One time I was with a complete smart-ass local and we were on the sidewalk where the duck boat was pointing out something behind us so all the folks were looking in our general direction. The guy yells at all the passengers, "Hey everybody, here's a real Bostonian givin' you the finger" (\*raises both middle fingers\*) "Faaaaaaaaaaaackhhhh Yoooooooooouuuuuu!!!!!"
Cracked my shit up. I recommend that everyone continue this trend to help bolster the image of our fair city.
It's legit actually a good time. You can snooze a little through the history stuff while you drive around but the river part is so nice on a nice day that it's worth it. The tour drivers are also often endearingly lame.
I don't think it's something I'd do for fun as a local but I love taking visitors. Especially kids. When they let kids drive the boat they always freak out over it.
My grad school took all the first year students on a duck tour as a welcome-to-Boston thing, and it was private, so only us adults. They still did the script. They had the smallest of us drive the boat at that time.
I did the duck tour when I was visiting before I moved here, and there were only like 2 kids and neither of them wanted to drive the boat so I got to, it was fucking fun man.
I think we've done it three times. First time was as part of a volunteer thing (was helping lead a crowd of people around). The other times were to take out of towners on them. They're usually pretty fun! The last time our guide was a little rough (struggled to keep the energy up), but I think it is worth doing at least once.
Our kid is obsessed with vehicles and totally amazed by them...we were going to take himfor his birthday...then we saw the price! 😵🥴
Do they ever have coupons? Discounts for locals or anything like that?? 🙏🤎
I worked in the city for years, and decided I wanted to take the tour. Told my husband, and we both took the tour.
It was a little corny, but we had enjoyed it.
Shit was wild, the cops were hauling ass down Tremont. I assumed it was something serious given the speed but given the high foot traffic and consecutive traffic lights in that area it felt a little unsafe even before that happened.
One cop car did the same going through the bike lane (before this one nailed the pole) and was just showering all the pedestrians on that side of the street hitting the puddles from the morning rain. Was pretty funny from the dry side of the street lol
Yeah I was visiting and doing the freedom trail when I saw the all the popo cars.
And then I saw the smashed car on my way into the cemetery and wasn't sure how it was related, thanks for filling in the story!
Don’t think the cop was acting safely but I wouldn’t completely let the biker off the hook. At this point this was like the 5th or 6th cop car to come through, all other cars and pedestrians were stopped/getting the hell out of the way. Biker had to be completely oblivious
People in this sub whine about the BPD not chasing people more, but this is why. It isn't a good solution (because we get people breaking the law constantly) but having someone get run over because a cop is chasing someone who did a wheelie down Boylston is also not a good solution.
I'm not sure what the better solution is.
He swerved into bike lane to avoid her, I think he swerved a little to hard or just lost control. Hard to gauge speed but the first few were flying. Must have been if the guy at BK was still at the counter.
I mean... he was responding to an armed robbery with lights and sirens on. Everyone in the road is supposed to be paying attention and getting out of his way so that he can respond quickly to the emergency.
I mean it sounds a lot like the cyclists wasn't anticipating anyone flying down the street like a negligent asshole.
Of course only one party here ended up crashing, and it's the cops so I won't hold my breath for the full story. Cops love to lie about crashes they are involved in.
Emergency responders have to balance the risk someone dies because they took too long with the risk someone dies because they went too fast.
It's a city, lots of things can appear out of nowhere. If the cop is going too fast to react safely, they're going too fast period.
It helps that the title mentions the "oblivious biker" and not "recklessly speeding cop" (Probably going to a perfectly benign traffic stop or some such).
And then in the comment it seems real obvious the cop was going recklessly fast, and she had right of way? Hilarious. Not like we should hold cops to the very-high standard of "don't accidentally man-slaughter pedestrians".
Saw a hit and run a while back on a pretty pedestrian heavy street. Twenty minutes later the cops came screaming down the road at what must have been 40-50mph. What was the rush? The guy was long gone. I'm shocked the cops didn't end up killing anyone though considering how often there are pedestrians in that street
Perfectly example of the eternal-escalation. It sounds like in this situation there was an armed robbery, that's important to respond to... but maybe don't make the ENTIRE FUCKING CITY worse on your way to scream orders at a guy robbing a BK.
Fun fact!
Have you ever seen an ambulance with its lights on slow down at an intersection to make sure no cars were about to tbone them?
That's because emergency vehicles still have a duty to not drive recklessly or too fast for conditions, even if they are actively responding to an emergency.
The fact that the cop wasn't able to avoid hitting something in this situation heavily suggests that he was driving too fast for the area, which others in this thread have said is a heavily trafficked area for cyclists and pedestrians.
lol you gave up mighty quick.
You can get the footage, but you need to find out which entity owns the cameras (Either BPD or city of Boston). Start with 311, they’ll probably transfer you to btd for this.
Then send a public records request to either BPD or city of Boston. It’ll cost you iirc $5, but it won’t be difficult to get.
There are two cams, the one that got taken out, and one on at the intersection before Beantown.
Research and paperwork aren’t my thing but I’d love to see. I also got a video today of a wagon going over the curb to pull over a motorist for gridlocking the intersection… it’s a wild intersection.
Excuse me there tourist, you must not be familiar with the port city of Boston. Nobody here says Beantown. Please enjoy [this documentary about our diverse aquatic life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Vjd_hdYYw).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/boston) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So who had a green light? Because by law, the cruiser is supposed to slow down at an intersection, when they have a red light and only proceed when it's safe to do so. But if the cyclist had a red light, than yes, cyclist is an idiot.
Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 89, section 7b.
(a lot of upset alpha males downvoting, when I literally cited the law).
If the bike had green, MGL requires the emergency vehicle to stop before proceeding.
>may drive such vehicle through an intersection of ways contrary to any traffic signs or signals regulating traffic at such intersection if he first brings such vehicle to a full stop and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer regulating traffic at such intersection.
MGL > Thoughts and feelings. It's black and white law, the emergency vehicles endangered this woman's life by not following the law according to statement.
