Restriping
In the midst of the Rt 62 major repaving project, members of the Friends of the MM and the Bedford Bicycle Committee asked for a hearing at the Selectmen's meeting, Jun 23, 2008 to discuss travel lane widths on Bedford roads. The standard width has been 12'.
We asked the Town to make 11' the new standard when repaving or restriping roads. Narrowing the travel lane would help 'calm' (slow) traffic and increase the shoulder area. Many cyclists appreciate having their own space and all cyclists will benefit with reduced traffic speeds.
The new standard has already been used on Rt 62 where it was repaved, and more recently on Rt 225 where a road repair and restriping was needed.
On roads where the shoulder is non-existent or too narrow to be used as a bike lane, we recommend cyclists 'take the lane' so that motorist understand they cannot pass simply by squeezing by.