Memorial Drive Protest Ride and Rally July 17th, Plus Write In Campaign!

From Cambridge Bike Safety (But I fully agree, protest works!  Lets get in the streets for justice!)

In summary: Rally and protest ride Wednesday July 17th at 5:30 at JFK and Memorial Drive. RSVP on Facebook, make a plan to attend the rally, and spread the word.

At the Memorial Drive meeting last month, DCR presented their plan for Memorial Drive. Despite overwhelming public comment in support of improving the corridor for walking and bicycling and expanding the green space in this park, DCR presented a plan which instead prioritizes keeping four lanes of motor vehicle traffic on the parts of Memorial Drive where these improvements are most needed.

It’s time to protest. Wednesday July 17th, we are rallying with other members of the Memorial Drive Alliance to show DCR that they cannot make a mistake on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve our riverfront. Following the rally we will have a group ride along the part of Memorial Drive east of JFK St to the BU rotary.

Rally Details:

• Wednesday, July 17, 5:30pm at Memorial Drive and JFK Street.
• RSVP and share the post on Facebook.

In addition to attending the rally, it is critically important to write in again to DCR – even if you already wrote in previously – to tell them their current plan is not acceptable. To do so, click here to comment on DCR’s plans for the Memorial Drive renovation (make sure to choose “Memorial Drive Greenway Improvements Phase III”). The most important points to make are:

1. Memorial Drive should be shrunk to two lanes along the whole length of the project.
2. The reclaimed space should be used to create separate bike and pedestrian paths and to plant more trees along the river.

Just a quick comment is perfect. But for more ideas to include in your comment, consult the Memorial Drive Alliance’s key asks. The Boston Cyclists Union previously wrote a post with suggestions on issues to comment on. In addition, DCR’s presentation has three options for updating the BU rotary, so you can also specify which you prefer and include other details you would like to see addressed. After you comment, please email [email protected]and your MA senator and representative with a copy of your comment.

DCR has been responsible for terrible road design, contributing to the deaths of two people biking on their streets over the last year. Yesterday the Boston Cyclists Union organized a people-protected bike lane to call attention to the complete lack of bike infrastructure on the intersection where Paula Sharaga was killed despite recent work done on the intersection. Advocates told DCR that the intersection needed bike infrastructure and they did nothing. It is clear DCR needs to change how they think about bicycle infrastructure.

If you are fed up with DCR’s inaction across the region, another point of input is to go to the DCR public meeting on July 18 from 8:30am-11am, the morning after the rally. There will be a public comment portion and you can tell DCR commissioner Leo Roy and other officials that the lack of bike infrastructure in their projects is an urgent problem. Public comment is at the end of the meeting but even just sitting in the audience holding a sign at the beginning can send a powerful message.

Protest works. We have protected bike lanes on the Longfellow Bridge and soon the Craigie Bridge because we protested. We showed up in huge numbers to the people-protected bike lane yesterday morning, and if we keep showing up, we can make our region safer for people who bike, even on DCR streets.

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Join Bikes Not Bombs in Cambridge on July 25!

Get Into Gear with Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) at Flat Top Johnny’s at 1 Kendall Square in Cambridge on Thursday, July 25th from 6-7:30pm. This is a great opportunity to learn more about BNB and meet other like-minded people, while enjoying complimentary appetizers and free pool. Cash bar. Bring your friends and introduce your networks to our inspiring mission to use the bicycle as a vehicle for social change through empowering youth development programs and international partnerships. Open to the public; all ages are welcome.

For more information, contact Angela Phinney, [email protected].

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook. com/events/454275831823593/

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Action Alert: People-Protected Bike Lane on Fenway THIS THURSDAY

From the email:

Tell DCR: Protected Bike Lanes Save Lives

New bike lanes coming soon to the Fenway area will leave cyclists vulnerable unless the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) tweaks plans to include some form of physical separation. With lane striping set to begin any day now, we ask you to join us this Thursday for an urgent demonstration calling on DCR to protect these bike lanes and improve conditions throughout this busy corridor for people who bike.
People-Protected Bike Lane on Fenway

People-Protected Bike Lane on Fenway
Thursday, July 11
Intersection of Fenway and Brookline Ave. (see map here)

RSVP

An image from the first people-protected bike lane demonstration in Boston,
on Congress St in December 2017.

Protected bike lanes (PBLs) are nearly twice as effective as painted bike lanes, and are the accepted safety standard for roads like Fenway and Park Drive; the MassDOT Municipal Resource Guide for Bikeability recommends PBLs on any road with more than one lane of traffic in each direction. However, DCR has decided to leave new bike lanes on Park Drive and Fenway unprotected, and has neglected to improve the intersections between those roads and Brookline Ave.