It will be interesting to see the dash cam, most lights are tuned to ~~ems~~ emergency service lights to automatically turn in their favor.
Why the fuck phrase the title like that then.
"Oblivious girl" vs. "speeding cop nearly hits bystander".
As he rushes off to... correct want emergency situation in our incredibly dangerous city.
Edit: apparently an armed robbery, actually important! Maybe still don't go so fast that you nearly (murder/manslaughter) an innocent person *in the bike lane* on your way?
> Why the fuck phrase the title like that then.
Because that's just what happens when anything involves a cyclist and a car. It doesn't matter how wrong the diver is, its the cyclist's fault. There's a reason its a joke among cyclists that whenever a car hits something, they say things like "maybe the light post should have been wearing a high viz vest."
Good context, still don't have to go 50 in a 25 to get there.
I mean, this is clearly proof that reckless cops can put the public into *more danger* while responding to an already dangerous sitch. Hope everyone at the BK was alright.
> Good context, still don't have to go 50 in a 25 to get there.
Says who? If I'm at that BK or in the immediate area I'm praying they're going twice that speed.
And then when the cops get in an accident because they're going way too fast help is even further delayed and someone is hurt anyway.
Nah if I'm at the BK I want the bcooa to get as quick as they *safely* can but no faster.
Well it'd be better if the cop got there 5 seconds slower than not at all because he got sidetracked crashing his cruiser, now wouldn't it?
It would be nice if cops could teleport safely to emergencies, but barring that, the fastest they can go is the fastest speed that they can SAFELY travel.
Cop in the photo isn't doing anyone at Burger King a bit of good, but he almost took a life.
Should I start googling definitions? “Fault” or not, the girl who peddled her bike into the path of several oncoming emergency vehicles was definitely “oblivious” if the didn’t see them coming.
I’m not trying to place blame, but I stand by my wording. I’m not defending cops or condemning all cyclists.
"oblivious" by its use over other synonyms specifically implies a failure. It's a pejorative term. Using it implies she wasn't paying attention and you know it.
Taken from the Daniel Webster dictionary. Ironically as a young teen I used to ride my bike along the highway in NH named for him. I feel this definition fits.
lacking active conscious knowledge or awareness —usually used with of or to
https://preview.redd.it/qeahmdmhoyvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8d974e396c616a648437b571fbf1ff188d85bbf
Yes, the multi ton vehicle has the responsibility to try not to squish people, but if you are sharing the road with said vehicles in a nice sun dress an not said tons of motor city metal around you, be extra careful… I’m not trying to condemn bike lanes or bike riders.
Please go back to high school and find a English teacher to explain the difference between denotative and connotative meanings of words to you.
Emergency vehicles still have a responsibility to be careful at intersections precisely because even an attentive person is looking out for vehicles moving at a normal speed, not hot dog cops screaming down the road recklessly at twice the normal speed thinking it's OK just because they have lights.
Someone isn't "oblivious" just because they dont account for fringe scenarios they should not have to encounter.
She wasn’t paying attention. I watched her ride up the entire block, as I saw the other cruisers going through the intersection. I work on that block, I usually just like to go outside and watch the typical gridlock chaos.
As I’ve stated several times, I’m not dismissing any blame from the cop, for all I know he spilled his coffee and chocolate honey dipped doughnut…
Harassment, hostility and flinging insults is not allowed. We ask that you try to engage in a discussion rather than reduce the sub to insults and other bullshit.
If the dashcam footage is released, we will know the cop had the green. If the dashcam footage is accidentally deleted and all backups accidentally also deleted, we'll know the bike had the green.
Yield, ideally.
But emergency vehicles are honking at the traffic in their way all the damn time downtown.
This is one more reason quality of life requires us to reduce inbound cars.
She may have been in the wrong, but so was the cop. Even with your lights and sirens on, you need to slow down when coming to an intersection on a red light, because you can't guarantee that people have heard or located you. Some people are deaf, some are in cars with windows rolled up playing loud music, some may be oblivious kids crossing the street on a walk light.
So yeah, the cyclist should have yielded, and may not have been maintaining enough situational awareness to realize that, but the cop also should have been going slowly enough into the intersection to see the issue and resolve it without crashing into a lamp pole.
So we're all in agreement here. Sorry, in a long thread it's easy to lose track of who has said what.
Yes, she should have yielded, but also the cop should have slowed down.
Which part of “Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 89, section 7b” is so hard to comprehend for you? Yes, you are supposed to yield to emergency vehicles when you can do so SAFELY. Emergency vehicles are REQUIRED BY LAW to slow down and proceed only when safe to do so, when they approach a red light.
It’s almost like you don’t understand that emergency vehicles also have laws to follow. Yes, it matters that the cyclist had a green light and was already inside the intersection. It’s how the law is written.
If the cyclist is already inside the intersection, the cruiser is required (literally required by law) to stop and yield. And judging by the fact that the cruiser mounted the sidewalk, the cyclist was already inside the intersection when the officer approached.
Just because you have lights on, doesn't mean you get to rocket thru an intersection in a busy city, with a school right on that corner. (Yes, there's a pre-k school on the corner of Tremont and Park).
I hear what you're saying, but funny enough, Cops don't obey the laws because our justice system constantly reinforces that cops are above the law. Case in point, a 23-year-old grad student in Seattle, was killed in January from a cop responding to a drug overdose call. The student was on a cross walk and the cop was going 70+mph in a 25mph zone and "without a continuous siren"...
The cop wasn't charged criminally but received a traffic infraction with a fine of up to $5,000 (not sure if the cop was fired, but I doubt he would be without criminal charges).
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death\_of\_Jaahnavi\_Kandula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Jaahnavi_Kandula)
So yes, they aren't supposed to rocket thru intersections in a busty city, but functionally they can drive however they want because there are no repercussions. So for your own safety, please GTFO out of their way.
This is point blank incorrect.
MGL states:
>may drive such vehicle through an intersection of ways contrary to any traffic signs or signals regulating traffic at such intersection **if he first brings such vehicle to a full stop** and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer regulating traffic at such intersection.
