Snowy Commute Open Thread

Would you rather have this:

Or This:

The choice is pretty obvious, at least to me.

That was THE BEST COMMUTE I have had in weeks.  The roads were sloppy as hell, more often than not my back wheel was not behind my front wheel, but it was sooooo nice.  No cars, no pedestrians, so peaceful and serine.  Like the whole city had decided to slow down, and be calm.

I also saw about 10 other cyclists out there having the times of their lives.  We all smiled and laughed at one another, it was a good time to be out.  We all had that look in our eye like “we have discovered something no one else knows about, and its awesome!”

Some of my co-workers think I am nuts for riding a bicycle in weather like this, but I think they are the ones who are nuts.  You would have to be crazy to get into a multi-thousand pound vehicle capable of sliding out of control and crushing you or someone else in weather like this.  Cars/trucks are just too big and dangerous to drive when the weather is bad.

The biggest problem I was going to run into today was plopping over into 5 inches of fluffy snow…or being crushed by a car…which are too dangerous to be on the roads on days like today.  Lucky for me it most everyone decided to walk or take the T, so I more or less had the road to myself.

What was your morning commute like?

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Broadway Bicycle School Is Hiring For The Season

Broadway is a fantastic shop, and if you got the mechanical chops I can’t think of a better place to work.  See below for details:

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Broadway Bicycle School is looking for some mechanically inclined people who are enthusiastic about bicycles to work at our shop as full-time bike mechanics/sales-people from Mid-March through October 2014.  Previous bike shop experience is preferred but not necessary.   For more information, stop by the shop at 351 Broadway in Cambridge or visit broadwaybicycleschool.com.

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Wake Up Hubway! Cambridge Stations To Run YEAR ROUND!

I guess my earlier bedtime story to Hubway was premature.  Like a kid who has gotten into the red bull and pixi sticks Hubway’s in Cambridge are going to rock steady all winter long!

See below for all the details!

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SEASONAL STATION CLOSURE SCHEDULE

As we wrote last week, the Hubway system began its seasonal phased station closures on Monday, November 18th. With the exception of the Cambridge stations, the final day of 2013 regular season operations will be Wednesday, November 27th. The station closure schedule has been published for removals through this weekend. The schedule is subject to change, so please make sure to check Hubway’s news site, facebook page, and twitter feed for the latest updates.

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Connecting Historic Boston With A Bike Path: Make Your Voice Heard!

Imagine a giant figure 8 loop around the downtown core of the city of dedicated car free cycle tracks for cyclists.

I really like this idea, I think it has potential as not only a way to see all the historic sights in Boston, but also as a downtown Bike Freeway system.  Providing a way to get around the core of the city (and beyond) on a high capacity dedicated bike way.

Most importantly it can be used as an foundation to build future infrastructure from.  Check out this meeting and attend to support this great idea!

got this in the email

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Spread the word!  Nov 21st 6pm

http://connecthistoric-boston.org/ideas/connect-historic-boston-bike-trail/

Crucial meeting: Support a cycletrack on Causeway St!

The Connect Historic Boston Bike Trail is a proposal for “a family-friendly bicycle loop around downtown Boston.” To make Causeway Street family-friendly will require a physically separate bike lane (a.k.a. cycletrack) for bikes, and new improvements for pedestrians. The Boston Cyclists Union, LivableStreets Alliance, MassBike and WalkBoston invite you to show up and speak up at a meeting presenting a new plan for Causeway Street — a crucial link the proposed Connect Historic Boston Bike Trail downtown.

SAVE THE DATE:

Public Meeting on Causeway redesign
Thurs., Nov. 21
6pm
CBT Architects
110 Canal St.
Boston

Find more information on the Connect Historic Boston Bike Trail here.

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Mass Ave Bridge Repaved!

Whoooo Hooooo!  No longer will you have to deal with the amazingly poor conditions on the Cambridge side in the bike lane!  This was WAY overdue.

More from Livable Streets Below:

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BREAKING NEWS Massachusetts Ave (Harvard) Bridge is about to be much safer! Over the weekend, MassDOT repaved the Mass Ave Bridge because YOU said you wanted a better bridge! This week it will be painted.   Just as every new bike lane is a product of relentless advocacy, maintaining the lanes, smooth pavement and public support requires constant dedicated resources.   Mass Ave Bridge conditions before this weekend. We heard your complaints about the bridge for years, and documented the worsening conditions on the bridge… bumps in the pavement, gravel piling up, and disappearing bike lanes.   We worked with government and created handouts for the public. We organized Street Ambassador volunteers to go out on the bridge to collect your stories and signatures to give to transportation leaders to demand change.   Together, we won a better Mass Ave Bridge! What happened on Mass Ave bridge is happening across countless neighborhoods: a single poor road condition creates unsafe streets.   LivableStreets is working for you – providing resources, experience, and a network – fighting for better conditions.   With your support, we can develop innovative resources for local advocacy and continue to provide direct support to dozens of projects in neighborhoods across the region. Please donate today.   DONATE TODAY.    Sincerely,   Jackie Douglas Executive Director

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