The Latest From BostonBiker.org

News, Events, Updates


Help Improve Cycling In Boston: Take The Cities Bike Survey

Written by Boston Biker on Jan 14

Just a quick survey that will help the city improve its cycling infrastructure and bike programs!

From the email:

——–

Help Boston Bikes improve cycling in the city. If you biked in Boston in 2013, please take our survey found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BB2013EOYSurvey. Don’t forget to tell your friends to take the survey too!

Final responses are needed by Monday January 27, 2014. Total estimated timerequired is 10-15 minutes.

Thanks so much for all your help. We look forward to working with you in 2014.

Keep smiling,

Nicole Freedman

Director of Bicycle Programs


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Boston Bikes Update: Gave Away 1000+ Bikes!

Written by Boston Biker on Jan 14

1000+ Bikes Distributed Through Roll It Forward!
We’re proud to say that in 2013 we distributed 1,081 bikes through our Roll it Forward program. We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who helped us reach this major accomplishment.

 

Check out this blog post for more details about our past year and a video highlighting one of our latest giveaways.

 

Donate to Roll it Forward
2013 was a huge year for the Roll it Forward program. Help us make 2014 even bigger – we are in dire need of more bikes! Donate a bike today and get a jersey/t-shirt/chocolate and be entered into a raffle for an L.L. Bean gift card! Or make a bigger impact and host a bike drive in your community or at your workplace. Contact[email protected] for more information!
The Boston Bike Party is bringing the heat!
It’s chilly out there, so the Boston Bike Party is going to help us all stay warm by bringing a Heat Wave!
Bookmark this page for continued information and invite your friends on the Facebook event page.

The ride will leave at 8pm from City Hall Plaza. Come early if you want to chat with us or get free hot chocolate from our friends at Perfect Fuel Chocolate.
2013 Boston Bike Counts
The numbers are in! Once again we’ve conducted our annual bike counts. The graphic below highlights key takeaways from the counts. Maps and data tables can be found here. Questions? Please e-mail [email protected].

 

Meet our new Program Managers, Kim & Najah
Najah and Kim

Kim Foltz has been biking in Boston since 1998 when she moved here from Olympia, WA. She quickly found a home among bike enthusiasts/advocates at Bikes Not Bombs, where she served as volunteer bike instructor then Board Chair, and eventually Interim Director. Kim took a break from organizing and advocacy to get a Masters in Urban Planning at MIT, where she focused on sustainability. In 2010 she returned to the trenches as Director of Community Building and Organizing at Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc (NOAH), a community-based organization in East Boston. Among other projects at NOAH, Kim worked with youth to change bike policy on the Blue Line and engaged residents in the redesign of East Boston’s Central Square, a complete streets demonstration project.

 

Kim lives in East Boston with her husband David Diaz, and son Diego. In her free time you can find her running, skiing, playing soccer, or of course biking with her family. Kim is excited to join the Boston Bikes team!

 

Najah Shakir started at Boston Bikes as an intern in 2011. Before joining us again in July of 2013, she finished her degree in Planning at MIT, took an adventure on a bike, then traveled around Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Her previous work includes projects with YouthBuild USA, the MIT CoLab, the Vehicle Design Summit, and MIT@Lawrence.
She returns to Boston Bikes with a love of cities and a desire to make biking accessible to all. Since returning to Boston Bikes, she has managed Bike Fridays, the Hubway Subsidized Membership Program, annual bike counts, and our social media. She tweets professionally using @bikeboston and personally using @najahbikes.

 

Najah is originally from Philadelphia, PA and now lives in the Back Bay. She grew up riding tandems and recumbent tricycles. In her free time you can find her catching up on the latest blockbusters, wandering around the city, fiddling with a computer, or cross-stitching. She’s happy to be back on the team and excited to get to know more bikers in Boston.

Meet our new Intern, Hollis

Hollis is excited to be joining the Boston Bikes team. She recently moved to the city, and is thrilled to be involved in the ever-growing movement to make Boston greener.

 

Her life thus far has been defined by jumping from city to city, in the process seeing what landscapes and lifestyles really bring her home in the end. Having spent a good chunk of her youth in Tucson, Arizona, she gained a great appreciation of the outdoors. She has also lived in Tuscany, Italy, where she helped out on olive orchards. Upon returning to the States, she and her family settled in Amherst, MA.

 

Hollis has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Environmental Design with a minor in Chinese Language and Literature. She has a love of the environment, art, sustainability, and an appreciation for different cultures and cities. While at UMass, she participated in 3 study abroad programs that took her to Sicily, China, Germany, and Denmark. In Berlin and Copenhagen, she learned first-hand about the importance of bike infrastructure, and developed a love of transportation planning. She wanted to be part of similar transformations here in the States, so now she’s here and we’re very glad to have her!