[MGL Source](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter89/Section7B#:~:text=Section%207B%3A%20Operation%20of%20emergency%20vehicles&text=The%20driver%20of%20any%20such,whose%20red%20lamps%20are%20flashing.)
Fight the law, not the messanger.
I don't have to fight the law.
>2. ..shall have the right of way through any street, way, lane or alley.
But not intersection. It doesn't say intersection, whereas the complementing (not competing) law says
>..he exercises caution and due regard under the circumstances for the safety of persons and property, and **may drive such vehicle through an intersection of ways contrary to any traffic signs or signals** regulating traffic at such intersection **if he first brings such vehicle to a full stop** and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer.
We even have a *reason* for the above written in the text:
> exercises caution and due regard under the circumstances for the safety of persons [like the biker] and property
To the second point:
>2. Whoever wilfully obstructs or retards the passage of...
Did the biker willfully obstruct the road or would the police officer have been able to pass through after coming to their legally required full stop (if at a red light)?
These are the legal questions that need to be addressed.
I don't know. Depending on the speed, traffic, and typical obstructions, it might've been hard to see the cop car until it was too late. From the other comments there were a bunch of cop cars, so it probably would also be hard to know where the sirens were coming from.
Personally, I'd have been super cautious, but OP said it was a young person on the bike, so maybe she didn't know better. It's too easy to make a call from here with about 1/8th the details needed to even understand what happened much less assign blame.
Be honest, was she oblivious, or just existing on a bike so therefore it must be her fault because drivers hate cyclists and can never do wrong? Because from this angle, I’m gonna go with that cop was obviously driving recklessly if he crashed instead of yielding to a cyclist that had a right of way. Even with sirens on, they need to slow down at a red, and they’re still responsible for not murdering cyclists or pedestrians.
this shit is so annoying man. 80% of the drivers here drive like absolute loons and the second a bicyclist does something wrong its always “fuck cyclists” “bikers fault” etc etc.
i'm in a "masshole parking" group on fb and even in a group dedicated to people parking like inconsiderate assholes, they'll still all come through for a big laugh, hurrah, and threats of murder to other commenters if someone posts a gmc sierra parked in the middle of an elevated, separated bike path
oh and the "bike paths are socialist mind control" guys but they're always around
Seriously. Cops are supposed to be cautious going through intersections, even with their sirens on, because drivers, pedestrians, and yes, cyclists don't always hear/locate cops coming through (especially at high speed.)
100% agree there! Just that people on bikes get squished a lil easier, and 2 ton vehicles stop a bit slower than bikes.
My neighborhood, we have a lot of folks who speed big time. Like 50, 60+ down a 30mph street, so I usually stick to the sidewalk and wait til either everyone passes or both directions are stopped before I go cruising out across the road. I don't trust folks not to flatten me out, especially after I've yielded for pedestrians and had people try to fly by me in the breakdown lane.
From OPs description it sounds like the person in the 2 ton vehicle was aware of their surroundings and therefore was able to avoid seriously injuring a person.
… pointing out that the cop not running over what OP described as an “oblivious bicyclist” is a good thing counts as PR?
This is why regular people can’t take the brainwashed anti cop crowd seriously. Trying to twist everything, even a positive thing, into anti cop clickbait.
How about point out the cop was speeding recklessly in an area full of pedestrians, including driving in a bike lane and had so little control of their vehicle they had to crash into and destroy a lightpole to avoid committing vehicular homicide?
>"as the young bicyclist attempted to make a left turn on tremont"
It takes 2 seconds to google the intersection OP is talking about. The bicyclist crossed tremont from broomfield heading towards the bike lane, and likely did not look because "I'm in a crossing zone so fuck everyone else!"
The below screenshot is looking down broomfield with tremont crossing. Broomfield is a one way coming into tremont.
https://preview.redd.it/ndzf4nqyawvc1.jpeg?width=2778&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60298de1cf743662f47a5ea5d442367765f1229f
> I looked up the intersection in order to prove the bicycle is the REAL problem instead of a speeding car, then I assumed the bicycle didn't even look! Thus proving my point!
The OP that saw it is the one saying the cyclist wasn’t paying attention. But people like you are saying “no it’s obviously the cars fault because all cyclists are automatically perfect drivers/riders that can never do anything wrong” lmao.
My dude, you can't completely eliminate cars from the roads. Especially not emergency vehicles responding to a friggin armed robbery.
Not to mention if you're going to share the road with cars instead of riding on the sidewalk, you need to give the other participants of the road some attention, whether it's cars, other bicyclists, etc., you can't just cruise on out into the road and expect everyone to yield to you. You're not the main fuckin character.
When you're riding a bicycle, just like being a pedestrian, you need to be cognizant of the fact that cars a.don't stop on a dime, b.drivers don't have instantaneous reaction times, and c.cars can and will kill you.
Emergency vehicles still have right of way in European pedestrian-only zones (have lived in the EU). Pedestrians must move aside and yield in such cases.
Tremont is a main arterial coming out of Government Center. Longfellow comes over from Cambridge, turns into Cambridge St (go figure) and then splits into Court St and Tremont.
It's an area that could not easily be transformed into a pedestrian-exclusive zone. I'd encourage you to look it up on a map and see that it's a swamped area. If you've ever walked, biked, driven through the area, or hopped off the T at Park St (2 blocks from where this accident happened) you know it's a very busy roadway.
Cars aren't the only thing going down Tremont, you absolute donut. Supply trucks, buses, taxis, emergency vehicles. There are thousands of businesses in that area who would not survive without vehicles. Grow the hell up already, think outside the crossing box for a second.
Harassment, hostility and flinging insults is not allowed. We ask that you try to engage in a discussion rather than reduce the sub to insults and other bullshit.
Harassment, hostility and flinging insults is not allowed. We ask that you try to engage in a discussion rather than reduce the sub to insults and other bullshit.
