Keep on cycling: Philbike Expo happening on Nov 26-27 at the SMX Convention Center

The number of individuals riding bikes is increasing. In Massachusetts, it’s more than doubled during the previous decade. However as the appeal of cycling goes up, so do the variety of mishaps. In Provincetown, bicycle-related mishaps have increased nearly 25 percent in the last 5 years. In Provincetown, bicycle-related mishaps have increased by almost 25 percent in the last 5 years. Credit Edie Kennedy Olga Golub is among individuals who likes to bike in Provincetown with her spouse. “Commercial Street, we stroll it obviously a lot, however biking, it’s a lot easier than bringing a vehicle,” said Golub. Golub said she doesn’t bike back in Boston where she lives. She said it’s not safe there. That she feels much more secure cycling in Provincetown. Listen Listening … / / 2:30 Officials in Provincetown are thinking about increasing signage and marking bicycle lanes to help lower the variety of accidents. However the number of bicycle mishaps has actually been growing here. In the last 5 years bicycle-related accidents have increased by almost 25 percent. Simply in between May and September this year there were more than 65 bike mishaps reported to regional police. This seems like a great deal of accidents for a town on Cape Cod – till you talk with Rik Ahlberg, the chairman of the Bicycle Committee in Provincetown. He said the variety of people bicycling here– and in the state – has been growing, which has added to the increasing variety of accidents. “A couple members of the bike committee do informal counts where they pick a location and count bicycles for an hour,” stated Ahlberg. “They counted 350 bicycles an hour, and about 10 vehicles.” The bikes were depended on Commercial Street. But Ahlberg said individuals aren’t simply cycling in Provincetown, they’re cycling to Provincetown “We’re the end of the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway,” he stated, “which is Massachusetts Bike Route 1. It’s the only signed or numbered bike path in the state, and it comes from Boston to Provincetown.” And once visitors make it to the end of Bike Path 1 and into Provincetown, there are couple of locations reserved just for bikes. “For the most part you’re on roads,” Ahlberg stated. “There’s no bike lanes or anything.” However Provincetown is trying to make cycling much safer said Ahlberg. A couple of years back, the town developed its first Bike Committee, and a couple of months back, Ahlberg painted the town’s first bike lane on a road off of Route 6. But more than a 1/3 of bicycle accidents here happen on Commercial Street– where there’s a lane for automobiles and a lane for parking, however no place for a bike lane. So Ahlberg stated they’re going to aim to make some other changes on the street. “It has arrows that state one-way, it has indications that state do not get in, however it doesn’t point out bikes,” he said. The town bicycle committee prepares to set up more indications on Commercial Street, in an effort to reduce the variety of mishaps in town. But not everybody likes the concept. “I think people aren’t going to take notice of the indications,” said Robb Beaton. He’s owned Arnold’s Bike Store on Commercial Street for more than 17 years. He said there are many people, and so many bicyclists between July and September; nobody is going to take notice of the signs. “The bicycles are the least of the problem. You have cars and trucks, and the 18-wheelers, and individuals, and the bikes, and the motorcycles,” said Beaton. Beaton stated that the town has to do more than indications – that greater modifications need to be made so that bicycling in Provincetown can be more secure for everyone. See all stories on this subject