Got this in the mail today, if you are interested in getting involved with JP bikes hit up their google group jpbikes@googlegroups.com

A brief summary of the Dec 9 JP Bikes organizing meeting (This is not the complete minutes of the meeting)

This is to both review what we did and to help others get involved.

We are building toward a larger community meeting tentatively set for Tuesday Feb 3 at the Agassiz School.

Jeff, Jen and Matt presented 5 Action Points to assign to committees. Each action committee will meet at least once prior to the Feb 3 meeting to create its own agenda and priorities. My descriptions here are not complete, but are summaries and examples.

1 Communication and Administration, chaired by Jen Paulousky. This group will work on both internal and external communication, both in print and electronic. Other members are Joe Slag, Arienne Nick, and Greg Howard.

2. Rides & Events, chaired by Matt DeMarrais. The first project this group will be taking on will be some kind of spring community ride e.g. JP Bikes Centre/South St. celebrating no trolley tracks. Other members are Jeff Ferris, Arienne Nick, Sherry Eskin, and Bob Dizon.

3. Advocacy Committee, chaired by Jeff Ferris. This group initially is primarily focused on Southwest Corridor and Emerald Necklace paths issues.
An immediate project will be to work with Peter Furth’s Northeastern students on a set of recommendations for signage and other safety issues at the SWC path intersections. Other members are Doug Mink, Sarah Freeman, and Teresa Roberts. This committee would welcome folks from around the city (such as from RosiBikes and DotBikes) who are interested.

4. CityWide Issues, co-chaired by Anne McKinnon and Doug Mink. To deal with whatever the Mayor’s bike program is, and to work with the upcoming city bike advisory committee being formed by Nicole Freedman. Also to work and communicate with the other neighborhood bike groups. Also includes Matt DeMarrais

5. Education Committee, chaired by Bob Dizon. This group has the most wide-open agenda to create: anything from training workshops to printed material and maps. Other members are Jeff Ferris, Anne McKinnon, David Webster, and Jen Paulousky.

Of note, but not assigned to a committee: Eric Scheier of the MBTA tells me that they want to put a bike storage cage at Forest Hills Station. I presume this would be similar to but smaller than one recently installed at Alewife Station. Eric will be looking for some community input, but no details yet.

So, if you weren’t there last night, please communicate and sign on to a committee!
I think we all agreed that JP is a great place to bike. There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for making Boston a better place to bike, and to help more people share our joy of riding bikes in Boston.

These look like some nice classes, and are cheap too!

Ferris Wheels Bike Shop in Jamaica Plain is offering classes in fall 2008 for bicyclists. Mondays nights at 7 pm. Oct. 20: Flats (hands-on); Oct. 27: Brakes; Nov. 3: Winter Riding tips (basic); Nov. 10: Bearings; Nov. 17: Quick and Dirty talk on flats (basic); and Nov. 24: Spoke replacement and wheel truing. Basic classes are: $5; hands-on are $30. Classes will be held at Ferris Wheels, 66 South St., JP. Register by calling Ferris Wheels at 617 524-BIKE.

Got this in the mail today, it costs 10 smackers, but looks like a good time.

Pianos to Pints

A Bike Tour of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain

Saturday, September 13th, 10am-12pm, $10. On September 13, Discover Roxbury
will launch its fall tour series with a bike tour along the Southwest
Corridor Park that will examine the hidden industrial history of Roxbury
and Jamaica Plain. Participants will see how Boston’s once-thriving
breweries and factories have found new lives and learn how community
protest stopped I-95 from being built through both neighborhoods. The tour
begins at the Piano Factory and travels along the route of the Orange Line
to Roxbury Crossing, through the heart of the former brewery district, and
ends at the former Sturtevant Factory in Jamaica Plain.

The tour is 2.5 miles along mostly flat ground. Beginners are welcome. The
tour is weather permitting and is limited to 20 participants. All
participants must bring and wear a bike helmet. The event is co-sponsored
by the Jamaica Plain Historical Society.

Tickets for the tour can be purchased on the Discover Roxbury website at
www.discoverroxbury.org. Riders will meet in front of the Piano Factory at
791 Tremont St at 10am.

Discover Roxbury is a non-profit organization based in Eliot Square,
Roxbury. The organization is currently celebrating its 5th year of
promoting cultural tourism and the economic revitalization of Roxbury. We
offer a regular series of tours and events highlighting the arts, culture,
and historic assets of Roxbury, from the colonial period to the present
day.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact the Discover
Roxbury office: 617-427-1006, info@discoverroxbury.org,
www.discoverroxbury.org.