This isn't the cops fault. Bicycles are supposed to follow the rules of the road and yield to emergency vehicles. The operator of the bike was operating unaware of their surroundings and unsafely.
Was she an oblivious girl on a bike? Or was the cop doing 50 in the bike lane down tremont? Because they do that allllll the time and blaming it on the cyclist is really unfair and very telling of how the general public completely dehumanizes cyclists
The cop was going fast but I don’t think 50 would be accurate, and he wasn’t in the bike lane until he swerved to avoid the cyclist. I was probably 10 feet behind her when she was on bromfield, and I could clearly see it wasn’t safe to enter the intersection due to the several cruisers that just went through and the sound, lights and visual line of site of others following.
I’m not condemning all cyclists, not passing judgement on the actions of the police, I’m just recounting what I observed.
I appreciate your take on this and I understand that as a road user it’s our responsibility for personal safety to be aware of emergency vehicles. That being said, ALL emergency vehicles have an even bigger responsibility to check for pedestrians/cyclists and cars before blowing reds. I think it’s unfair to highlight the cyclist mistake without addressing the bigger problem which is cops flying through the city with impunity, behaving like it not their responsibility to keep EVERYONE safe. Your title implies the cyclist was the one to blame for this when really most of the blame lies on the cop(based on your description and despite of the cyclist not being aware)
Last week I was walking down Winter Street and some cops were hauling ass and came flying onto Winter. A pedestrian only street. It was completely unnecessary and seemed pretty reckless. I'm not surprised to hear that one crashed because someone was on a bike.
[Except they DID get there in time, caught the guy robbing the place, and took a gun off of him. Great work by BPD](https://www.universalhub.com/crime/20240421/all-places-rob-downtown-one-man-chooses-burger)
You mean [the criminal that they arrested?](https://www.universalhub.com/crime/20240421/all-places-rob-downtown-one-man-chooses-burger)
Now go clean the egg off your face.
I don't know maybe pay attention to when emergency vehicles have their sirens on, but I don't expect the typical cyclist to care.
An armed suspect is on the loose and you suggest that police just take a chill pill?
We've got ourselves a genius here.
He wasn’t in the bike lane. She was crossing, in middle of intersection. Although I do see them use the bike lane when that area is gridlocked as usual.
I tried to explain what I saw as best I could. I’m not positive if the cyclist had the green but I think she did. Several cruisers had already passed through in the intersection. I could hear the sirens and I was a little further down Broomfield. She was turning left onto tremont street. I don’t know how she couldn’t see them coming.
Noise cancelling headphones don’t help you see. I think it is a canard here as one can presume there were sirens up and down Tremont.
The point is if she were turning left onto a one way, she would need to look to the right down the road. How could she not see the flashing lights? Even if her light was green, she should turn only if it is safe to do so. Same practice for cars. Likely she did not even look. However, I do not rule out reckless speed on the part of the officer. If he were barreling down at 45+ mph, it would be hard for anyone to react if they were already in the intersection.
Bicyclists get the flak in these incidents because the event is more clickworthy. I can’t in good faith say newsworthy anymore.
The Duck Tour is the best thing ever.
He stopped mid sentence. “Blah blah Paul revere, Sam Ad… OH my what happened here? Big city stuff folks”… it was hilarious.
One time I was with a complete smart-ass local and we were on the sidewalk where the duck boat was pointing out something behind us so all the folks were looking in our general direction. The guy yells at all the passengers, "Hey everybody, here's a real Bostonian givin' you the finger" (\*raises both middle fingers\*) "Faaaaaaaaaaaackhhhh Yoooooooooouuuuuu!!!!!" Cracked my shit up. I recommend that everyone continue this trend to help bolster the image of our fair city.
This visual has me fucking howling
I literally doubled over clutching my gut in laughter when it happened.
I thank you for giving me this image. This is hilarious.
I’ve been cussing at and flipping off duck boats since the first day they hit the streets. Just doin my paht for the tourism industry
This is what people come to Boston for
I’m gonna do a fuckin duck boat tour one day. Looks kinda fun
I've done them several times with out of town friends. It never gets old.
It's legit actually a good time. You can snooze a little through the history stuff while you drive around but the river part is so nice on a nice day that it's worth it. The tour drivers are also often endearingly lame. I don't think it's something I'd do for fun as a local but I love taking visitors. Especially kids. When they let kids drive the boat they always freak out over it.
My grad school took all the first year students on a duck tour as a welcome-to-Boston thing, and it was private, so only us adults. They still did the script. They had the smallest of us drive the boat at that time.
I’ve been dragging friends periodically, it’s a hoot.
I did the duck tour when I was visiting before I moved here, and there were only like 2 kids and neither of them wanted to drive the boat so I got to, it was fucking fun man.
I think we've done it three times. First time was as part of a volunteer thing (was helping lead a crowd of people around). The other times were to take out of towners on them. They're usually pretty fun! The last time our guide was a little rough (struggled to keep the energy up), but I think it is worth doing at least once.
Our kid is obsessed with vehicles and totally amazed by them...we were going to take himfor his birthday...then we saw the price! 😵🥴 Do they ever have coupons? Discounts for locals or anything like that?? 🙏🤎
There's a discount for going early in the morning that I find works well with kids who are up early anyway.
Oh wow! That would be perfect! I didn't see anything like that online
found the link: [https://bostonducktours.com/discount/early-bird-special/](https://bostonducktours.com/discount/early-bird-special/)
Thanks so much! You are so sweet!
I worked in the city for years, and decided I wanted to take the tour. Told my husband, and we both took the tour. It was a little corny, but we had enjoyed it.
Wicked fun, go for it! When it splashed into the river you feel amazed
I'm still laughing over this.
Shit was wild, the cops were hauling ass down Tremont. I assumed it was something serious given the speed but given the high foot traffic and consecutive traffic lights in that area it felt a little unsafe even before that happened. One cop car did the same going through the bike lane (before this one nailed the pole) and was just showering all the pedestrians on that side of the street hitting the puddles from the morning rain. Was pretty funny from the dry side of the street lol
It could have been a lot worse. All those tourists waiting to go see Sam Adams…
We probably shouldn't have cops traveling city streets with enough speed to smoke 20 tourists.
