Rally for Safer Bike Lanes on Wed Oct 17, City Hall, 6pm

From the Email:

160 times.

That’s how many times each year first responders are called to a crash involving a person on a bike being struck by a car, according to Cambridge Police Department data.

That’s 160 times too many.

One more number for you: three. That is how many people have died walking on Cambridge streets this year, all within a mile of City Hall.

Cambridge Bicycle Safety invites you to join us at City Hall next Wednesday, October 17 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm for our most important event of the year. We are launching our petition campaign to complete the city-wide network of protected bike lanes in five years by putting 160 bikes on the Cambridge City Hall lawn. One for every crash. Meet people from all walks of life in Cambridge who bike and walk, hear their stories, and show city officials your support for safer streets. Please bring your bike and bike lights!

A citywide network of protected bike lanes would make 40% of crashes physically impossible, and many others less likely. The infrastructure changes we’re advocating for—separated lanes and traffic calming—will also make the city safer for pedestrians and help avoid tragedies such as this year.

The City has recognized the importance of protected bike lanes but is not moving quickly enough to implement them in response to crash data and the recent deaths of bicyclists. There are approximately 20 miles of protected bike lanes specified in the 2015 Bicycle Plan but in the past three years, only 1.2 miles have been built. In addition, there have been several cases of the city not following through on the vision in the Bicycle Plan when it rebuilds streets.

Our petition, which has already been signed by over 1,300 people, calls for:

• A commitment to build the network by 2023 with a mix of permanent construction and quick-build approaches, installing a minimum of two miles per year.
• In 2019, the city funds the development of a 25% preliminary design for the complete network.
• A commitment to comply with the City’s Bicycle Plan whenever a street is reconstructed or improvements are made.

Join us in showing city officials that there is widespread support for implementing these lanes in order to create a safe, city-wide protected network that serves residents of all ages and abilities.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, October 17!

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Today Is The Day: Porter For People Rally At 5:30pm!

From the email:

Today is the day. We are rallying in Porter Square to say two deaths in one square is too many, that these and other road fatalities were preventable with better infrastructure, and that we want #SafeStreetsNow. We want life-saving improvements to the current redesign of Porter Square and greater action to build out a city-wide protected network within 5 years.

Join us for an evening of action in the heart of one of Cambridge’s busiest intersections. The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band will be playing, and we will hear stories from a number of community members impacted by poor infrastructure. We will end with a massive people-protected bike lane on Somerville Ave and Mass Ave in a show of solidarity for vulnerable road users.

RSVP on Facebook

Details:
5:30 PM: Gather (mingling, kid’s crafts, displays, music)
6:00 PM: Rally begins
6:30 PM: People-protected bike lanes begin

Together, let’s make Porter Square a square for people.

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Share A Scary Biking Moment

From the Cambridge Bicycle Safety group:

First responders are called to 160 crashes every year involving a person on a bike being struck by a car according to Cambridge Police Department data, but we know there are many more that go unreported.

Every day people on bikes have close calls or are hit by cars on our streets. Unless it’s a major crash, we don’t know about it or don’t hear about it. Though they may not be in the statistics, these experiences exact a toll on the person riding a bike, their friends, and family who sometimes have to deal with years of trauma or injury.

The 160 moments project seeks to hear the untold experiences of people who ride in Cambridge and why it is so important that the City rapidly move toward a city-wide network of protected bike lanes.

The stories should be short, less than 160 words. Please submit by Wednesday, January 31st. Share your moment now. It will only take a few minutes.

Thanks,
CBS core organizing team

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Action: Ask Council Candidates To Sign Onto The Bike Safety Platform

From the email:

Contact City Council candidates and ask them to sign onto the Cambridge Bicycle Safety platform (text below) urging a more aggressive implementation of the 20 miles of protected lanes called for in the City’s Bike Plan, along with a specific timeline.

