City councilor: Bike lane is really just paint on a street

(NECN) – A Boston University student on his bike was killed Thursday when a tractor-trailer made a wide right turn, colliding with the 23-year-old.

It brings up a major safety issue.

The city of Boston is looking to expand its Hubway Program, which would put even more bikes on the road. The city is working to make the streets safer for cyclists but's it's already crowded and some say flat out dangerous.

Here with more on the efforts are Boston city councilors Ayanna Pressley and Felix Arroyo.

They are the co-sponsors of a hearing discussing how infrastructure can be improved to make cycling safer.

“Not every car knows that the bike has a right to the road, as well,” says Arroyo.

Pressley says our roadways are multi-use, and everyone has a right to the roads, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. She says we have to ensure that we can all co-exist on the roadways.

“We need to be more aggressive. We need to accelerate what we are doing. We need to make sure that our public transit vision includes the cycling community and that we accelerate and prioritize more infrastructure,” says Pressley.

Arroyo says a bike lane is really just paint on a street if drivers don’t respect the bike lane, especially if there are no barriers.

He thinks public education for motorists is key. We need to make sure our streets are safe for everyone because everyone will benefit.

Watch the attached video for more on bike safety.