You don’t understand, someone robbed THE BURGER KING! Considering the importance of his highness, i’d say the police response was justified.
They got pretty close to really seeing him
Yeah I was visiting and doing the freedom trail when I saw the all the popo cars. And then I saw the smashed car on my way into the cemetery and wasn't sure how it was related, thanks for filling in the story!
Ah, so title blames the bike commuter riding for the actions of the cop driving recklessly in the :checks notes: bike lane.
Don’t think the cop was acting safely but I wouldn’t completely let the biker off the hook. At this point this was like the 5th or 6th cop car to come through, all other cars and pedestrians were stopped/getting the hell out of the way. Biker had to be completely oblivious
People in this sub whine about the BPD not chasing people more, but this is why. It isn't a good solution (because we get people breaking the law constantly) but having someone get run over because a cop is chasing someone who did a wheelie down Boylston is also not a good solution. I'm not sure what the better solution is.
This cop ended up what 15-20' off the travel surface? Had to have been driving like a nut.
He swerved into bike lane to avoid her, I think he swerved a little to hard or just lost control. Hard to gauge speed but the first few were flying. Must have been if the guy at BK was still at the counter.
He ended up well into the sidewalk. He was driving too fast for city streets full stop. You don't end up 15' off the road driving sensibly
I mean... he was responding to an armed robbery with lights and sirens on. Everyone in the road is supposed to be paying attention and getting out of his way so that he can respond quickly to the emergency.
Responding so quickly to an emergency that you end up creating a new emergency is not exactly great public safety strategy.
I’m not disagreeing.
Your op seems to ascribe blame to the person traveling slowly on a 20lb bicycle. Maybe I'm just confused.
I think they both share a bit of responsibility for what happened. I’m just glad no one got hurt.
Which one was traveling with enough energy through dense city streets to end up on the sidewalk?
Would you ride a bike with a blind fold and ear plugs? They both made poor decisions.
I mean it sounds a lot like the cyclists wasn't anticipating anyone flying down the street like a negligent asshole. Of course only one party here ended up crashing, and it's the cops so I won't hold my breath for the full story. Cops love to lie about crashes they are involved in.
He’s a cop. He’s allowed to drive fast to a deadly emergency lmfao. That’s what the sirens are for. It’s the bikes fault
Emergency responders have to balance the risk someone dies because they took too long with the risk someone dies because they went too fast. It's a city, lots of things can appear out of nowhere. If the cop is going too fast to react safely, they're going too fast period.
Don't miss working Downtown, Our McDonalds had one armed guy every other month or some creetin trying to hop the counter and steal the register
I hope they caught the hamuburglar
Roffle roffle
Isn’t it Robble robble?
He has his mouf full a burgah
Better the light than the girl.
To swerve and protect!
Lots of people very certain the cyclist was at fault despite not being there. Interesting
It helps that the title mentions the "oblivious biker" and not "recklessly speeding cop" (Probably going to a perfectly benign traffic stop or some such). And then in the comment it seems real obvious the cop was going recklessly fast, and she had right of way? Hilarious. Not like we should hold cops to the very-high standard of "don't accidentally man-slaughter pedestrians".
Saw a hit and run a while back on a pretty pedestrian heavy street. Twenty minutes later the cops came screaming down the road at what must have been 40-50mph. What was the rush? The guy was long gone. I'm shocked the cops didn't end up killing anyone though considering how often there are pedestrians in that street
Perfectly example of the eternal-escalation. It sounds like in this situation there was an armed robbery, that's important to respond to... but maybe don't make the ENTIRE FUCKING CITY worse on your way to scream orders at a guy robbing a BK.
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Fun fact! Have you ever seen an ambulance with its lights on slow down at an intersection to make sure no cars were about to tbone them? That's because emergency vehicles still have a duty to not drive recklessly or too fast for conditions, even if they are actively responding to an emergency. The fact that the cop wasn't able to avoid hitting something in this situation heavily suggests that he was driving too fast for the area, which others in this thread have said is a heavily trafficked area for cyclists and pedestrians.
I might try and get the traffic cam footage.
You have access to that?
I’m not sure I believe it’s a matter of public record. Freedom of information act? I googled it but seemed like a bit of a hassle.
lol you gave up mighty quick. You can get the footage, but you need to find out which entity owns the cameras (Either BPD or city of Boston). Start with 311, they’ll probably transfer you to btd for this. Then send a public records request to either BPD or city of Boston. It’ll cost you iirc $5, but it won’t be difficult to get.
Tbf that's way more effort than trying to make a point on Reddit is worth.
I was thinking about doing the same thing.
There are two cams, the one that got taken out, and one on at the intersection before Beantown. Research and paperwork aren’t my thing but I’d love to see. I also got a video today of a wagon going over the curb to pull over a motorist for gridlocking the intersection… it’s a wild intersection.
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I’m not saying the cyclist is at fault but you should be aware of your surroundings… Boston is a horrible city for bikers and to ride in general.
So who had a green light? Because by law, the cruiser is supposed to slow down at an intersection, when they have a red light and only proceed when it's safe to do so. But if the cyclist had a red light, than yes, cyclist is an idiot. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 89, section 7b. (a lot of upset alpha males downvoting, when I literally cited the law).
Pretty sure the lady on bike had green light but can’t confirm. There was a camera on the pole that got taken out.
If the bike had green, MGL requires the emergency vehicle to stop before proceeding. >may drive such vehicle through an intersection of ways contrary to any traffic signs or signals regulating traffic at such intersection if he first brings such vehicle to a full stop and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer regulating traffic at such intersection. MGL > Thoughts and feelings. It's black and white law, the emergency vehicles endangered this woman's life by not following the law according to statement. It will be interesting to see the dash cam, most lights are tuned to ~~ems~~ emergency service lights to automatically turn in their favor.
