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Boston Cyclist Union Still Fighting For Improvements To Longfellow
Written by Boston Biker on Jun 29Anyone who has ridden over the new Longfellow bridge knows…its not good. Even with the new “improvements” it still is pretty bad, especially considering how much better it could be. But the BCU and a lot of other people are STILL FIGHTING!
The Boston City Council unanimously passed a resolution last month endorsing our proposed striping design, joining the Cambridge City Council, which passed a similar resolution in April. Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone and Rep. Mike Capuano also endorsed the plan, with Capuano writing to MassDOT, “…the Boston Cyclists Union raises legitimate concerns, and I urge MassDOT to address them.”
Responding to mounting pressure and working with advocates, MassDOT has already committed to several safety improvements we have been asking for. This includes reducing the speed limit to 25 miles per hour, and installing a speed feedback board; narrowing inbound travel lanes by a total of one foot, while widening the bike lane from 5.5’ to 6.5’; installing flex posts on the inbound and outbound sides to physically separate cyclists from moving car traffic; and adding signage directing large vehicles to use the left inbound lane, to give additional comfort to cyclists in the bike lane. All of these changes to the original design are slated for completion in the first week of June.
These are all welcome changes that will make the bridge dramatically safer than it would have been under MassDOT’s original plan. We applaud MassDOT for listening to and heeding the voices of so many cyclists, advocates and elected officials, and for showing a commitment to working with us toward a safer solution.
What’s more, MassDOT is not done making improvements to the bridge. After hearing from us, many of you, and other stakeholders who have engaged with them over the past few months asking for safety upgrades to the bridge’s design, MassDOT is working hard to respond to our concerns. Yesterday, MassDOT met with stakeholders, who have engaged over the past few months with safety concerns over the bridge design, to discuss future plans to make the bridge even safer. Secretary Pollack committed to working with stakeholders to run a pilot on the inbound side of the bridge, testing out the narrowing of the bridge to one lane for cars with a wider, separated bike lane that would allow safe passing. We’ll be looking to you to give feedback as this change happens, to help secure the safer, wider lane permanently, so please continue to follow the progress and be in touch with us!
This is a huge victory, and it would not have been possible without you showing up and speaking up. Whether you canvassed for signatures, signed our petition online or in person, emailed or called your state rep or city councilor — YOU made a difference and are impacting a decade-old decision that many felt was unchangeable. We are accomplishing the impossible, all because we stood together to ensure MassDOT listened. This is our collective strength in action.
We look forward to seeing this project progress. We hope the flex posts and other design changes make you feel safer when the bridge reopens to full beneficial use, and we are eager to see what further improvements we can achieve by continuing to work together. Momentum is on our side.
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BCU Fighting To Get Better Bike Lanes On Longfellow
Written by Boston Biker on Apr 28
Call your city rep and let them know you want this!
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Boston Cyclists Union Is Hiring!
Written by Boston Biker on Jan 19Director of Organizing
About the Boston Cyclists Union
The Boston Cyclists Union (BCU) is helping Bostonians lead healthier lives by promoting the everyday use of the bicycle for transportation. Among other things, we teach bike repair, educate new riders, and organize neighborhood residents who would like to voice support for friendlier street designs, bike paths, and public spaces.
Our fast-growing, 1,000+ member grassroots organization is one of the most active and effective advocacy groups in the city. The Boston Cyclists Union’s work is helping to increase ridership in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline. We work to connect our neighborhoods, parks, paths and business districts with a network of low-stress bike routes including quiet neighborhood streets and protected bike lanes so that people of all ages and abilities feel safe and comfortable riding a bike.
About the Position
The goal of the Director of Organizing is to identify and promote opportunities that will produce safer, more equitable bicycling conditions in the greater Boston area, and to engage the public in the Boston Cyclist Union’s mission, campaigns, and story.
The Director of Organizing will work with all parts of the organization (staff, board, members, interns, and volunteers) to further develop and lead the Boston Cyclists Union’s Bikeways for Everybody campaign and ongoing reactive campaigns, and to win support for key bicycling infrastructure improvements.
The Director of Organizing will work with the Boston Cyclists Union Activist Group, community and neighborhood groups, businesses, and elected officials to gather neighborhood input, grow grassroots and grasstops support, build consensus around progressive bike infrastructure and policies in the Boston area, and achieve the goals which are most important to people who bike in the city.
