Mayor Announces Safety Summit/Changes To Policy

As I mentioned earlier today this is the mayors announcement:

press release below

I will mull this over tonight, and post more thoughts on it tomorrow, but so far it looks good.

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Mayor Menino Convenes First-Ever Bicycling Safety Summit

Mayor and City Officials Call for a Shared Respect When Traveling Boston’s Roadways and Encourage Helmet Use

Today, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the city’s first-ever Bicycling Safety Summit at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, April 21 at Boston University’s Morse Auditorium. The Summit will gather area bicyclists and high-ranking city officials to discuss ways of improving safety for everyone who uses Boston’s roadways. The Mayor’s announcement comes in the wake of a third recent bike accident and ahead of Boston Bike Week next month.

“This is about the need for a shared, common respect amongst everyone who uses Boston’s roads,” said Mayor Menino. “We have to come together and recognize that everyone is responsible for keeping our roadways safe and that we all have the right to safe passage through our beautiful city. We can start by fulfilling the personal responsibility of wearing a helmet.”

Mayor Menino has ordered the Boston Police Department (BPD) to immediately launch a focused enforcement effort aimed at both cyclists and motorists in an effort to assist them to better share the road. Officers will more proactively seek out and fine for safety violations committed by those on a bicycle and those operating a motor vehicle. This effort will include the strict enforcement of Massachusetts laws dedicated to bicycle and pedestrian safety. The BPD is also researching the possible implementation of an enhanced reporting mechanism to document all accidents involving bikes.

Two years ago Mayor Menino developed Boston Bikes to increase cycling safety around Boston through the use of marked bike lanes and various educational campaigns. Since, Boston has seen much improvement including:

* the installation of 15 miles of bike lanes with another 20 slated for this year;
* the publication of the first-ever Boston Bikes map;
* the installation of more than 500 bike racks;
* the formation of the Boston Bikes Advisory Board designed to advise city officials on how best to implement proven safety measures such as dedicated bike lanes;
* and the passage of a city ordinance making it illegal for cars to be parked in bike lanes, the enforcement of which will be heightened by Boston Transportation Department ticket writers.

In light of the recent accidents, however, city officials encourage people to:

* Visit the Boston Bikes fanpage on Facebook or join the Boston Bikes Twitter feed to learn more about the program and share concerns about specific roads in Boston;
* Call the Mayor’s 24-hour Hotline at (617) 635-4500 if they notice a safety concern that needs immediate attention including roadway obstructions like potholes or debris;
* Visit the Boston Bikes homepage at www.cityofboston.gov/bikes to receive updates on the Cycling Safety Summit;
* Visit www.massbike.org to register for classes on bicycling safety conducted by MassBike on April 22, May 6 and May 19 at City Hall;
* Wear a protective helmet at all times when riding a bike (helmets can be bought for $5 at the Boston Medical Center gift shop);
* Come to the Bicycling Safety Summit on Wednesday.

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Mayor Menino Calls For Bike Lanes On Mass. Ave./Bike Safety Announcement Today

The Metro reported this morning:

Menino’s Bike Lane Demand
A week after one fatal and one near fatal bike accident Mayor Thomas Menino slammed the state for not allowing bike lanes on Mass. Ave., which is being reconstructed with state funds. “They fit on every other street,” Menino said. “Why is Mass. Ave. not able to fit bike lanes?”

This is a rather curious development as advocacy groups have been pushing very hard to get lanes on the “new” Mass. Ave. in Boston. More information when I have it.

EDIT: see above

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Boston Announces Plan For Upcoming Bike Lanes!

Got this in the email….seems that Boston is running cycling as fast as it can to catch up with more bike friendly cities like New York and Cambridge.

I for one am very impressed with the amount of effort they have put in over the last couple months. The problem was how far behind we started. If they can keep up this level of infrastructure improvement in a couple years Boston will be a pretty kick ass town to ride a bike in! Huzzah to the city, and huzzah to keeping up this pace!

Interesting things to note about this press release

“bike network currently being designed” and “This project is part of a greater project to create a complete network, with accessibility to existing facilities in the network including the South West Corridor and Arnold Arboretum.” = WEEEE! A bike grand plan yes, we have needed one of these for a long time, lets hope they involve the local neighborhood bike groups and MassBike, Livable Streets and others in the planning.

“At the northern end, 12 on-street parking spaces will be removed between Arboretum Way and Ukraine Way” = YIPPY! I have come to the conclusion that on street parking is a bane to everyone (drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and businesses) anytime we can kill a couple is a good time.

Press release below.

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Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes to install bike accommodations on Belgrade, Corinth, South and Washington Streets

What are bike lanes?
Bike lanes are sections of road designated for exclusive use by cyclists.

