October 25th 2-5PM “Reimagining Columbia Road” With Livable Streets

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

DotBike Meeting Oct 22nd!

DotBike is awesome!  If you live in Dorchester and want to make it better for cycling check them out!

From DotBike:

———

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Livable Streets Update

From Livable Streets:
—————–

We are excited to announce two opportunities – a StreetTalk featuring our Emerald Network Initiative and a limited time discount on some amazing bikes. See below to learn more!

StreetTalk: Connecting our Urban Greenways – Building the Emerald Network 

Our fall StreetTalk will explore what role the Emerald Network can play in not only increasing mobility options for people in the Metro area, but also tackling challenges like economic development, equity, climate change and public health in urban Boston. To learn more click here.

Event Details
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
5:30 – 6:30 pm   Emerald Networking Reception (cash bar)
6:30 – 8:00 pm   StreetTalk: Connecting our Urban Greenways

@ Boston Society of Architects
290 Congress St #200, Boston, MA 02210

Cost: $10 general admission; LivableStreets members get in for FREE

StreetTalks sell out quickly. What are you waiting for, register today!

photo credit: Kyle Ramey

Get a Gazelle and support LivableStreets in October

Our friends at Urban AdvenTours are selling a limited number of Royal Dutch Gazelle bikes. And in the month of October they are offering a $50 discount to anyone who mentions LivableStreets. They’ll also give LivableStreets $50 for every bike sold!

For more information or to purchase a Gazelle call Urban AdvenTours at (617) 670-0637 and be sure to mention LivableStreets!

These are sturdy, comfortable bikes made for every day riding in the city. They include built in lights, bells, a rear wheel lock …and happen to be LivableStreets orange! Swing by the LivableStreets office if you’d like to check one out before purchasing.

And don’t forget, this offer is only available during October – so get your Gazelle today!

Save the date for our annual StreetTalk 10-in-1

Last, but certainly not least, we hope you’ll save the date forDecember 1, when we’ll hold our annual 10-in-1 StreetTalk.

We hope to see you at our StreetTalk on November 3rd. Perhaps you’ll ride your brand new Gazelle there!
LivableStreets Alliance

http://www.livablestreets.info/

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

How To Almost Kill Someone: Right Hook Edition

If you drive a car, you need to see this video.  I got this from Ian yesterday.

From Ian

I got right hooked in a bike lane this morning on Beacon St in Somerville,
MA, and got the entire thing recorded on my GoPro.  I called the cops, who
did respond, but basically seemed uninterested in the fact that a motorist
right hooked a cyclist, and in fact the officer told me that I needed to be
more careful!

A co-worker recommended contacting you, and said that you might be
interested in the video to help raise awareness of how dangerous a right
hook is to cyclists.

When making right turns it is not enough to simply turn on your signal, you need to also make sure NO ONE IS IN THE LANE NEXT TO YOU!  Including but not limited to the bike lane.  Just treat the bike lane like a lane for cars, check your mirror, yield to traffic already in that lane, etc.  There was very little the cyclist could have or should have been doing in this situation, he was riding legal down the road, and a car dramatically changed lanes with very little warning.  If you look at the video the signal and the turn happen at the same time, basically this driver flicked on his signal (a rare thing in this town), and began turning the wheel for the turn at the same time.  There is no way he could have had time to check behind him to make sure there was no one in the bike lane.

Luckily the gentleman in this video is ok, but it could have been a lot nastier.  I applaud his calm reaction, I have a feeling I would have flipped my shit.

Another even bigger problem here is the blasé reaction from the cops.  Waiting until someone is killed is not an effective strategy for preventing deaths.  This motorist should have been issues a citation (Ian was unclear about if he was or not), and legal action should be taken against the driver and the company he is driving for.  For every horrific death by right hook there are hundreds of these nail biting close calls, only if the police get serious about reducing these incidents will the deaths be prevented.

With the advent of cheap go-pro style cameras we are going to be seeing a lot more of this kind of thing.  I imagine a future several years from now when a simple USB stick style camera can record a days worth of video, and you would simply strap it to your jacket and use it as a daily commute recorder, if nothing happened that day you could erase the memory and go about your day.  If however some asshole right hooks you, you will have it all recorded.  If you have the money, and you ride often perhaps integrating a personal recording device into your safety gear is not such a bad idea.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Boston’s First Ever Women’s Bike Ride And Festival!

This is pretty awesome, most research shows that when less “risk adverse” groups feel safe doing something it means that it is starting to be perceived as a more mainstream activity.  Hurray for everyone riding bikes!

—————-

From the City:

Register now for our hallmark women’s event of the season, the Boston Women’s Bike Ride & Festival, Saturday August 16th. Save $10 by registering before 11:59 pm on 8/8. Use code EARLYBIKE.

This celebration of women on bikes will be New England’s largest all-women’s ride and festival, and will feature scenic 10, 30, and 50 mile rides, skills clinics, family activities, music, an expo with bike-friendly companies, and more! Seasoned commuters, occasional cyclists, new riders, and kids are all welcome to participate in the event.

Join for just the ride or take part in a workshop taught by some of the best pro cyclists in the area to get tips on mountain biking, commuting, mechanics and more.

Adult learn-to-ride clinics will be offered for new riders or those who can’t remember the last time they were on a bike.

Register now!

Discounted registration is available to low-income Boston residents.

And men on bikes – we love you too! Please join the festival as volunteers, or to cheer on the women in your lives as they take part in the ride.

Please email [email protected] or call 617-918-4343 for more information on discounted registration or to volunteer.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet