously injured, or you can try to stop in time, but will likely end up crashing into the open door. None of these choices is a good option. But the occupant of the car didn’t give you any choice.