Some Good News For Dorchester Biking

From DotBike:

A few things are shacking up this spring on the Dorchester bike scene.  Sorry, my editor is on a break, so I am going to drop a load of poorly edited information and highlight the essential parts.

Jen Rowe is a recently hired enthusiastic Active Transportation Planner for the City of Boston. Among other things, she is scouting for new Bluebikes station locations in Dorchester.  On Wednesday, we took a walk around Fields Corner.  We should soon get a year around location in front of the T station, and possibly another one at another location yet to be determined, which would be amazing.  We spotted three potential spaces in Fields Corner for a second permanent station. Each one seems technically possible, but may present some authorization/permitting challenges. Other areas are also under serious consideration, this includes Shawmut and Ashmont. There are actually more new stations in Dorchester/Mattapan than I realized; it’s just that I don’t happen to live near them! I copied below a map from the City’swebsite on bike share expansion.

Next is the text from an email I received from Eliza Parad, Director of organizing at the Boston Cyclist Union.  It has some important announcements. Please join if you can -especially the ride with Councillor Andrea Campbell.  Unfortunately, I will be out of town that day.

*  First of all, I am reaching out to let all the groups that signed on to our letter about Mass Ave to the City to share the news that the Mayor announced in his proposed transportation budget that bike lanes will be extended down Mass Ave to the intersection with Columbia Road! Planning will start in the fall and implementation will happen in 2020. He didn’t say what kind of bike lanes, so as always, we will need folks to come out and advocate for protected bike lanes, but this is a big step forward and it’s thanks to advocacy from so many people and groups, including DotBike!

*  I wanted to share that if anyone in DotBike lives in Andrea Campbell’s district, we are hosting a ride with her next Friday so she can experience what cyclists feel when they ride on unprotected lanes (or roads with no infrastructure at all). This is part of our Boston Bike Budget Campaign to raise the funding level this year for Vision Zero and the Strategic Bike Network. 

*  We also have a City-Wide Glacial Pace of Progress Rally and Ride (at a much more accessible time for most people than the ride with Andrea Campbell) on Sunday, May 5 at 2pm. We hope to have hundreds of folks at that ride and wanted to make sure DotBike knows about it. 

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DCR Public Meeting On 6/27 RE: Morrissey Blvd Redesign

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Share Your #VisionZero Vision With State Senators! (Online And In Person This Tuesday 1/31, )

From DotBike:

Hi Dot Bikers,

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DotBike Event This Wednesday!

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Submit Comments On Morrissey Blvd. Redesign

From DotBike:

Submit your comments re reconstruction of Morrissey Boulevard!

And don’t forget to copy your State Rep and State Senator so they know what’s important to you. Www.wheredoivotema.com is where you can check who yours are.

Department of Conservation and Recreation reconstruction of Morrissey Boulevard:
Comments from the public will be accepted until the close of business on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and may be submitted online or in writing to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Public Outreach, 251 Causeway St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02114…..Leahy Holloran Community Center, 1 Worrell St., Dorchester

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/submit-public-comments/

more info about this from Boston Bicycle Union:

6-lane Morrissey Blvd, prone to high speeds, is in major need of a road diet Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27th, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is holding a public meeting to present plans for a redesigned Morrissey Blvd. Currently a 6-lane, high speed road, DCR will be showing plans that include a road diet and protected bike lanes. A site of two fatal crashes in the past 4 years and many other serious crashes due to speeding, these changes would be a huge improvement, adding a safe bicycle connection from Dorchester to South Boston, and slowing and making the streets safer for all road users.  Bike facilities on Morrissey Blvd have long been a top priority for Dorchester and South Boston cyclists.  Connecting to the Neponset River Greenway, these new protected bike lanes would serve a significant number of people commuting by bike.  DCR needs to hear that neighbors, residents and the general public support these changes! Show up and speak up!   Morrissey Blvd Redesign Meeting Tuesday, September 27, 6:30-8:30 PM The Leahy Holloran Community Center 1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 If you cannot make it, you are invited to submit comments after the public meeting, with a deadline for receipt by DCR of close of business on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. Comments may be submitted online at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/submit-public-comments/ or by writing to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Public Outreach, 251 Causeway Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02114.

The area encompassed in the Neighborhood Slow Streets program is highlighted in orange. Also tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27th, the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is holding a community meeting to discuss and get your feedback on the upcoming transportation improvements to the Talbot Norfolk Triangle neighborhood (pictured to the right), that will be implemented as part of Mayor Walsh’s Vision Zero Action Plan. With goals of bringing down vehicle car speeds, reducing the number and severity of crashes on residential streets and reducing cut-through traffic, this plan represents a major victory for safer streets and better biking in Boston! From BTD: “Proposed designs include visual and physical cues to slow drivers to 20 MPH-making each street feel safer and more comfortable for people who live, walk, bike, or play in the neighborhood. Our plans include: Signs to alert people that they are entering a Neighborhood Slow Streets area with a speed limit of 20 mph and ahead of any traffic calming devices. Pavement markings to help organize the streets and indicate traffic calming devices. Speed humps to self-enforce driver speeds on each route through the neighborhood. Speed humps are typically 4″ at their highest point and 12 to 14 feet long. People in cars and on bikes can comfortably travel over them at safe speeds, and they do not impact parking or drainage. Daylighting and curb extensions to enforce no-parking restrictions and improve visibility of crosswalks and other drivers at intersections. Raised crosswalks to help emphasize pedestrians crossing the street. More details will be provided at the meeting and online after the meeting.” The Transportation Department needs to hear from residents that they support this plan in this neighborhood of Dorchester, and want to see similar efforts in additional neighborhoods across Boston! Show up and speak up!   Talbot Norfolk Triangle Neighborhood Slow Streets Meeting Tuesday, September 27, 6:30 PM Prayer Tower Apostolic Church 151 Norfolk St, Dorchester If you cannot make it to the meeting, the presentation will be posted online afterwards and you can email your comments to [email protected].

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