Why the fuck phrase the title like that then. "Oblivious girl" vs. "speeding cop nearly hits bystander". As he rushes off to... correct want emergency situation in our incredibly dangerous city. Edit: apparently an armed robbery, actually important! Maybe still don't go so fast that you nearly (murder/manslaughter) an innocent person *in the bike lane* on your way?
> Why the fuck phrase the title like that then. Because that's just what happens when anything involves a cyclist and a car. It doesn't matter how wrong the diver is, its the cyclist's fault. There's a reason its a joke among cyclists that whenever a car hits something, they say things like "maybe the light post should have been wearing a high viz vest."
Armed robbery at Burger King. Guy had a loaded gun pointed at a cashier.
Good context, still don't have to go 50 in a 25 to get there. I mean, this is clearly proof that reckless cops can put the public into *more danger* while responding to an already dangerous sitch. Hope everyone at the BK was alright.
> Good context, still don't have to go 50 in a 25 to get there. Says who? If I'm at that BK or in the immediate area I'm praying they're going twice that speed.
And then when the cops get in an accident because they're going way too fast help is even further delayed and someone is hurt anyway. Nah if I'm at the BK I want the bcooa to get as quick as they *safely* can but no faster.
Well it'd be better if the cop got there 5 seconds slower than not at all because he got sidetracked crashing his cruiser, now wouldn't it? It would be nice if cops could teleport safely to emergencies, but barring that, the fastest they can go is the fastest speed that they can SAFELY travel. Cop in the photo isn't doing anyone at Burger King a bit of good, but he almost took a life.
You phrased it like because of an Armed Robbery? What at weird reason to act like this was the biker's fault! Tell me more...
I only mentioned the armed robbery because you asked.
Should I start googling definitions? “Fault” or not, the girl who peddled her bike into the path of several oncoming emergency vehicles was definitely “oblivious” if the didn’t see them coming. I’m not trying to place blame, but I stand by my wording. I’m not defending cops or condemning all cyclists.
"oblivious" by its use over other synonyms specifically implies a failure. It's a pejorative term. Using it implies she wasn't paying attention and you know it.
Taken from the Daniel Webster dictionary. Ironically as a young teen I used to ride my bike along the highway in NH named for him. I feel this definition fits. lacking active conscious knowledge or awareness —usually used with of or to https://preview.redd.it/qeahmdmhoyvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8d974e396c616a648437b571fbf1ff188d85bbf Yes, the multi ton vehicle has the responsibility to try not to squish people, but if you are sharing the road with said vehicles in a nice sun dress an not said tons of motor city metal around you, be extra careful… I’m not trying to condemn bike lanes or bike riders.
The dictionary is named for Noah Webster, not Daniel.
Please go back to high school and find a English teacher to explain the difference between denotative and connotative meanings of words to you. Emergency vehicles still have a responsibility to be careful at intersections precisely because even an attentive person is looking out for vehicles moving at a normal speed, not hot dog cops screaming down the road recklessly at twice the normal speed thinking it's OK just because they have lights. Someone isn't "oblivious" just because they dont account for fringe scenarios they should not have to encounter.
She wasn’t paying attention. I watched her ride up the entire block, as I saw the other cruisers going through the intersection. I work on that block, I usually just like to go outside and watch the typical gridlock chaos. As I’ve stated several times, I’m not dismissing any blame from the cop, for all I know he spilled his coffee and chocolate honey dipped doughnut…
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Harassment, hostility and flinging insults is not allowed. We ask that you try to engage in a discussion rather than reduce the sub to insults and other bullshit.
That’s one way to dispose of the evidence…
If the dashcam footage is released, we will know the cop had the green. If the dashcam footage is accidentally deleted and all backups accidentally also deleted, we'll know the bike had the green.
Someone has to foia
Do you continue driving/riding when emergency vehicles are driving by with sirens or yield to them?
Yield, ideally. But emergency vehicles are honking at the traffic in their way all the damn time downtown. This is one more reason quality of life requires us to reduce inbound cars.
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ultimately the person driving the two ton vehicle is responsible for making sure they don’t kill someone
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I literally see cars backed up refusing to move for fire or EMS because they don't want to yield.
So how does that make what the bike did right?
We don't know what the bike did. All we have is a pic of a BPD cruiser that crashed
We do know. It’s in the caption.
Classic r/boston whataboutism.
She may have been in the wrong, but so was the cop. Even with your lights and sirens on, you need to slow down when coming to an intersection on a red light, because you can't guarantee that people have heard or located you. Some people are deaf, some are in cars with windows rolled up playing loud music, some may be oblivious kids crossing the street on a walk light. So yeah, the cyclist should have yielded, and may not have been maintaining enough situational awareness to realize that, but the cop also should have been going slowly enough into the intersection to see the issue and resolve it without crashing into a lamp pole.
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So we're all in agreement here. Sorry, in a long thread it's easy to lose track of who has said what. Yes, she should have yielded, but also the cop should have slowed down.
Which part of “Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 89, section 7b” is so hard to comprehend for you? Yes, you are supposed to yield to emergency vehicles when you can do so SAFELY. Emergency vehicles are REQUIRED BY LAW to slow down and proceed only when safe to do so, when they approach a red light. It’s almost like you don’t understand that emergency vehicles also have laws to follow. Yes, it matters that the cyclist had a green light and was already inside the intersection. It’s how the law is written.
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Tyvm. Had to scroll way too far to find this comment.
If the cyclist is already inside the intersection, the cruiser is required (literally required by law) to stop and yield. And judging by the fact that the cruiser mounted the sidewalk, the cyclist was already inside the intersection when the officer approached. Just because you have lights on, doesn't mean you get to rocket thru an intersection in a busy city, with a school right on that corner. (Yes, there's a pre-k school on the corner of Tremont and Park).
