Newton Student Collides With Car While Bicycling To School

NEWTON, MA — A Newton North High School student collided with a car on Feb. 16 while bicycling to school, according to the local 501c3 Bike Newton.

According to the organization, the student was heading west on Cabot Street, riding on the sidewalk on the north side of the street, and crashed into an eastbound car turning left onto Eastside Parkway.

The student’s injuries were not life-threatening.

"We at Bike Newton are concerned because this is but one of several recent crashes involving students commuting by bike to school in Newton,” said Bike Newton in a statement. "That many cyclists choose the sidewalk on busy streets should not surprise us. Without bike lanes, sidewalks sometimes seem safer than contending with traffic. But sidewalk riding has its own dangers, as this crash indicates.”

Bike Newton said they believe traffic moves too quickly on Newton’s roads regardless of speed limit and support traffic-calming measures, including speed bumps and bump-outs.

"Most of us would like more students to ride bicycles to school instead of being dropped off by parents,” said the organization. "But to do so safely requires more action on the part of the city to make roads friendlier to cyclists…and calmer roads!"