with Nicole Freedman, Director of Boston Bikes, City of Boston

See all event photoshere

For the second year in a row, Boston Public Library’s Rabb Hall was filled with over 300 people who care about better biking in Boston. Director of Boston Bikes, Nicole Freedman, presented on the Bike Network Plan, Climate Action Goal, Hubway bike share, parking facilities, crash report, youth programs, festivals and more. Some facts from the update:

• Boston is the 5th most bikeable city in the country
• Biking is up 82% since 2005
• New data on cyclist injuries in Boston: mostly male, peak age 21, peak hour 5 p.m.
• 1884 bikes donated to date by Roll It Forward
• The nation’s first bike helmet vending machine is coming to Boston this summer

Thank you to everyone who attended and asked questions, and thank you for your advocacy and passion for better biking in Boston. LivableStreets is happy to have hosted this event for its fifth year. Were you unable to attend? Eager to find out more? We have you covered: Boston Bikes Annual Report, Bike Update films and photos.

Tuesday, June 11, 12-1pm and 5:30-6:30pm  

@ LivableStreets office, 100 Sidney St, Cambridge

[email protected] to RSVP

There’s more than one way to think about our streets, use our streets, and to enjoy our streets. As a LivableStreets Street Ambassador, you’ll be helping people shift their perceptions about what our communities could be.

Represent LivableStreets in neighborhoods, at festivals and at other public events. Learn the ins and outs of our campaigns and projects. Livable streets are achievable, but only when you get involved.

Last year, our 25 Street Ambassadors made national news and helped win short-term improvements in our Remove McGrath Campaign. Help make change this summer. Find out more here and RSVP for a training today!

@ LivableStreets office, 100 Sidney Street, Cambridge

Free and open to the public. $5-$15 suggested donation.

What is the difference between congestion and “failure” in transportation? How does measuring vehicles instead of people at intersections affect the way our streets are designed? Are safety, economic development and livability taken into account in federal standard highway design manuals?

The transportation engineering community is advancing road design concepts that encourage active transportation, but new approaches and standards have not yet been widely adopted. Come hear Peter Koonce, from City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, speak to the challenges and identify design approaches that would allow the development of a balanced transportation system that better embodies local community policy and needs. Portland, Oregon will be used as a case study to show how the City was able to prioritize its own design policy over national “Level of Service” thresholds.

Where are you from?

I’m from Manhattan, Kansas–“The Little Apple”–home of Kansas State University. It’s a small city, almost out in the middle of nowhere, with a lot of college town pride.

What is your favorite street in greater Boston?

As a JP (Jamaica Plain) resident, I’m probably required by law to say Centre Street. I love the community, the local businesses, and the great restaurants. The 39 bus runs along it, providing an easy, pleasant alternative to driving through JP. Bikes are very welcome here, so you really do see all modes of transportation sharing the road.

What kinds of projects are you involved with at LivableStreets?

I often help with outreach for events, like the Boston Bike Update a couple weeks ago. Last year, I enjoyed helping to get public transit users to write postcards to Governor Patrick asking for long term funding for public transit.

What is your favorite LivableStreets advocacy project? The Circle the City events are so much fun. When else do you get to walk or bike carefree down your favorite city streets? I’m particularly excited about the Avenue of the Arts event this summer, given that I use Huntington Avenue every day.

What would your bumper sticker say?

I’d rather be taking the T!

>Read Cleo’s full Spotlight here.

>If you are interested in volunteering with LivableStreets, come to our

I came up with the idea of a bicycle commuter challenge as a way to do what I could to help motivate others to take up bike commuting. As an avid bike commuter, a member of LivableStreets, Secretary of the Somerville Bicycle Committee and an employee of Ironwood, it seemed that my workplace was as good a place to start as any.
The idea of the bike challenge was quickly embraced at Ironwood, which also sponsoredStreetTalk: How Cambridge made mode-shift a reality, last November. We formed an active committee comprised of employees of the four companies and representatives of Bio-Med Realty and Transaction Associates. The goal of the challenge was to encourage more employees to take up bike commuting during the week and hopefully for the many weeks beyond Bike Week.  The committee put in place an education campaign with Urban Cycling workshops, free bike checks provided by Urban Adventours and a Google map of bike commuting routes commonly used by existing bike commuters.

