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MassDOT Delaying Removal Of Safety Posts Protecting Bike Lanes On Longfellow Bridge

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- State transportation officials said Sunday they will delay removing safety posts that protect bicycle lanes along the Longfellow Bridge.

The posts were set to come down this weekend – a move to help plow crews clear the roads during the winter.

Many bicyclists are calling on the state to keep the flex posts up year-round, telling WBZ-TV that it can be dangerous navigating the roadways without them.

longfellow bridge bike lanes
A bike lane protected by safety posts on the Longfellow Bridge (WBZ-TV)

"If you remove the flex posts, then you create a very dangerous environment where you have cars and trucks going 40-50 miles per hour right next to bicyclists trying to get to work or school," said Nathanael Fillmore of Cambridge Bicycle Safety.

The plastic bollards were installed in the spring to create a barrier between bicyclists and fast-moving cars. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation had plans to remove the posts this weekend to make way for snow removal this winter before receiving push-back from bicyclists.

"Given that there are no winter weather events in the immediate forecast, MassDOT has made the decision not to remove the bicycle lane flex posts on the Longfellow Bridge this weekend so that it can continue evaluating the stakeholder feedback it has received on the topic," MassDOT spokesman Patrick Marvin said in a statement.

Fillmore says he, and others, will continue to push to keep the bollards up year-round – adding that everyone should be protected on the roadways.

nathanael bicycle
Nathanael Fillmore of Cambridge Bicycle Safety (WBZ-TV)

"We need to be safe. Everybody needs to be safe on the roads and that includes bicyclists," Fillmore said.

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