Intersections for Catching Red-Light Runners

Looky all the people talking about Boston PD’s ticketing of cyclists running red lights!

For PDs out there: a short list of  intersections that will net you a good number of red-light runners (think income):

Cambridge/Somerville:

  • Hampshire/Plymouth/Windsor intersection
    *sometimes you’ll also catch cyclists heading the wrong way on Windsor.
  • Mass Ave and Somerville
  • Mass Ave and Beech
  • Mossland and Somerville
  • Beacon and Park Street
  • Beacon and Somerville
  • Beacon and Kirkland
  • Hampshire and Broadway
  • Ames and Broadway
  • Broadway/Main St and Third
  • My guess is that many of those new lights on Somerville Ave are good picks, too

Boston:

  • Charles Street, between Long Fellow Bridge and the Boston Common. Any of those lights will do.
  • School Street Street where it T intersects into Washington Street.
    Cyclists traveling on Washington Street always blow through this light.  Sadly, I’ve seen (more than once) Boston police officers on bikes run this light. While going the wrong way on Washington. Riding two abreast. Yea, it was all sorts of wrong.
  • Crosswalk on Cambridge St near Whole Foods and Joy St.
  • Summer and Chauncy.
    Once upon a time I was riding through a green on Summer. A police officer in a cruise nearly hit me while making a right from Chauncy onto Summer. He yelled at me for not paying attention, and insisted that I must yield to police vehicles. I reminded him that I had the green and his emergency lights were not on. He started to say “be careful who you raise your voice at..” and I rode off – during my green light – unimpressed.

And here’s one for the cycling team: While you’re out there ticketing, PDs, please, please put more sets of eyes on this one intersection:

Cambridge St heading to Longfellow Bridge, in front of Liberty Hotel and Charles/MGH T stop.

Cars waiting to turn off Cambridge onto Soldiers Field Rd, and cars coming off the ramp heading toward Charles street routinely cut off cyclists going into Cambridge, heading straight. I have been in more accidents and close calls at this intersection than any other intersections combined, in the seven years that I’ve tooled around Greater Boston on two wheels. (Before readers file this under my inability to ride safely:  I’ve been in less than five – thankfully small – accidents. This does not change my previous statement. The math is correct.)

From my understanding, this is one of those ambiguous intersections where the State Police and/or Boston Police can be called, in the event of an accident. (Insert long boring story of me trying to get ANY police officer to show up here after a hit-n-run) I don’t know who is responsible for this intersection today, but if you’re reading this and you are (or your department is), please be more proactive here before somebody gets killed.

Now off you go to make some money!

Leave a Comment