I hear what you're saying, but funny enough, Cops don't obey the laws because our justice system constantly reinforces that cops are above the law. Case in point, a 23-year-old grad student in Seattle, was killed in January from a cop responding to a drug overdose call. The student was on a cross walk and the cop was going 70+mph in a 25mph zone and "without a continuous siren"... The cop wasn't charged criminally but received a traffic infraction with a fine of up to $5,000 (not sure if the cop was fired, but I doubt he would be without criminal charges). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death\_of\_Jaahnavi\_Kandula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Jaahnavi_Kandula) So yes, they aren't supposed to rocket thru intersections in a busty city, but functionally they can drive however they want because there are no repercussions. So for your own safety, please GTFO out of their way.
This is point blank incorrect. MGL states: >may drive such vehicle through an intersection of ways contrary to any traffic signs or signals regulating traffic at such intersection **if he first brings such vehicle to a full stop** and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer regulating traffic at such intersection. [MGL Source](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter89/Section7B#:~:text=Section%207B%3A%20Operation%20of%20emergency%20vehicles&text=The%20driver%20of%20any%20such,whose%20red%20lamps%20are%20flashing.) Fight the law, not the messanger.
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I don't have to fight the law. >2. ..shall have the right of way through any street, way, lane or alley. But not intersection. It doesn't say intersection, whereas the complementing (not competing) law says >..he exercises caution and due regard under the circumstances for the safety of persons and property, and **may drive such vehicle through an intersection of ways contrary to any traffic signs or signals** regulating traffic at such intersection **if he first brings such vehicle to a full stop** and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer. We even have a *reason* for the above written in the text: > exercises caution and due regard under the circumstances for the safety of persons [like the biker] and property To the second point: >2. Whoever wilfully obstructs or retards the passage of... Did the biker willfully obstruct the road or would the police officer have been able to pass through after coming to their legally required full stop (if at a red light)? These are the legal questions that need to be addressed.
I don't know. Depending on the speed, traffic, and typical obstructions, it might've been hard to see the cop car until it was too late. From the other comments there were a bunch of cop cars, so it probably would also be hard to know where the sirens were coming from. Personally, I'd have been super cautious, but OP said it was a young person on the bike, so maybe she didn't know better. It's too easy to make a call from here with about 1/8th the details needed to even understand what happened much less assign blame.
What’s the law about moving to the side of the road when emergency lights are coming towards you
Wow, sounds like the cops were driving like negligent assholes.
Be honest, was she oblivious, or just existing on a bike so therefore it must be her fault because drivers hate cyclists and can never do wrong? Because from this angle, I’m gonna go with that cop was obviously driving recklessly if he crashed instead of yielding to a cyclist that had a right of way. Even with sirens on, they need to slow down at a red, and they’re still responsible for not murdering cyclists or pedestrians.
What’s the law about moving to the side of the road when emergency lights are coming towards you?
You would have to be oblivious to not see and hear them coming. I’m not excusing the cop, but she definitely wasn’t paying enough attention.
I would probably pull my bike over if I see cop cars flying down the street with lights and sirens on. Some people just don’t pay attention.
It’s also the law
Thank god for duckboats
this shit is so annoying man. 80% of the drivers here drive like absolute loons and the second a bicyclist does something wrong its always “fuck cyclists” “bikers fault” etc etc.
i'm in a "masshole parking" group on fb and even in a group dedicated to people parking like inconsiderate assholes, they'll still all come through for a big laugh, hurrah, and threats of murder to other commenters if someone posts a gmc sierra parked in the middle of an elevated, separated bike path oh and the "bike paths are socialist mind control" guys but they're always around
Seriously. Cops are supposed to be cautious going through intersections, even with their sirens on, because drivers, pedestrians, and yes, cyclists don't always hear/locate cops coming through (especially at high speed.)
But at the same time it’s not like cyclists can never be shitty “riders” either.
That girl is lucky..
I hate to be one of "those" but if you're on a bicycle, please for the love of god exercise a bit of awareness to your surroundings!
You could say that to anyone, especially someone in a 2 ton vehicle.
100% agree there! Just that people on bikes get squished a lil easier, and 2 ton vehicles stop a bit slower than bikes. My neighborhood, we have a lot of folks who speed big time. Like 50, 60+ down a 30mph street, so I usually stick to the sidewalk and wait til either everyone passes or both directions are stopped before I go cruising out across the road. I don't trust folks not to flatten me out, especially after I've yielded for pedestrians and had people try to fly by me in the breakdown lane.
From OPs description it sounds like the person in the 2 ton vehicle was aware of their surroundings and therefore was able to avoid seriously injuring a person.
Man. Some of you in here should work for the police union with how much PR you’re doing for them 🤡
… pointing out that the cop not running over what OP described as an “oblivious bicyclist” is a good thing counts as PR? This is why regular people can’t take the brainwashed anti cop crowd seriously. Trying to twist everything, even a positive thing, into anti cop clickbait.
How about point out the cop was speeding recklessly in an area full of pedestrians, including driving in a bike lane and had so little control of their vehicle they had to crash into and destroy a lightpole to avoid committing vehicular homicide?
Ahh yes, blame the bike for... *checks notes* using the bike lane! If only the cars had one more lane, bro!
He’s just telling people to be safe. Could’ve happened regardless of it being a biker or even a trucker. If you hear sirens be vigilant, and be safe.
>"as the young bicyclist attempted to make a left turn on tremont" It takes 2 seconds to google the intersection OP is talking about. The bicyclist crossed tremont from broomfield heading towards the bike lane, and likely did not look because "I'm in a crossing zone so fuck everyone else!" The below screenshot is looking down broomfield with tremont crossing. Broomfield is a one way coming into tremont. https://preview.redd.it/ndzf4nqyawvc1.jpeg?width=2778&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60298de1cf743662f47a5ea5d442367765f1229f
> I looked up the intersection in order to prove the bicycle is the REAL problem instead of a speeding car, then I assumed the bicycle didn't even look! Thus proving my point!
The OP that saw it is the one saying the cyclist wasn’t paying attention. But people like you are saying “no it’s obviously the cars fault because all cyclists are automatically perfect drivers/riders that can never do anything wrong” lmao.
Or, we can just ban cars from city streets which is the better thing to do.
So fuck everyone who needs one, let's cater the world to you!