The Director of Organizing also works with the Membership and Events Coordinator and Executive Director to plan large- and small-scale events to grow membership and increase awareness, publishes the Union Rider (monthly newsletter) and Action Alerts, and manages social media communications.
Responsibilities:
- Plan and lead BCU’s proactive Bikeways for Everybody campaign
- Plan and execute reactive advocacy campaigns for better road designs and policies as opportunities arise
- Chair the Union’s Activist Group and help develop neighborhood leaders to champion changes in the bike network through outreach, relationship building, and conducting organizing and activist trainings
- Plan programs and events to extend BCU’s reach and grow our membership and advocacy voice
- Manage and work with staff, volunteers, and interns related to advocacy campaigns and associated programs, overseeing campaigns and programs and delegating to others as needed
- Build relationships with Neighborhood, Civic and Business Associations and other bodies with the goal of gaining support for Bikeways for Everybody and other advocacy campaigns
- Coordinate volunteers and advocates in executing campaign strategies
- Create Action Alerts to notify membership and community of important public meetings to attend and other advocacy actions to take to build campaign support
- Create content for campaign materials and other collateral for BCU marketing
- Meet with public officials, planners, engineers and other municipal staff
- Represent the BCU on committees, task forces and other bodies
- Speak at public meetings and other events on behalf of the BCU
- Help produce talking points for media interviews and and public hearings
- Help staff plan and execute fundraising events
Desired qualifications:
- Deep commitment to the Boston Cyclists Union mission
- 2-5 years experience in community or political organizing or a related field
- Bachelor’s Degree preferred
- Proven ability to build leadership into volunteer roles, creating a scalable network of volunteers.
- Demonstrated track record of successful campaign planning and campaign wins
- Ability to work individually and as part of a team
- Superior analytical and problem-solving skills
- Knowledge and experience using Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media
- Organized, and detail oriented
- Professional, positive, outgoing, friendly demeanor; impactful public presentation
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel and Google docs
- Extra points for working knowledge of Salesforce, Constant Contact, Vertical Response, WordPress, and/or Adobe Creative Suite
- Bilingual abilities are a plus, but not required
- Strong interpersonal and relational skills, excellent communicator, and a commitment to working respectfully with individuals of different races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and life experiences
Knowledge of bike advocacy is not required but an interest in learning every aspect of it is.
Salary and benefits
This is a full-time, exempt position with an annual salary of $40-$50k/year based on experience. Benefits include a health care stipend, a bicycle commuter benefit, 10 days of paid vacation plus all federal holidays, and a commitment to training and professional development opportunities.
How to Apply
Send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Please include “Director of Organizing, YOUR NAME” in the subject line of the email, and where you saw the job advertised. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications will be considered until the position is filled, with preference given to applications received by February 1st.
Please note that we are preparing to hire an additional Community Organizer in the coming months who would work on the Organizing team. If you are interested in organizing work with the Boston Cyclists Union, but don’t feel you have the necessary experience for the Director of Organizing position, please feel free to submit an application to express your interest.
Boston Cyclists Union is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political orientation.
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Save The Date: Biketoberfest 2016!
Written by Boston Biker on Sep 08
Thursday, October 13th in Somerville!
It’s that time of year again! Join us for a celebration of local breweries, bike-powered businesses and a year of victories for safer streets and better biking in the Boston area!
Biketoberfest 2016 will be the best biktoberfest yet, with free food, free beer/wine/cider, live music, a raffle packed with great prizes, a showcase of some of the area’s leading bike-powered businesses showing off their tricycles, trailers and cargo bikes, as well as live music to dance to with over 300 of your best friends!
MEMBERS GET IN FREE!!!! Not already a member? Tickets are $25 in advance, and $35 at the door, and your purchase gives you 1-year membership to the Bike Union!
Biketoberfest 2016 will sell out! Even if you are already a member please RSVP on Eventbrite!
This event is open to all ages!
Thank you to our *Amsterdam Level Sponsors*
Breakstone, White & Gluck
Law Office of Jeffrey S. Glassman
Bike Safe Boston
Percival Beer Company
Thank you to our *Scorcher Level Sponsors*
Aeronaut Brewing Company
Cambridge Brewing Company
Downeast Cider House
and more to be announced soon!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
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The Longfellow Bridge Sucks For Cyclists, Let MassDOT Know We Are Pissed
Written by Boston Biker on Dec 20The longfellow bridge has gone from pretty awesome (one lane of traffic and two lanes of bikes), to bad (wrong side bike path on the pedestrian walkway), to atrocious (one very narrow bike lane, and a bike/pedestrian traffic heading north).