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City Releases Its 2013 Bike Counts As Awesome Info Graphics

Written by Boston Biker on Jan 06

From the city’s bike website:

I think there are a lot of stories in this data, but the one that really stands out is MORE BIKES!  This town is just exploding with new riders.  Are you one of them?  Have you started riding since 2007?  Have you noticed things improving?  I feel like every year I see more and more riders, more and more good behavior, and more and more people riding year round.  BICYCLES!

 

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Since 2007 Boston has seen a 78% increase in cycling. Below you can find data from 2013, as well as data dating back to 2007. Click on each image to view a larger version.

Counts are conducted each Fall during the hours of 7-9am and 4-6pm. Thank you to all those who have volunteered their time throughout the years.

Questions, comments, or concerns? Please contact Najah Shakir at [email protected].

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Boston Bikes Update

Written by Boston Biker on Nov 21

Lots of good stuff below from the City Of Boston:

HelmetHub Launch

 

We are proud to announce that the first helmet vending machine in the country can be found at Boylston St and Mass Ave. This machine will help HelmetHub gather information and we hope to start the next Hubway season with more stations around the city. Make sure you visit the machine while you still can.

 

We are sad to announce that Hubway will be shutting down for the season. Station closures began on November 18th, and the 2013 season will end on November 27th. Please visit http://www.thehubway.com/news for information about specific station closures.

New Bike Lanes Installed
We’re on track to reach our goal of 20 miles of new bike lane in 2013! Have you seen or ridden on the latest additions to Boston’s bike infrastructure?

These lanes have recently been installed or are in progress:

  • VFW Parkway – From: Centre Street, To: Brookline Town line
  • VFW Parkway – From: Spring St, To: Brookline Town line
  • Mount Vernon St – From: Old Colony Ave, To: University Drive North
  • Freeport St – From: Dorchester Ave, To: Conley Street
  • Stuart / Huntington – From: Harcourt Ave, To: Dartmouth St
  • Adams St – From: Neponset, To: Hancock
  • Ashmont – From: Dorchester Ave, To: Neponset Ave
  • Cross Street / N Washington Street
Upcoming Public Meetings  
These meetings are part of the Connect Historic Boston project.
Atlantic Ave / Commercial St
11/20 – 6:00pm – Nazzaro Community Center, 30 N. Bennet St
The City of Boston will present a Concept Plan for Atlantic Avenue / Commercial Street (from Christopher Columbus Park to Hull Street) in the North End as part of the Connect Historic Boston initiative. The goal is to transform this corridor into a street with sufficient space for pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles to share the road comfortably.

Causeway St

11/21 – 6:00 pm – CBT Architects, 110 Canal St, 02114
This will be a public meeting to discuss the redesign of Causeway St.

Donate to Roll It Forward

 

“Though a bike may be thought of as a toy, it can also be a machine of empowerment that can change someone’s outlook on life.” –Canton Citizen
Recently, our work was highlighted in The Canton Citizen. The Canton Girl Scouts will be hosting a bike drive on November 24th from 12 – 3 pm at the Canton Public Library.

We are always accepting bike donations. If you have a bike to donate please visit http://www.bostonbikes.org/programs/roll-it-forward/donate. If you would like to host a bike drive please contact our Community Programs Manager, Jenny Duquette, atjenny.duquette@cityofboston.gov

BU’s new Bike Safety website is a valuable resource for cyclists of all abilities. It provides safe cycling tips, Boston cycling laws, and Charles River Campus and Medical Campus bike rack maps, and more.

With the new BU Bike Accident Toolkit, cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists have the ability to leverage the technology in their mobile device to create a digital record of their accident. Available free of charge to iPhone and Android users, this new app automatically records the date, time, and GPS coordinates, and prompts the user to ask the important questions and document the accident with photos, video, and recorded witness statements.

 

           


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City Releases Urban Cycling Guide

Written by Boston Biker on Sep 25

This thing has it all, a quiz, video’s, and a chance to get free/low cost gear!  You will also notice that the city “borrowed” some of the images for my website for the quiz (see here and here).  I ain’t even mad!

I passed the quiz with a perfect score.  It wasn’t hard, and pretty obvious what the right answer was.  It is rather “finger wagging” at cyclists.  But then again its a quiz for cyclists.  I it trying to address the behavior of a specific user class.  It’s not helpful to tell car drivers what to do on a cyclist behavior quiz.

It would be AMAZING if the city did a “urban drivers guide” and an “urban walkers guide” in the same style.  PLEASE CAN WE GET THIS CITY OF BOSTON, PLEASE!

—————–

 

Urban Cycling Guide!*
 
 
Boston loves cyclists, so we want to make sure you’re prepared for everything. Learn how to avoid common urban hazards. Know the rules of the road and proper cycling etiquette, too. Ride smart. Ride safe. And most of all, enjoy yourself.

Test your Bike-Q now.

*A citywide collaborative safety initiative, supported by more than 20 partners.

Check it out 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