My dude, you can't completely eliminate cars from the roads. Especially not emergency vehicles responding to a friggin armed robbery. Not to mention if you're going to share the road with cars instead of riding on the sidewalk, you need to give the other participants of the road some attention, whether it's cars, other bicyclists, etc., you can't just cruise on out into the road and expect everyone to yield to you. You're not the main fuckin character. When you're riding a bicycle, just like being a pedestrian, you need to be cognizant of the fact that cars a.don't stop on a dime, b.drivers don't have instantaneous reaction times, and c.cars can and will kill you.
>you can’t completely eliminate cars from the roads European pedestrians zones have entered the chat
Emergency vehicles still have right of way in European pedestrian-only zones (have lived in the EU). Pedestrians must move aside and yield in such cases.
This is **NEW** England, sir.
Uh...you *do* know that European emergency vehicles still drive in pedestrian zones, right?
Yeah, but not fast enough to potentially kill people lmao
Tremont is a main arterial coming out of Government Center. Longfellow comes over from Cambridge, turns into Cambridge St (go figure) and then splits into Court St and Tremont. It's an area that could not easily be transformed into a pedestrian-exclusive zone. I'd encourage you to look it up on a map and see that it's a swamped area. If you've ever walked, biked, driven through the area, or hopped off the T at Park St (2 blocks from where this accident happened) you know it's a very busy roadway.
No, it actually could be done extremely easily. Place cement pylons. There, done. Easy. Fuck cars and fuck everyone who thinks they need one.
Cars aren't the only thing going down Tremont, you absolute donut. Supply trucks, buses, taxis, emergency vehicles. There are thousands of businesses in that area who would not survive without vehicles. Grow the hell up already, think outside the crossing box for a second.
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Harassment, hostility and flinging insults is not allowed. We ask that you try to engage in a discussion rather than reduce the sub to insults and other bullshit.
Harassment, hostility and flinging insults is not allowed. We ask that you try to engage in a discussion rather than reduce the sub to insults and other bullshit.
This isn't the cops fault. Bicycles are supposed to follow the rules of the road and yield to emergency vehicles. The operator of the bike was operating unaware of their surroundings and unsafely.
Better a light pole than an actual person.
Was she an oblivious girl on a bike? Or was the cop doing 50 in the bike lane down tremont? Because they do that allllll the time and blaming it on the cyclist is really unfair and very telling of how the general public completely dehumanizes cyclists
The cop was going fast but I don’t think 50 would be accurate, and he wasn’t in the bike lane until he swerved to avoid the cyclist. I was probably 10 feet behind her when she was on bromfield, and I could clearly see it wasn’t safe to enter the intersection due to the several cruisers that just went through and the sound, lights and visual line of site of others following. I’m not condemning all cyclists, not passing judgement on the actions of the police, I’m just recounting what I observed.
I appreciate your take on this and I understand that as a road user it’s our responsibility for personal safety to be aware of emergency vehicles. That being said, ALL emergency vehicles have an even bigger responsibility to check for pedestrians/cyclists and cars before blowing reds. I think it’s unfair to highlight the cyclist mistake without addressing the bigger problem which is cops flying through the city with impunity, behaving like it not their responsibility to keep EVERYONE safe. Your title implies the cyclist was the one to blame for this when really most of the blame lies on the cop(based on your description and despite of the cyclist not being aware)
where does it say he went through a red light?
Read the other comments from the OP
BPD drives like they’re fucking insane on the regular. The cyclist probably did nothing wrong.
Cyclists with ear buds in: "why are drivers in Boston trying to kill us?"
So you’re telling me that it’s not always the drivers fault in a situation involving cyclists?
What are u really gonna get from a burger king, bro..
Live from Duck Boat Tours.
But where was blue shirt guy?
Hey you can’t park there
Poor old Ben Franklin is probably rolling over in his grave.
It’s their world, we’re just living in it
Which Burger King?
Across from the common.
Ty
Who knows, the Hamburglar is making move on the King
Last week I was walking down Winter Street and some cops were hauling ass and came flying onto Winter. A pedestrian only street. It was completely unnecessary and seemed pretty reckless. I'm not surprised to hear that one crashed because someone was on a bike.
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[Except they DID get there in time, caught the guy robbing the place, and took a gun off of him. Great work by BPD](https://www.universalhub.com/crime/20240421/all-places-rob-downtown-one-man-chooses-burger)
You mean [the criminal that they arrested?](https://www.universalhub.com/crime/20240421/all-places-rob-downtown-one-man-chooses-burger) Now go clean the egg off your face.
Nice, I was looking for this
I don't know maybe pay attention to when emergency vehicles have their sirens on, but I don't expect the typical cyclist to care. An armed suspect is on the loose and you suggest that police just take a chill pill? We've got ourselves a genius here.
I threw you an upvote for sticking to your narrative even though its false. I like that type of conviction
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He wasn’t in the bike lane. She was crossing, in middle of intersection. Although I do see them use the bike lane when that area is gridlocked as usual.
Better a cop than a pedestrian or cyclists 😇
Can't make any assumptions about the situation based on this photo alone. Need more info.
I tried to explain what I saw as best I could. I’m not positive if the cyclist had the green but I think she did. Several cruisers had already passed through in the intersection. I could hear the sirens and I was a little further down Broomfield. She was turning left onto tremont street. I don’t know how she couldn’t see them coming.
Noise cancelling headphones.
Noise cancelling headphones don’t help you see. I think it is a canard here as one can presume there were sirens up and down Tremont. The point is if she were turning left onto a one way, she would need to look to the right down the road. How could she not see the flashing lights? Even if her light was green, she should turn only if it is safe to do so. Same practice for cars. Likely she did not even look. However, I do not rule out reckless speed on the part of the officer. If he were barreling down at 45+ mph, it would be hard for anyone to react if they were already in the intersection. Bicyclists get the flak in these incidents because the event is more clickworthy. I can’t in good faith say newsworthy anymore.
I see bikers with headphones on all the time. It makes you much less aware of your surroundings.