Authorities in Massachusetts say riding a bicycle on a multi-lane highway is dangerous and illegal. However, it keeps happening.
This weekend, a man was captured on camera riding on I-93 northbound through the O'Neill Tunnel.
It's a highway usually reserved for cars and large semi trucks.
"It wasn't something I could stop and ask him what he's doing, because we were on a major highway and that would have been more of a danger to do," said Todd Pease, who was driving with Brad Anderson Sunday afternoon and had to do a double take.
"I caught him this way, passed him and panned by," said Anderson, who recorded the incident on his iPhone and put it on social media. "He didn’t look worried, so I don't think it was the first time he'd done it."
If you look carefully, the man is wearing headphones, no helmet and riding a Hubway bike. The bike-sharing company says it wants people to take these bikes all across the city — just not onto the highway.
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"If a Hubway rider does this, it is in violation of their user agreement," the company said in a statement. "And if identified, riding privileges will be revoked."
The video also got the attention of state police.
"It’s illegal to ride any bicycles on the highways," said Trooper Matthew Guarino.
Reports of cyclists on busy highways are rare, Guarino says, but most have come from the Ted Williams Tunnel and portions of the Massachusetts Turnpike.
"Anytime they go out there, they're taking their lives in their hands," Guarino said. "They're on the highway people aren't expecting them to be over there."
So far, there are no reports of any cyclists injured. Anderson hopes it stays that way, and that the video serves as a warning.
"Anyone with half a brain wouldn't ride their bike through a busy tunnel," he said.
Police say anyone caught riding a bike on the interstate will be fined. But they believe some riders may be accidentally end up on the highway while following their GPS devices.
