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Boston Cyclist Union Update

Written by Boston Biker on Aug 05

from the email:

 

Mural Ride, Protected Bike Lanes, Member Discounts and more!
Mural Ride
On August 10th, come socialize, ride bikes and visit murals throughout Boston! It will be a slow, 10-mile roll to check out 8-10 murals in Boston, with the option to finish at Coppersmith in Southie for refreshing New Belgium Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza beer and food. Along the way, ride leaders will share a brief background of each mural and artist, so you can learn more about the interesting artwork lining our city streets.
Please note: We will not be providing on-site tools, like pumps or chain lube, so please make sure your bike is tuned up before the ride. If you need any repairs ahead of time, you can visit the Dudley Bike Workshop on Tuesdays from 3:30-7:30, or a Bike to Market event (full calendar on website).
Standing up for protected bike lanes. Literally.
This month, we sent a powerful signal that protected bike lanes (PBLs) save lives. More than 120 people joined us to stage people-protected bike lanes on Park Drive and Fenway to protest the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s decision against providing physical separation for cyclists on those roads. The following week, we helped organize a Critical Mass-style ride on Memorial Drive to demonstrate against another DCR plan, which fails to provide adequate, safe spaces for all modes along that parkway. Both actions received widespread, favorable coverage, elevating bike safety in the public consciousness, shaping the narrative around this issue, and building pressure on officials to act. In conjunction with these actions, we also testified at a DCR stewardship meeting about the need for the agency to update its approach to PBLs and/or cede control to agencies with more resources to handle road design. We’ve received encouraging feedback from both DCR and lawmakers, and plan to continue this conversation until PBLs are the norm, not the exception, on our parkways and greenways.
New Member Discount Partner!
We’re excited to add a new name to our member’s list: Cleenland! Cleeland is a Cambridge business and is a one-stop shop for low-waste, refillable personal and home care supplies ranging from clay masks to eco-friendly, compostable food wrap. Cleeland is now offering Bike Union members 10% off their purchases, so drop by and check them out!
Need to renew membership, or become a member?
Another Big Win: The Charles River Dam / Craigie Bridge Redesign
Protected bike lanes arecoming soon to the Charles River Dam / Craigie Bridge! This is an ideal outcome won through our collective action. Despite November’s fatal bike crash in this area, original plans called only for painted bike lanes. However, that changed after we mobilized a mass turnout to a December meeting about this project and placed pressure on MassDOT to develop a safer alternative. Thank you to everyone who spoke out on this project, either at that meeting or in written remarks! Your feedback is directly responsible for making this new, better design possible.
Make the Case for Better Ride-Hailing Regulations
Boston receives a flat $0.10 per Uber/Lyft trip that starts in the city. A bill under consideration at the State House would change that, setting a variable fee that accounts for distance, demand, and whether the ride is shared or solo. The result: A fee that better reflects the impact to our streets of so-called transportation network companies (TNCs), while providing cities like Boston with crucial revenue to reinvest in mass transit, street improvements, and new bike infrastructure. Mayor Walsh testified in support of this bill in July, and we stand with the mayor in urging state lawmakers to pass it this session. To help boost this bill’s odds of passage, we encourage you to write to your representatives and others with authority over this bill. You can find more info on how to get involved here.
Boston Presents an Ideal Plan for Tremont St.
After months of organizing and lobbying, we were thrilled to see the Boston Transportation Department announce a plan for Tremont St. that includes several key safety features, including parking-protected bike lanes and a road diet. This is a huge win for bike safety, and it was all made possible thanks to the many advocates who showed up and spoke up over the last year and a half of the planning process. Our work isn’t done until these changes are on the ground though, and with some mild pushback from pro-parking advocates emerging since BTD’s announcement it’s important that we remain engaged and encourage the city to make this design final. (Info on how to stay involvedhere.) The Tremont St. design includes so many of the complete streets elements that we are advocating for across the City, and it can serve as an example and inspiration to other planning processes underway. If this design is implemented, we are hopeful to see more like it!

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StreetLife: Boston Budget Hearings, Bus-Bike Workshop, And More!