What are shared lanes?
Shared lanes are sections of roadway designated to be shared between bikes and cars. A bike symbol is added, but no lines to indicate an exclusive bike lane. These are often used when there is not sufficient space for a dedicated bike lane.

Why install bike lanes?
Belgrade, Corinth, South and Washington Streets are important parts of the bike network currently being designed by the City. These roads in particular, help cyclists traveling between West Roxbury, Roslindale, Forest Hills and ultimately downtown Boston. It is only fitting to make this road as safe as possible, for all users.

What about safety?
Bike lanes are proven to make the roads safer for all users. They do so in the following ways: Provide guidance for vehicles wishing to pass cyclists; Designate safe riding zone for cyclists; Encourage cars to drive at slower, safer speeds; Encourage cyclists to bicycle more respectfully and predictably; Reduce the number of cyclists biking on the sidewalk; Make pedestrians and vehicles more aware of cyclists.

What are the project limits and scope?
The City will install bike accommodations on Belgrade, from West Roxbury Parkway to South Street; on South Street from Belgrade to Washington; on Washington from south Street to the Forest Hills T and Corinth, from Belgrade to Washington. This project is part of a greater project to create a complete network, with accessibility to existing facilities in the network including the South West Corridor and Arnold Arboretum.

What is involved with installation?
Work will take place over 1-3 days, in October, typically between 7 AM and 3 PM. Parked cars may need to be temporarily removed.

Will parking be impacted?
With the exception of the northern end of the project, parking will not be impacted by the bike lanes. At the northern end, 12 on-street parking spaces will be removed between Arboretum Way and Ukraine Way. Impacts are anticipated to be minimal as off-street parking is generally available in this area.

Will traffic be impacted?
In general, traffic will not be impacted by this project. Changes are proposed between Arboretum Way and the Ukraine Way. Currently Washington Street operates as two lanes southbound from the Forest Hills Orange Line station to just north of Arboretum Way where it becomes one lane southbound. To accommodate bike lanes in this area, the lane switch from two lanes to one will be moved north as the center southbound lane at Ukraine will become a left turn only lane and one southbound lane will be provided south of this point.

Contact Nicole Freedman, Bike Programs Director, 617-918-4456,
[email protected]

Boston Bikes is part of Mayor Menino’s vision for a vibrant and healthy city that benefits all its citizens. It seeks to make Boston a world-class bicycling city by creating safe and inviting conditions for all.

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Go For A Bike Ride Wit Da Mayor (Bay State Bike Week Kickoff Event)

Just got this in the email. Seems I am a friend of Bay State Bike Week…aww shucks guys thanks.

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Dear Friends of Bay State Bike Week,

On behalf of the city of Boston, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Bay State Bike Week organizing committee, I would like to cordially invite you to the Bay State Bike Week Kickoff Press Announcement and mini-bike ride.

• Monday, May 11, 2009
• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM; departing City Hall at 12:00 sharp.
• Start @ 1 City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA (at flagpole on Cambridge Street side).
• Finish @ Christopher Columbus Park, Boston, MA

Together we will bike 1 mile from City Hall Plaza to Christopher Columbus Park for the speaking portion where Mayor Menino and members of the Mass Commute team launch Bike Week. Thank you T-shirts provided to first 50 arrivals and water bottles to all who join.

R.S.V.P preferred but not required: [email protected]

Sincerely,

The Bay State Bike Week Team

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Da Mayor At Geekhouse!

Got this from Marty over at Geekhouse Bikes.

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So this is kind of crazy, but Mayor Menino is coming to the Geekhouse shop this Thursday 3/19 at 11am for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Basically I got a loan from the city of Boston a while back and this is the part where they hand me one of those big fake check things. I feel a little weird about the whole thing, but it’s pretty awesome that the city is supporting local business and especially bike related ones. Anyway, I guess they want a lot of people to show up and show support from the local bike community, so I’ll have some free coffee and donuts before the event! So everyone come on over to 15 West Sorrento St, in Allston, see you Thursday! Thanks guys!

-Marty

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Mayor Might Close Newbury To Cars This Summer

This sounds like a fantastic idea…If this works out (stores don’t lose money, maybe even make more money), it would be a great bit of data to support the idea that removing cars from certain areas can actually help business not hurt it. On street parking has long been a holy icon of Boston, and it is nice to see that someone has the stones to challenge the theology of the on street parking.

As the weather gets warmer, Newbury Street shoppers may get the right of way if the mayor gets his way.

Mayor Thomas Menino is proposing that the popular shopping spot be shut down to cars and open only to pedestrian traffic on weekends in July and August.

His hope: to make the area more people friendly and allow them more room to wander freely.

It is an announcement the Martin Lawrence Gallery has been waiting for.

