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

Written by Boston Biker on Jul 12

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

Written by Boston Biker on Jul 09

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.
  • 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.

We hope you’ll join us in telling DCR that protected bike lanes save lives.

Support the Bike Union!
The Bike Union relies on membership and donations to support our work. The more dues-paying members we have, the more we can do on behalf of you and everyone who bikes in Metro Boston.
JOIN, RENEW, OR DONATE TODAY!


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Read The 2018 Vision Zero Boston Progress Report

Written by Boston Biker on Apr 22

From Livable Streets:

 

The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition released its third annual Vision Zero Progress Report for the City of Boston.

Here’s What You Need to Know:

  1. In 2018, Mayor Walsh committed to an additional $5 million for transportation staffing and projects for FY19. How is Boston doing with implementing this funding? Read the Letter from the Coalition. 
  2. Vision Zero Fundamentals are the core elements required to support systemic change on our streets. How did Boston score on data, accountability, and transparency in 2018? Learn more.
  3. Vision Zero Actions are the tangible changes we can see on our streets. How did Boston score on reducing speeds, building safer streets, engaging Bostonians, and equitable enforcement in 2018? Learn more.
  4. Fatal crashes are down, while the total number of crashes requiring EMS response has increased since 2016. Learn more. 

Explore the Full Report. 

What You Can Do

The momentum to prioritize safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all is growing, and we encourage you to get involved by taking any of the actions below:

What’s Next

Attend the Transportation Department hearing for the FY20 budget this spring, and testify in support of investments for safer, healthier, and more sustainable transportation, which will directly benefit Vision Zero.

Transportation Department Budget Hearing
Tuesday, May 7, 10:30 AM
Boston City Hall, 5th Floor, Iannella Chamber
1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201

The Coalition is committed to reviewing the City’s performance to ensure public accountability in reaching its goals. This year’s assessment was made in adherence with the guidelines published by the national Vision Zero Network and LivableStreets Alliance in “Vision Zero: Planning an Effective Road Map For Action.”

Together we can eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes on our streets by 2030.

Thank you for your continued support,

LivableStreets Alliance
http://www.livablestreets.info


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Some Good News For Dorchester Biking

Written by Boston Biker on Apr 22

From DotBike:

A few things are shacking up this spring on the Dorchester bike scene.  Sorry, my editor is on a break, so I am going to drop a load of poorly edited information and highlight the essential parts.

Jen Rowe is a recently hired enthusiastic Active Transportation Planner for the City of Boston. Among other things, she is scouting for new Bluebikes station locations in Dorchester.  On Wednesday, we took a walk around Fields Corner.  We should soon get a year around location in front of the T station, and possibly another one at another location yet to be determined, which would be amazing.  We spotted three potential spaces in Fields Corner for a second permanent station. Each one seems technically possible, but may present some authorization/permitting challenges. Other areas are also under serious consideration, this includes Shawmut and Ashmont. There are actually more new stations in Dorchester/Mattapan than I realized; it’s just that I don’t happen to live near them! I copied below a map from the City’swebsite on bike share expansion.

Next is the text from an email I received from Eliza Parad, Director of organizing at the Boston Cyclist Union.  It has some important announcements. Please join if you can -especially the ride with Councillor Andrea Campbell.  Unfortunately, I will be out of town that day.

*  First of all, I am reaching out to let all the groups that signed on to our letter about Mass Ave to the City to share the news that the Mayor announced in his proposed transportation budget that bike lanes will be extended down Mass Ave to the intersection with Columbia Road! Planning will start in the fall and implementation will happen in 2020. He didn’t say what kind of bike lanes, so as always, we will need folks to come out and advocate for protected bike lanes, but this is a big step forward and it’s thanks to advocacy from so many people and groups, including DotBike!

*  I wanted to share that if anyone in DotBike lives in Andrea Campbell’s district, we are hosting a ride with her next Friday so she can experience what cyclists feel when they ride on unprotected lanes (or roads with no infrastructure at all). This is part of our Boston Bike Budget Campaign to raise the funding level this year for Vision Zero and the Strategic Bike Network. 

*  We also have a City-Wide Glacial Pace of Progress Rally and Ride (at a much more accessible time for most people than the ride with Andrea Campbell) on Sunday, May 5 at 2pm. We hope to have hundreds of folks at that ride and wanted to make sure DotBike knows about it. 

 


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Blue Bikes Update: Over 75,000 Trips Taken During The Winter Challenge

Written by Boston Biker on Mar 07

From the email:

—————–

We’re pedaling through the final day of the Bluebikes Winter Challenge and ending this month on a high note. Despite the snow, sunshine, and even some rain, Bluebikes riders have taken more than 75,000 trips in February. That’s 30% more than the number of trips taken this time last year.

To celebrate this record-breaking February and the end of the Winter Challenge, join us for the Winter Challenge Rider Meetup, Thursday, March 7th. The event is free and open to anyone who took at least one trip during February. Stop by and pick up your challenge prizes, enjoy great food and music, and meet other Bluebikes riders.

  • Where: Beat Brew Hall, 13A Brattle St, Cambridge
  • When: Thursday, March 7th, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

If you took a Bluebikes trip, be sure to check your inbox for your email invite and RSVP to the event. Haven’t taken a trip this month? There’s still time! Take one quick Bluebikes trip by the end of the day today, Thursday, February 28th, and you’ll receive an invitation to the party via email. We’re excited to see you there!


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The Word On The Street

  • RSS Here is what people are saying

    • Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts August 16, 2023
      TweetThe main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and … Continue reading →
      jsallen
    • Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts August 16, 2023
      TweetThe main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and … Continue reading →
      jsallen
    • It’s Finally Happening! 5th Annual Hot Cocoa Ride Feb 12! February 8, 2022
      ... Continue reading →
      commonwheels
    • It’s Finally Happening! 5th Annual Hot Cocoa Ride Feb 12! February 8, 2022
      ... Continue reading →
      commonwheels
    • Hello world! June 9, 2021
      Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing! Continue reading →
      thecommunityspoke
    • Run The Jewels Lead Free Pewter Hand Carved And Cast Pin Set January 3, 2021
      Made these lovely RTJ fist and gun pin set. Hand carved in wax, and then cast in lead free pewter.  Because these are made by hand you can do fun things like add an extra small pin so that they sit just so (also means they have “customized” brass back plates to accommodate the extra […]
      Boston Biker
    • My Work In The Wild: Feather Head Badge With Chris King Headset January 3, 2021
      One of my customers sent me this amazing picture of my feather badge installed on their (awesome!) bike.   Check out Manofmultnomah (here and here), apparently Chris King took some interest in it as well.  Want one of your own?  Buy it here, or here... Continue reading →
      Boston Biker
    • Boston’s Invitation to Improve Biking in Boston: Draw on Some Maps! December 14, 2020
      TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
      greg
    • Boston’s Invitation to Improve Biking in Boston: Draw on Some Maps! December 14, 2020
      TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
      greg
    • Boston’s Invitation to Improve Biking in Boston: Draw on Some Maps! December 14, 2020
      TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
      greg