So how did the challenge go? Bike commuting increased considerably during the challenge week. Ironwood nearly doubled the number of bike commuters, and a number of Ironwood employees biked to work for the first time. It was a thrill to see new bike commuters inspired by this event, two of my close colleagues, one who lives in Newton and one who lives in Lexington commuted every day during the week and are now hooked on bike commuting. That was the biggest thrill to me! We look forward to holding this challenge again next year and to encouraging other companies to participate in similar challenges.

Do you love this StreetLife publication? How about our events? What about the change we create on the ground, such as making the McGrath Corridor better for people walking, biking and taking transit? Did you enjoy being kept in the know about state wide transportation funding this winter? If you answered yes to one or all of these questions, its time to become a member! Join for only $50 for the year to show that you support our work to create safer streets, and better transportation options, for you.

To top it off, if you become a member (or renew) in the next week, you will be entered to win two free round trip Cape Flyer tickets! Cape Flyer is the new weekend train from South Station to Hyannis, and the best part is that you can take your bike at no extra cost. Its a great new, stress-free option to get to the Cape, and we want our members to go for free.

Open Streets on the Avenue of the Arts

Sunday, July 14th, 11am-4pm

@ Huntington Avenue, Boston

Open Streets on Blue Hill Avenue

Sunday, September 29th, 11am-4pm

@ Blue Hill Avenue, Boston

Presented by Circle the City

Event details here>>

Fundraiser for LivableStreets   

Tuesday, June 11, 12-1pm and 5:30-6:30pm  

@ LivableStreets office, 100 Sidney St, Cambridge

[email protected] to RSVP
  

There’s more than one way to think about our streets, use our streets, and to enjoy our streets. As a LivableStreets Street Ambassador, you’ll be helping people shift their perceptions about what our communities could be.

Represent LivableStreets in neighborhoods, at festivals and at other public events. Share how our campaigns and programs are helping to improve the quality of life for people in and around metro Boston. Livable streets are achievable, but only when you get involved.

Last year, our 25 Street Ambassadors made national news and helped win short-term improvements in our Remove McGrath Campaign! Help make change this summer. Find out more information here and RSVP for a training today!

Parking plays a big role in the way streets are designed and how our public space is used. Here are some facts on parking. Weigh in, what do you think about parking? Share your comments on Twitter, Facebook or send to [email protected].   

Did you know? 

• Ninety-nine percent of U.S. car trips begin and end in a free parking space.*
• The average automobile is parked 95 percent of the time.*
• Although many businesses today believe they benefit from free parking, curbside parking meters were actually introduced in 1935 by an Oklahoma City department store owner. He wanted to increase parking turnover so that there would always be spaces available for his customers.*
• Boston does not charge for residential parking permits, and issues about 350,000 permits every two years.**

*StreetsBlog.com

**Parking consultant, Mark Chase.

Where are you from?

I’m from Chicago, IL. I grew up in Hyde Park, a neighborhood on the south side of the city near the University of Chicago, and my family later moved to Wilmette, a suburb on the north side. So I got both the city and suburban experience growing up.

  What is your favorite street in greater Boston?

I love Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, especially near Central Square, where I live. It’s a good example of how reducing travel lanes on a major street can make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate.

What do you like about volunteering for LivableStreets Alliance?

Because LivableStreets is so volunteer-driven, there’s tons of opportunity to help out should you choose to pursue it. On the advocacy committee, if you have a good idea, more experienced volunteers (who have an incredible wealth of knowledge about transportation issues) will help you take it as far as you can.

What would your bumper sticker say?

“Yeah, my bike is in the shop”

> Watch the Remove McGrath video Paul created and read the full Spotlight here.

> If you are interested in volunteering with LivableStreets, come to our Volunteer Fridays from 12-2pm at our office, 100 Sidney Street, Cambridge! Next one happening tomorrow!

Grounding McGrath: Determining the Future of the Route 28 Corridor

Wednesday, May 15, 6-8pm

@ Albert F. Argenziano School, 290 Washington St, Somerville  

Meeting details here>>

Open Streets on the Avenue of the Arts

Sunday, July 14th, 11am-4pm

@ Huntington Avenue, Boston

Open Streets on Blue Hill Avenue

Sunday, September 29th, 11am-4pm

@ Blue Hill Avenue, Boston

Presented by Circle the City

Event details here>>