Friends, What a tough yet inspiring year it has been for those of us who bike in and around Cambridge. After the tragic deaths of Amanda Phillips and Joe Lavins in 2016, thousands of Cambridge residents signed our petition calling for safer streets. The city responded by installing several new protected lanes, bringing the total to 4 miles throughout the Cambridge. Unfortunately these segments remain disjointed and no clear plan for the future exists. To make matters worse, the latest update from city officials for today’s City Council meeting indicates they are only exploring one new segment of protected lanes (along Mass Ave) and provides no timeline for implementation. This simply does not meet the urgency that is required to avoid future tragedies and meet the city’s equity, Vision Zero, and climate neutrality goals. Our streets still aren’t safe: First responder data show a 23% increase in bicycle crashes in 2016 even as total crashes in the city have slightly decreased (see note below). First responders are called to a crash involving a vehicle and bike every other day. Intentional violence by road rage drivers is now commonplace due to poor street design. Protected lanes are overwhelmingly popular and effective: Over 3,000 people signed a petition calling for a protected network in Cambridge and hundreds more have sent thank you notes after new lanes were installed. Participatory budgeting shows broad, continued support through a democratic process. Protection and separation are the only ways to provide a safe space for people of all ages and abilities to bike. Safe spaces for biking are proven to result in higher numbers of bicyclists, helping the city achieve the mode shift necessary to reduce car dependency. The number of young or inexperienced bicyclists is increasing: high school students in Cambridge counted more than 350 bicycles parked at the school earlier this year, and the high school athletes often use bikes to get from school to practice locations and home. Cambridge is having municipal elections on November 7, and the make-up of the City Council will play a large role in the roll-out of badly needed infrastructure. This week we are asking all candidates to sign onto the Cambridge Bicycle Safety platform (see text below) urging a more aggressive implementation of the 20 miles of protected lanes called for in the City’s Bike Plan, along with a specific timeline. Action alert – please take all three of these actions: Contact City Councillors and City Council candidates and encourage them to sign onto our election platform. Click here to email all council candidates at once. A quick email asking them to support the platform and a few words about why it matters to you will be perfect. If that link doesn’t work for you, a spreadsheet with Council candidates’ contact info is available here. Please copy [email protected] on your email. Attend the Climate Resilience Candidates Forum tomorrow evening (Tuesday, September 26, 6:30-9pm) and ask candidates to support making our streets safe for all users, the platform and improvements to safety on our streets. Register yourself to vote right now (deadline is soon). If you are already registered or are ineligible, please tell a friend to do so. We’ll be updating you all soon with information regarding the candidates who signed our pledge, as well as summaries of those who responded to the Vision Zero election questionnaire we co-sponsored with the Vision Zero Massachusetts Coalition. (The full questionnaire responses are available here.) As we head into this election season, it’ll be especially important to raise our voices and speak out for safer streets and quicker action. We are grateful for the progress that has been made, but know that much more needs to be done – and at a much faster pace – if we are to avoid future tragedies and encourage people of all ages and abilities to travel safely through the city by bike. Note regarding crash data: Police Department crash data for 2015-2016 were downloaded from Cambridge Open Data (https://data.cambridgema.gov/). This data set is likely incomplete and does not include crashes for which first responders were not called. Sincerely, The CBS Core Team Cambridge Bicycle Safety Platform for the 2017 Council Election There are over 200 miles of streets in Cambridge. The 2015 Bicycle Plan calls for protected bike lanes on approximately 20 miles of major thoroughfares to create a safe, city-wide protected network that serves residents of all ages and abilities. Approximately 4 miles of these protected bike lanes have been installed. I will vote for a municipal ordinance that requires the city to install at least 4 miles of pop-up protected bike lanes each year until the city-wide protected network is complete and to install permanent protected bike lanes when the streets specified as part of the city-wide protected network are reconstructed.

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Your Hard Work Paid Off!

from the email:

————–

We emailed, we called, we showed up – and we won! Due to the tremendous support for protected bicycle lanes over the past 3 weeks–in emails, calls, and in-person testimonies–on Monday, August 7, the City Council decided to remove the original language of the proposed order #191 O-14 which would have halted further progress on the roll-out of bicycle lanes. Your involvement made a big difference, so thank you.

Because of the over 300 emails and 2 hours of public testimony, the order was modified to call for increased communication by the City during the roll-out of projects without a halt in implementation. We have heard from several people in the public sector that this change would not have been possible without our steadfast, collective vocal advocacy for safer streets.

What’s next? There are two events this week as well as various projects across the city. We’ll list the projects at the end of the email.

Cambridge Street Inaugural Bike Ride

This will be the longest stretch of protection on a major Cambridge artery, and a crucial step towards a network of protected infrastructure for all ages and abilities. So, let’s ride!

Meet neighbors and join in an inaugural bike ride, a local business raffle kick-off, some snacks and music! Share your thoughts on what streets should be prioritized next!

Note: City councilors and new candidates will be there. This is a chance to meet some of them in advance of this fall’s election. Let’s show them how much support there is for safe infrastructure!

WHEN: Saturday, Aug 26 2-4pm. First ride kickoff at 2:30pm, other groups as more people arrive!

WHERE: Plaza in front of Fitzgerald Theater at CRLS (between Irving & Trowbridge Streets on Cambridge St)

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North Cambridge

The final meeting for the bicycle lanes on North Mass Ave is next Monday, August 28. Given recent scrutiny due to Brattle Street, it is crucial to show up and ensure that the project goes through. As we wrote in our letter to the city, while these lanes are not protected, they will be a huge improvement over the status quo. We also made suggestions to improve their design and your continued outreach to both the community and the City will support the City to implement safer solutions for this section of busy Mass Ave.

These lanes could go in as early as this fall if there’s enough public support.

WHEN: Monday, August 28, 6:00 – 8:00pm

WHERE: Trolley Square Apartments Community Room, 8 Cameron Ave

RSVP & share

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