World Remembrance Day This Sunday Nov 18th

From The BCU:

Sunday is World Day of Remembrance. Will you join the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition in honoring victims of traffic crashes?

World Day of Remembrance
Sunday, Nov. 18 // 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Learn more + RSVP

The day will begin with a ghost bike ceremony at 12:30 pm, followed by a vigil and silent march from the State House to City Hall to demand swifter action to prevent traffic deaths.

We know you are angry and sad about recent fatalities on our streets. So are we. These kinds of tragedies are avoidable with better, proactive planning and policy. Stand with us to show that life-saving infrastructure improvements cannot wait.

While Boston has made some progress toward reducing injurious crashes, change has not come quickly enough. In 2017, there were 1,162 cyclist and pedestrian incidents that prompted an EMS response — or more than 3 per day. Meanwhile, Boston’s bike fatality rate continues to be higher than the rates in comparable cities. (It’s one reason Boston fell this year to #20 in Bicycling Magazine’s ranking of the best bike cities in America.)

Friday’s fatal crash, in which a dump truck driver hit and killed BU graduate student Meng Jin as he biked near the Museum of Science, serves as another devastating reminder of the dangers posed by deadly street design. (A ghost bike ceremony will be held on Sunday before the rally and demonstration; for more information and to RSVP head here.)

Meng Jin Ghost Bike Ceremony
Sunday, Nov 18 // 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Intersection of Charles River Dam & Museum Way
Learn more + RSVP

On Sunday, members of the Coalition will be placing silhouettes at crash sites throughout the Boston area, as well as statewide, as part of the #CrashNotAccident awareness campaign. Crashes are not accidents — they’re the tragic, preventable results of inadequate planning and policy. People make mistakes; our streets must be designed so those mistakes are not fatal. Please join us to ensure that these lives are not forgotten and to demand safe streets for all in our communities.

Take part in the following memorial actions:

12:30 pm – Meng Jin Ghost Bike Ceremony at Charles River Dam & Museum Way
1:45 pm – Gather on the steps of Massachusetts State House for a Memorial Vigil
2:00 pm – Program for Memorial Vigil begins
2:45 pm – Silent Walk of Remembrance to Boston City Hall Plaza to demand safer roads
3:30 pm – Event ends

Please dress warmly and wear yellow in remembrance of those we’ve lost to traffic crashes.

We also encourage you to invite your elected state and local representatives. Show them the human toll of dangerous street design and urge them to support Vision Zero. You can find your city legislators here, and your state legislators here.

Help us spread the word via social media by using the following hashtags before and during the event: #WDoR2018 #CrashNotAccident #SafetyOverSpeed #VisionZero

The vast majority of these traffic crashes are preventable through engineering, education and enforcement. In numbers, we can recognize our loved ones, and also demand action from our elected officials.

We hope to see you there on Sunday, November 18th.

The post World Day of Remembrance, Sunday Nov. 18 appeared first on Boston Cyclists Union.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Boston Cyclists Union Is Hiring!

From their website:

Director 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.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Call And Email The Mayor, Let Him Know You Want A Better Bicycling Budget!

From The BCU:

Email Script

Below is a template for emails to Mayor Walsh. Please personalize it and add your own information. The more personal details, the more effective the letter will be. Don’t forget to forward it to your your local district city councilor and the four at-large (city-wide) councilors with a brief note asking them to support the Boston Bike Budget. Thanks!

To:

[email protected]

CC:

[email protected], joyce.[email protected], budget@boston.gov, a&[email protected], ch[email protected], gina.[email protected], btd@boston.gov, info@bostoncyclistsunion.org

Dear Mayor Walsh,

As a resident of [YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD] who bikes [OR who would bike in Boston if it were safer], I’m writing to ask you to include the Boston Cyclists Union’s Boston Bike Budget in your FY18 budget.

The City of Boston has made real progress toward changing its official policies to make riding a bike in the city easier and safer, but changes to our physical infrastructure have been slower. For many people who bike in Boston today — or would if it were safer — there has been little visible progress on the ground. The City’s Transportation Department is doing what it can, but insufficient staffing and resources are holding us back.

[WRITE A SENTENCE OR TWO ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE RIDING A BIKE IN BOSTON]

This year, Boston allocated just $3.1 million for its Vision Zero Action Plan. That’s less than $5 per capita per year towards ending traffic deaths in our city. Meanwhile, New York City has dedicated approximately $13 per capita and San Francisco about $75. Boston is trailing behind cities that have been aggressive about building safe, protected bike infrastructure. In New York City, Mayor De Blasio recently proposed an additional $66 million per year for Vision Zero street projects, bringing NYC’s funding to over $20 per capita.

If Boston is going to end traffic fatalities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make our city more livable, we need a drastic increase in the city’s funding for safe, protected bike infrastructure.

Please include the Boston Bike Budget in your FY18 budget:

• Increase the capital budget for Vision Zero from $3.1 million in FY17 to $12 million in FY18.
• Increase the capital budget for the Strategic Bicycle Network Project from $900,000 in FY17 to $4 million in FY18.
• Increase the capital budget for Transportation Planning from $200,000 in FY17 to $800,000 in FY18.
• Increase the operating budget for Transportation Department Policy and Planning from $1,074,431 in FY17 to $2 million in FY18.

With our proposed Boston Bike Budget, we could build more than a dozen miles of protected bike lanes each year. Today, 2% of Bostonians regularly bike to work, and with just 2% of the City’s $898 million streets budget, we could make major strides towards allowing people of all ages and abilities to bike safely in every neighborhood of Boston.