Written by Boston Biker on Apr 24

From the email:

—————–

Image: MA Vision Zero Coalition

Last week, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition released the third annual Vision Zero Progress Report for Boston. While fatal crashes on Boston streets have dropped by nearly half over the past three years, the number of crashes requiring EMS response has not gone down. The momentum to prioritize safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all is growing, and we encourage you to get involved!

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

Event Details:
Transportation Department Budget Hearing

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

Join Us at a Bonus Advocacy Committee Session: Understanding the Boston Budget Book

Image: Boston Cyclists Union

Are you curious about how to read the Boston budget book? Do you want to be more informed as you advocate for more funding for street safety and transportation priorities this year?

Join us on on the evening of Monday, May 6th for a bonus session to do a deeper dive into the Boston budget.

Event Details:
Deep Dive into the Boston Budget
Monday, May 6, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
@ LivableStreets Office
100 Sidney Street, Cambridge

RSVP

Street Ambassadors Continue to Build Momentum for Bus Priority in Somerville and Allston

It’s only April, but we’ve already been hard at work expanding our Better Buses initiative this spring.

Our Street Ambassadors have been on the ground on Broadway in Somerville, helping us engage with community members and businesses to support Somerville’s spring implementation of a bus-bike lane along Broadway between Magoun Square and McGrath Highway. The City also has plans to pilot a bus-bike lane along sections of Holland Street between Clarendon Hill and Davis Square.

Soon, we’ll be recruiting Street Ambassadors to lead a thank you campaign for the Brighton Ave bus-bike lane in Allston, which the City plans to pilot in June!

If you’re interested in volunteering as a Street Ambassador, please contact [email protected].


Join Us for a Bus-Bike Workshop

Image: Liana Genito

A shared bus-bike lane is coming to Brighton Avenue this June. In this workshop, we’ll help prepare you to feel confident and comfortable biking in your new 12-foot lane!

Join us for a bus-bike workshop on Saturday, May 18th and learn more about sharing the road with MBTA buses. Participants will have the opportunity to sit in a bus driver’s seat to identify blind spots, and ask questions of Boston Transportation Department and MBTA staff.

Event Details:
Bike-Bus Workshop
Saturday, May 18, 1:00-3:00 pm
@ Jackson Mann Community Center
500 Cambridge St, Boston

Light refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there! Check out other Bike Month events happening in May here.


Opportunities

  • Director of Transit Priority, MBTA: This position will lead engagement with our municipal partners to plan, design, and support the development of bus transit priority infrastructure (bus lanes, queue jumps, signal priority, etc.). The posting closes on April 29, 2019. Click here to learn more.
  • Planners and Engineers, City of Boston: The City of Boston is expanding their team of passionate, dedicated, and experienced people working to realize Go Boston 2030’s goals of expanding access, improving safety, and ensuring reliability. To see all available positions, click here.
  • Transit Advisory Committee Member, City of Cambridge:  The City of Cambridge is seeking members for Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Advisory Committees. The application deadline is April 26, 2019. To learn more, click here.
  • Program Manager, WalkBoston: WalkBoston is seeking a Program Manager to oversee their statewide technical assistance programs that work to improve the safety and quality of the pedestrian environment. Applications are due by April 26, 2019. Click here to learn more.

Thank you!

Check out the following resources to learn more about what we’ve been up to lately!

Donate


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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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Cyclist Killed By Truck Driver

Written by Boston Biker on Feb 17

In another in a sad series of drivers of large vehicles killing cyclists,  Paula Sharaga age 69 was killed in Cambridge after being hit by a cement truck.

She was a peace activist, a librarian and will be missed sorely by her husband and family.

Details of the incident are still unclear, but what is clear is that whenever we hear of a pedestrian or cyclists being killed most of the time its someone driving a very large vehicle through a very crowded city.  Almost always the very large vehicle is lacking basic safety gear that would make the vehicle more safe in these situations.

How many people will need to die, before we make massive changes to what sort of traffic we allow in our cities, and what sort of safety equipment we require for them to have?  Large vehicles should have mandatory side guards, side mirrors, low mandatory speed limits, backup cameras, make them drive at non-peak traffic times, and for very very large vehicles mandatory front and rear safety vehicles to drive with them.

more here, and here.


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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