“People don’t have to be frustrated with motor vehicle traffic. It opens up the sidewalks, we’ve got a good crowd down here, people biding for space. Take the cars out, people have more freedom,” said Mitch Rutt, of the Martin Lawrence Gallery.

Pedestrians think it’s a great idea.(via)

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Apply Now: Mayor Menino’s Bike Friendly Business Awards

Got this from the city today. Want to brag how bike awesome your business is? Sign up and show your stuff! Deadline is Feb 13 so act now!

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Dear Friend,

We invite you to apply to Mayor Menino’s Bike Friendly Business Program on behalf of your organization or business.

Mayor Menino’s Bike Friendly Business Program recognizes businesses and organizations that encourage bicycling among employees. We’ve done all the hard work. We came up with a checklist of simple ways that you can encourage cycling. All you need to do is check off what your organization or company does.

Apply on behalf of your company or organization. Applications should be submitted by February 13, 2009. All winners will be announced and honored by Mayor Menino at a reception in April.

The Bicycle Friendly Business Program is an integral part of our efforts to turn Beantown into Greentown. We want to honor those businesses, residents and community leaders who are at the forefront of sustainability.

To download forms, please go to the City’s website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/greenawards/pdfs/greenawards_bike_2009.pdf .

For more information, please contact Nicole Freedman via email [email protected], or phone at 617-918-4456.

Thanks for helping spread the word.

Nicole Freedman
Director, Boston Bikes
617-918-4456

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Geekhouse Hitting The Big Time!

Marty over at Geekhouse Bikes has been doing some AMAZING stuff lately (here and here). I am not just talking about his amazing bike, seems he is getting his business side of things moving as well.

From the geekhouse website. (I know this is mad late in posting this, but I thought it was such a cool development that I couldn’t let it pass)

So I got an email on Sunday night saying that Mayor Menino was going to mention Geekhouse in his annual State of the City address which took place last night (I’m at the 8:27 section). At first I didn’t really know much about it. But then Monday I found out that the whole event would be broadcast live on Chanel 5 Boston, and that I had a reserved seat in one of the front rows at the event, which would be held in prestigious Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston.

If I haven’t mentioned this before in December I got a loan from the City of Boston to help purchase some necessary manufacturing equipment, and also provide the ability to hire 1-2 employees to help out with fabrication. This whole process involved a lot of time and effort. I sought out help from Score a division of the Boston SBA in reviewing a detailed business plan I wrote myself. And of course I had a lot of support from my amazing lawyer Joel Kinney of Goldstein and Herndon in Chestnut Hill. So after about 6 months of planning and effort I was finally approved for the loan. Also, a big thanks to Bill Nickerson and everyone from the BLDC for all their help with getting that done!

So back to the event last night. I ended up bringing my girlfriend Andrea, my Mom and two sisters Corie and Katty, and also Josh from Open Bicycle. I was told we had reserved seating, but when we walked in there were two levels, and upper and lower. The security guard blocked us when I tried to walk into the lower section, and I told him the I was Marty Walsh and we had reserved seating. His response was, “Oh yes Mr. Walsh, someone will show you to your seats.” Now, there’s also a state rep named Marty Walsh, so my response to him was “No, I’m the other Marty Walsh, not the State Rep Marty Walsh.” And he then said. “Oh no, we know who your are, I’ll have someone show you to your seats.”

The whole thing was pretty surreal. We had 4 seats which all had Marty Walsh written of them in the front row of the right side of the room. Then there were two seats for me and Andrea only a few rows back from the front row, which included Gov Deval Patrick, and the Mayor’s wife. My thoughts through the whole thing were; holy crap why the hell am I here with all these important people? Sitting right next to me was a guy who was first on the scene to the firefighter accident last week, I believe he actually saved one of the firefighters lives. And on the other side was a guy giving away like a million dollars to the Boston public schools. So out of all the people in the city who did amazing things this past year, we were the three that the Mayor mentioned. I still feel that I don’t deserve that kind of attention, and this isn’t something that I sought out. But hey I’ll take the free press, haha!

After the event my sister Corie made me go get a picture with the Mayor, and I told him thank you. I then met the Allston Rep, who went and introduced me to the State Rep Marty Walsh. I also shook hands with Secretary Galvin and a few other respectable Bostonians. The whole thing was really pretty amazing but also a little ridiculous. A few Boston firefighters shook my hand and said nice job and thank you. My response no them was “No, thank you guys, your awesome!” haha, like I said the whole thing was just pretty surreal.

Anyway, after all that I couldn’t sleep last night and I got in the shop a little after 7am this morning and I’m anxious to just get back to business as usual. Now I just have to see if my fat head still fits in my welding helmet. Anyway, thanks for listening!

-Marty Walsh (not the State Rep)

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