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| Biking on Cape Cod. Photo: MassBike |
Back in February, we reported about our ongoing work to improve bike safety for seasonal workers who flock to Cape Cod every summer. Bicycling is often the most convenient, or only mode of transportation available for these workers who come from around the world on J-1 visas to work in area restaurants and resorts.
MassBike has been working with a coalition of partners including the Barnstable County Commissioners office, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, and various local police departments across Cape Cod, and we are pleased to announce the launch of the Regional Bike Safety Education and Awareness Campaign.
Plans call for a busy season of outreach and activities to ensure that seasonal workers, and all people who ride a bike on Cape Cod, have the knowledge and equipment to travel safely and enjoyably by bicycle.
Visibility while riding after dark has been an ongoing concern, so making sure people who rides bikes have lights is a top priority. MassBike made the connection between light vendor Planet Bike and coalition partners, who secured a discounted purchase of approximately 2,000 lights. These lights will be distributed at various outreach events. In addition, police officers will have a supply of lights in their cruisers, and will be instructed to distribute them to people they identify who are riding at night without lights.
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| Photo: The People’s Pint |
Training Wheels is a delicious new session IPA by The People’s Pint with an extra special bonus: a percentage of profits will be donated to support MassBike’s work and mission to make bicycling better across Massachusetts!
The People’s Pint, a brewpub located in downtown Greenfield, has been serving up their own delicious craft beer and locally sourced food since 1997. The People’s Pint has been promoting bicycle transportation in Western Massachusetts in its own unique way since 2003. Participants earn credit for every mile traveled by bike, which can be redeemed for gift certificates to be used in the brewpub. To date, they have recorded over 63,000 miles traveled by bike instead of by car.
According to The People’s Pint, Training Wheels is a “hop forward American session ale, low on alcohol but big on hop aroma, with generous additions of local and west coast hops which impart an aroma of tropical fruit and resin.”
So where can you enjoy a glass of Training Wheels? If you live in or are visiting the Pioneer Valley, stop by The People’s Pint in downtown Greenfield, open daily for lunch and dinner. You can also order a cold pint of Training Wheels from the tap atThe Foundry in Northampton.
Training Wheels is also available by the bottle in stores. Click here for the full list.
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| Is a system like Boston’s Hubway bike share in the future for the Pioneer Valley? Photo: MassBike |
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) is currently working to determine the feasibility and interest in a bike share program for the Pioneer Valley. As part of this process, they have launched a new online survey to help gauge demand for such a program in the region.
Bike share systems, like Boston’s Hubway, allow riders to check bikes out from self-service kiosks and use them for short, “point A to point B” trips. When implemented successfully, bike share systems can compliment existing transit systems to give people greater car-free mobility, and boost the number of bike trips in a particular city or region.
According to their website, PVPC is working with the communities of Holyoke, Springfield, Amherst, and Northampton, as well as the colleges UMASS Amherst, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, Mt. Holyoke College, Hampshire College, Amherst College, and Smith College to complete a feasibility study for establishing a pilot-scale Regional Bike Share program.
If you are a resident of the Pioneer Valley resident, or know somebody who is, we encourage you to take 2 minutes to fill out the survey.
Click here to fill out the survey in English.
Click here to fill out the survey in Spanish.
Click here to view in your web browser
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Looking for the perfect century ride this summer while also supporting your statewide advocate for better bicycling? BikeMass journeys through the lush rolling hills of the Concord and Assabet River valleys of Central Massachusetts. Rides start and finish from NARA Park in Acton.
All proceeds support MassBike’s mission to promote better bicycling across Massachusetts. 100, 62, and 30 mile routes available. The longer you ride, the more you support MassBike!
Non-rider tickets are also available, so you can bring the whole family to partake in the food, drinks and activities!
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| Photo: MassBike |
Did you know that MassBike offers free bike safety trainings to children grades 4 – 8? Each school year, MassBike’s Safe Routes to School Tranings teaches thousands of elementary and middle school children how to ride their bikes more safely. Since beginning our youth education outreach, we’ve brought our school-age workshops to schools in Worcester, Cambridge, Salem, Franklin, Framingham, and dozens of other communities around the Commonwealth. Would you like your local school to be next?
If so, we are currently scheduling classes before the end of the 2013-2014 school year, and for the coming 2014-2015 school year. To get the wheels spinning, contact Erin Reed at MassDOT by email at [email protected] or by phone at857-719-5489.
The MassBike Safe Routes to School curriculum reviews basic maintenance, rules of the road, proper helmet fitting, and overall visibility. Our instructors tailor the message to age-level to ensure that these critical safety lessons are most appropriate, effective and empowering. Classes are made possible throughMassRIDES, a program of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that promotes biking, walking, and transit use.
Click here to view in your web browser
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