HopNews
It’s not your typical Tour de France, but every Thursday, Main Street in Hopkinton transforms into an obstacle course for local bicyclists. The challenge? Dodging an array of garbage and recycling bins playfully left by homeowners in the bike lane.
Residents have noticed a pattern: every Thursday, as the sun rises, so does the danger level for bicyclists. The garbage trucks, unable to reach bins left on the sidewalks due to the granite curb, have unintentionally turned the bike lane into a makeshift bin storage area. The result? A high-stakes game of “Trash Can Slalom” for anyone on two wheels.
One local cyclist described the experience as “an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride.” He added, “You haven’t lived until you’ve navigated a gauntlet of overflowing trash bins at 15 miles per hour, especially on the steep grade heading toward Wood street”
Town officials have taken a lighthearted approach to the situation. The Town Manager joked, “We’re considering making it an official sport. We’ll call it Bin Biking. Maybe it’ll put Hopkinton on the map for something other than the marathon start.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works has been distributing flyers, humorously reminding residents to “keep the bike lanes clear unless you want to sponsor a bicyclist’s next ER visit.”
The town’s youngest residents have taken a particular interest in the spectacle. Seven-year-old Timmy remarked, “It’s like watching real-life Mario Kart, but with more trash cans and less bananas.”
Despite the humor, there’s a serious side to the story. The Select Board is deliberating on new ordinances to address the issue. In the meantime, local cyclists are advised to wear helmets, knee pads, and maybe a nose plug, because as one rider put it, “It’s not just the bins you have to dodge; it’s the mystery of what’s inside them.”
Next time you’re in Hopkinton on a Thursday, remember: it’s not just a bike lane; it’s an adventure course. And for those leaving their bins out – a gentle reminder: cyclists are not bowling pins, and your trash cans are not the ball.
Wit Wolfe is a satirist who shares his observations on the lighter side of Hopkinton.
Now, of course, for a very minor correction. These are only employed in the finest communities, and are known as a TPUDL, pronounced as you might expect, Tpuddle. Obviously it stands for Trash Pick Up Depository Lane.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
We need to support our infrastructure, not casual hobbyists! Trashbins should go in the area closest to the road as that is the easiest for waste management to collect the barrels and not add to traffic congestion. No need to punish the many for the single in town cyclists! The bike lane is like 1 mile long and rest of Hopkinton doesn’t have one! You will survive biking on the side walk coexisting with the rest of people. Main Street homeowners have been through enough! Final thoughts! do we have clean water yet! do we have easy passage for EMS?
Support our infrastructure? Uh, the bike lane IS infrastructure.
I can appreciate the humor here but if a bicyclist cannot navigate the most unnecessarily biggest bike lane in the northeast then it may be best to stick to walking.
If only someone, anyone, had pointed out how bad this bike lane design was when they were proposing it… :rolleyes:
At least little Timmy can learn a lesson about what happens when bureaucracy trumps common sense.
LOL, I’m hoping you are being sarcastic – someone did. Several times!
Total sarcasm. As a cyclist, I supported the facebook groups and websites pointing out what a bad design it was when the plans were published. If I recall, the end result was some rule for state funding would not allow a crosswalk where center trail intersected with Main St. and as a result the ridiculous two-way bike bike path was the only solution that would satisfy to get the funding.
Well its either the trash barrels or the lovely orange ones (town beautification) warning cars to stay off of the bike lane because its too darn wide, at least one issue is only there 1 day a week. The biker could always swerve and clip the 2″ curb between the sidewalk and the bike lane causing a trip to the ER. Oh, and while I’m on topic with my displeasure, anyone go over the curb yet coming out of Hopkinton Gas taking a right on Main Street?
The engineers who designed this project were idiots. All they needed to do was paint a bike lane onto the road like the rest of the towns have done around here.
CRS – Living on Main Street, I will never understand why Hopkinton invested in unnecessary changes to a perfectly good sidewalk. People lost frontage, it is less safe to pull out now, the cost is absurd, and people from other towns ask me what the heck it is, routinely. And, I almost never see anyone bicycling by my home.
So, where are the residents supposed to put their trash cans if the trash trucks can’t reach them on the sidewalk? In their driveways? On the street?
Concerning bike lane impediments, just noticed a permanent traffic sign installed in the bike lane in front of CVS. At least the trash cans are removed for most of the week.
You need to continue your walk uptown and keep counting.