Personally I see a lot more people going over the bridge on foot and on bicycle than I do in cars, shut the car traffic down and reserve the road for emergency and bike traffic, at least until the end of construction.
From The BCU:
The current conditions on the Longfellow Bridge are unsafe and unacceptable for people on bikes. As you may know, the outbound bike lane was removed and cyclists are being asked to walk their bike on the sidewalk heading into Cambridge. The inbound lane was narrowed so that large vehicles cannot safely pass cyclists in the bike lane. Please see our letter to MassDOT, below, and send in your own! Tell your story of traveling on the Longfellow and tell MassDOT and your elected representatives that this is an untenable situation, and cyclist accommodations must be addressed!
___________________________________
Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack
Department of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Suite 4160
Boston, MA 02116
CC: Representative Jay Livingstone
CC: Chris Osgood, Chief of Street, City of Boston
RE: Longfellow Bridge Modified Phase 2 Construction
Dear Secretary,
On behalf of our members, the Boston Cyclists Union, the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition and LivableStreets Alliance would like to bring to your attention the increasingly hazardous conditions for people riding bicycles over the Longfellow Bridge, and we request that these hazards be addressed immediately.
Recently, due to the need to construct a temporary track for the Red Line, the inbound travel lane and bike lane have both been narrowed, and outbound cyclists no longer have a streetlevel contraflow bike lane and instead are being required to walk their bicycles on the sidewalk.
The current accommodations for the hundreds of people on bicycles* crossing the bridge daily are unacceptable to us and our members. The bike and travel lane widths heading inbound into Boston do not adequately provide a safe way for motorized vehicles to overtake people riding bicycles in the bike lane. Trolley buses, trucks and other large vehicles regularly travel in the bike lane, putting people riding bicycles at extreme risk of being sideswiped or struck from behind. Construction activities also routinely negatively impact the roadway condition with gravel and debris, and cones and markers are often moved into the path designated as the bike lane. (Please see the image attached below of current conditions heading inbound. Notice the bike lane is blocked by jersey barriers, forcing people riding bicycles into the travel lane.) Moreover, instructing outbound cyclists to walk their bikes on the sidewalk does not fulfill MassDOT’s promise to provide two way bike travel for the duration of the project.
From what we understand, this situation is temporary and twoway bicycle travel will switch to the upstream side of the bridge sometime early next year, but that does not make the current situation permissible to the hundreds of people biking over the Longfellow everyday. Moreover, we are concerned that the project will not follow the anticipated project schedule, and the current situation will persist throughout the winter. If that is the case, snow accumulation in the inbound bike lane will force people riding bikes into the travel lane with vehicular traffic, making an already dangerous situation even worse. We have provided a video, attached, demonstrating the approach of a trolley bus to a cyclist in the bike lane. Please note the bus’s right wheels overlapping with the bike lane, and the closeness during the pass.
We look forward to hearing how MassDOT plans to address these hazards.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Wolfson, Interim Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union Richard Fries, Executive Director, MassBike
Charlie Denison, Advocacy Committee Chair, LivableStreets Alliance
* On Tuesday, Dec. 8 the Boston Cyclists Union conducted a count of users on the Longfellow Bridge and observed 333 people riding bicycles and 713 motorized vehicles going inbound between 7:35 AM and 9:15 AM. The fact that people riding bicycles represent approximately 32% of the rushhour inbound vehicle traffic on the Longfellow Bridge demonstrate how important of a connection the bridge is for people riding bicycles between Cambridge and Boston.
__________________________________
Watch this VIDEO demonstrating unsafe riding conditions!
(See the full letter here: Longfellow Phase 2 Comments-2)
Please write to MassDOT at [email protected] and CC [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] so we can see that you’ve taken action and can help amplify your voice!
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The Word On The Street
Here is what people are saying
- Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts August 16, 2023TweetThe 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, 2023TweetThe 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, 2021Welcome 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, 2021Made 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, 2021One 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, 2020TweetSometimes, 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, 2020TweetSometimes, 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, 2020TweetSometimes, 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