The Park Drive bike lane will be between on-street parking and two lanes of fast-moving traffic. Putting cyclists in the door zone on busy Park Drive is putting them in danger. And while the unprotected bike lane on Fenway isn’t designed in a door zone too, DCR’s refusal to add a physical barrier to that paint-buffered bike lane — DCR claims that it gives bicyclists a “false sense of security” — is completely backwards. During Boston’s budget hearings this spring, a cyclist shared her story of being hit from behind on Park Drive — a problem that could still happen with DCR’s unsafe designs. February’s crash that killed Paula Sharaga as she biked through the intersection of Brookline Ave. and Park Drive made the need for protection painfully clear.

DCR’s design decisions are made more frustrating by the fact that the Boston Transportation Department has already begun building PBLs on Brookline Ave., and has committed to significantly expediting the timeline to add protected bike lanes to an abutting section of Boylston St.

Preliminary striping shows a paint-buffered bike lane on Fenway (top)
and a door-zone bike lane on Park Drive (bottom).

We need your help to convince DCR to change course now, before the unprotected infrastructure is implemented!

• Join the people-protected bike lane — This Thursday, stand in support of protected bike lanes on Park Dr. and Fenway. In addition to these roads, we are also calling on DCR to make PBLs the norm for similar areas; recent DCR projects, and plans for future ones, also include unprotected bike lanes.

• Make your voice heard — Contact DCR to oppose their dangerous design, and urge lawmakers to step in. Even if your state representatives don’t cover this area, they can still influence broader DCR policy now and in the future. Share feedback to DCR Commissioner Roy and Governor Baker. For lawmakers, email Representative Chynah Tyler and Senator Will Brownsberger, who represent this area, and your own state senator and representative (find contact info here). For all emails, please CC [email protected].

• Save the date — DCR’s Stewardship Council meets next week on Thursday, 7/18, at which you can share feedback on the agency’s approach to PBLs and other bike infrastructure. If DCR ignores us now, this meeting will be our next opportunity to apply pressure about PBLs.

“If Paula were here, she would say, ‘Don’t mourn: Organize, and make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Todd, a long-time friend of Paula Sharaga’s, said at her ghost bike ceremony. That time to organize and push for change is here.

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Fill Out Somerville’s Survey About Powder House Blvd

From the CBS:

The city has created a survey regarding bike infrastructure on Powder House Blvd. Fill out their survey and vote for the options which you feel are the safest for all users of the street. We need as many Somerville residents as possible to fill this out so the city has a good idea what public sentiment is on this issue, so please share the link to the survey widely. Please note that Option C is the safest option and that a ‘1’ rating indicates the strongest preference for an option.

The meeting on Wednesday was tense but it shows why it is so important that the city sees strong, broad support in favor of protected bike lanes and traffic calming infrastructure on Powder House Blvd.

Thank you all who could attend the meeting. Public meetings often aren’t fun but they are important because the city uses them as one way of measuring public sentiment on bike infrastructure. When we voice our support for protected bike lanes, whether it’s at a meeting, by a petition, by a survey, or with an email to the city, it reassures them that they are acting in the public’s interest by prioritizing safety in street design.

We have an opportunity with Powder House Blvd to draw a line in the sand on people getting hurt or killed on our streets. We are fighting for infrastructure because protected bike lanes save lives. While some bike infrastructure projects are controversial, we are fighting for our safety and the safety of our loved ones so we must do all we can to make these projects happen.

Again: please fill out the survey and then share it with your other friends in Somerville.

Thanks,

-your neighbors at Cambridge Bicycle Safety

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Speak Up For A People Focused Northern Avenue Bridge

From Livable Streets:

Join us Monday, June 3rd to help ensure that the future use and design of the Northern Avenue Bridge prioritizes people and respects the historic legacy of this iconic structure.

Event Details:
Northern Avenue Bridge Community Meeting
Monday, June 3rd, 6:30-8:30 pm
@ District Hall
75 Northern Ave, Boston MA 02210

Despite overwhelming public comment against allowing vehicular traffic on the bridge, the City of Boston continues to prioritize a design option that creates an HOV lane for private shuttles and rideshare companies. The breadth of public comment at the community meeting last November was immeasurably valuable — and the City needs to keep hearing from you.

Key talking points include:

1. The bridge should be built to accommodate people walking, biking, and emergency vehicles only.
2. Public input should be given the highest priority in determining the use and design of the bridge.
3. The City should present fully transparent information about funding options, funding gaps, and associated costs of rebuilding the various design options for the bridge.

We need your help again and are asking you to come to the upcoming community meeting and voice your thoughts, concerns, and ideas.

We hope to see you on Monday, June 3rd at District Hall!

LivableStreets Alliance
http://www.livablestreets.info

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