[WRITE A SENTENCE OR TWO ABOUT BIKING IMPROVEMENTS YOU’D LIKE TO SEE]

In both the GoBoston 2030 Vision Framework and the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan, Boston set forth several positive goals to achieve by 2030, including increasing bicycling mode share fourfold, ensuring that all households are within a 5-minute walk of a protected bicycle facility or shared use path, and eliminating traffic deaths. If we are to reach those goals, we need increased funding for safe, protected bike infrastructure.

I hope you will include the Boston Bike Budget in your FY18 budget and help make Boston safe and friendly for people riding bikes.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Call Script

Below is a script for calls to Mayor Walsh and City Councilors. Mayor’s office: 617-635-4500.

Hi,

I live in [YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD] and I’m calling to ask Mayor Walsh to include the Boston Cyclists Union’s Boston Bike Budget in his budget.

[SAY SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE RIDING A BIKE IN BOSTON]

If Boston is going to end traffic fatalities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make our city more livable, we need a drastic increase in the city’s funding for safe, protected bike infrastructure.

With our proposed Boston Bike Budget, we could build more than a dozen miles of protected bike lanes each year. Today, 2% of Bostonians regularly bike to work, and with just 2% of the City’s $898 million streets budget, we could make major strides towards allowing people of all ages and abilities to bike safely in every neighborhood of Boston.

I hope the Mayor will include the Boston Bike Budget in his FY18 budget and help make Boston safe and friendly for people riding bikes.

Thank you.

(If asked for details on which budget line items you are calling about:

• Increase the capital budget for Vision Zero from $3.1 million in FY17 to $12 million in FY18.
• Increase the capital budget for the Strategic Bicycle Network Project from $900,000 in FY17 to $4 million in FY18.
• Increase the capital budget for Transportation Planning from $200,000 in FY17 to $800,000 in FY18.
• Increase the operating budget for Transportation Department Policy and Planning from $1,074,431 in FY17 to $2 million in FY18.)

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Support The Vision Zero Bill!

From Boston Cyclists Union:

The Bike Union, along with our partners in the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition including MassBike, Livable Streets Alliance and WalkBoston, have been working with State Legislators, led by Senator Brownsberger and others, to file a road safety omnibus bill!

The bill, An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities, would take a number of steps to improve safety for people biking, walking and driving.  We’re thrilled that two policies that the Bike Union championed at the local level that have been adopted by the City of Boston – side guards and truck safety measures as well as improved bicycle crash reporting – have been elevated to be adopted state-wide in this legislation. The numerous other pieces of this omnibus bill make this the most impactful step towards bike safety since the last Bike Safety Omnibus Bill was passed in 2008!

 

In order for this bill to move forward it needs co-sponsors! Our friends at MassBike have a list of current co-sponsors that you can see here. You can click here to generate a letter that you can send to your State Legislators! The linked form will also allow you to figure out who your Legislators are by entering your address.

It only takes a few minutes! Help us make our streets safer for everyone! 

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Boston Area Research Initiative Releases Crash Data Map

From the Boston Cyclists Union:

The Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI), the Boston Cyclists Union, the Boston Police Department and other partners, led by Rappaport Fellow Dahianna Lopez, have released two new tools for bike advocates everywhere. One is aninteractive online crash map  that allows people to identify crash clusters and see potential patterns. Two is a public release of the raw data that helped create that map. The raw data however contains much more data than the map—including narrative police reports that are our best indication of cause and a number of facts derived from them.

The release of the data opens the door for researchers around the world and allows Boston to join just a handful of cities in the country that provide public access to police crash data, and a very select few that include narrative police reports with that data. Accessing the data requires a LinkedIn profile and approval by BARI.

More from BARI:

This instance of BostonMap illustrates patterns in bicycle collisions across Boston, MA between 2009 and 2012. The data are derived from Boston Police Department (BPD) incident narrative reports, as organized and compiled by Dahianna Lopez (Harvard Injury Control and Research Center) and partners at BPD, BARI and the Boston Cyclists Union. Visitors can also download the raw data, including narrative reports, and documentation at the BARI Data Library.
The Boston Research Map
Boston Research Map is an open source web mapping system that is an ongoing project of the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) in conjunction with the WorldMap team. It is intended to help faculty and their students, policymakers and practitioners, and community members to explore the neighborhoods of Boston from their computer. Visitors to BostonMap can:

1. Interact with the best available public data for the Boston region, while also uploading their own data.
2. See the whole Boston area but also zoom in to particular places.
3. Accumulate both contemporary and historical data supplied by researchers and make it permanently accessible online.
4. Work collaboratively across disciplines and organizations with spatial information in an online environment.

Check out the map here

The obvious benefit of data like this is that it allows a glance to see the “hot zones” of bicycle crash areas. Its obvious that Huntington Ave. and Mass. Ave. are where most of the crashes happen, and that should be where most of the effort is put to reduce them.

I was also not surprised to see that there are many crashes on the green-way bicycle path in JP. After having spent years riding on that path I can tell you that it is deceptively dangerous and could use some serious upgrades/safety changes. I wouldn’t mind seeing the existing bike path given over to pedestrians (they basically use it like a walking path anyway, even though there are signs telling them every 100 feet not to). With the current sidewalk could be turned into a buffered cycle track with a permanent cement buffer. This would keep cyclists out where turning cars can easily see them.

Big data can lead to safety, but there are some drawbacks to these maps. They need context, it would be super helpful if I could easily sort by deaths, minor skinned knee, car caused, cyclist causes, pot holes, etc. To a non-cyclist looking at this map might scare them rather badly about the safety of cycling. These issues are easy enough to solve, the data simply must be segmented properly.

Overall, these sort of projects are amazing and I can’t wait to see more of them. The next step might be a smart phone app that can help cyclists donate anonymous data to a project like this. Keep up the good work BARI, and I look forward to data like this driving future planning and policy choices.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet