Ride Your Bike To Vote For Bernie Sanders!

I saw a lot of folks riding their bikes to vote today, parking is a breeze and it makes it super easy to get to the polls.

Oh also while you are there VOTE FOR BERNIE!!!

Bostonbiker.org officially endorses Bernie Sanders for bicycle president!

ps. Feel the Bern

Ps. It’s super super close, call all your bike friends and get them out to vote!

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Vote NO on Question 1

I will gladly pay taxes if it means I get benefits.  Indexing the gas tax makes perfect sense.  Roads and bridges are mostly demolished by cars, cars run on gas.  Removing this tax will allow cars to destroy our roads and bridges and remove an important means of funding them.  Vote NO on question 1.

I would go so far as to say we need to figure out other funding methods, the rise in electric cars will see a dramatic reduction in gas tax revenue, but no reduction in the amount of wear and tear on our streets.  Perhaps a yearly “car ownership” tax for anyone who own a car, indexed to the cost/weight of the vehicle.

In the mean time don’t take away a vital way we repair our public roads and bridges, vote NO on question 1.

From MassBike:

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You’ve probably heard a lot about the Question 1 ballot measure in the upcoming election. We want to tell you about what Question 1 would do,  what that would mean for you, and why we are supporting a NO vote on Question 1.

Question 1 would eliminate the gas tax indexing law and put at least $1 billion in transportation investments in jeopardy over the next decade. Indexing the gas tax helps this dedicated transportation revenue source maintain its value and was a vital part of the 2013 law that reversed years of under-investment in transportation.

Question 1 is bad news for cyclists and pedestrians. Safe biking and walking requires good planning and investments, and Massachusetts has a long way to go to design and build streets, bikeways, trails, and walkways that are safe for everyone.

After years of neglect, roads and bridges in Massachusetts are now a major public safety crisis. This is something we can no longer ignore. Passage of Question 1 would mean our roads and bridges will continue to deteriorate, threatening the safety of Massachusetts cyclists and all residents.

For all of these reasons, MassBike supports a NO on Question 1 vote on November 4.

Say NO to sacrificing new infrastructure.

• Question 1 threatens to cut $1 billion in transportation investments over the next decade.
• Question 1 would reduce or eliminate new walking and biking paths.
• Question 1 would reduce or eliminate road / bridge projects with new bike facilities.

Say NO to unsafe bridges.

• Today there are 28 bridges in Massachusetts that have been closed because they are unsafe and another 447 that can only carry reduced traffic loads.
• The ten busiest structurally deficient bridges in the state carry more than 1 million cars every day.

Say NO to traffic fatalities.

• Massachusetts roads are unsafe for too many cyclists.
• Roadways conditions are a significant factor in one-third of all traffic fatalities in Massachusetts.
• Motor vehicle crashes cost Massachusetts $6.3 billion a year in medical and other costs.

Say NO to cutting public transit improvements.

• Indexing the gas tax helps to improve our public transit system.
• Question 1 risks investments in aging subways, rail, and buses.
• Question 1 risks improvements in the MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities.

Say NO to risking environmental benefits.

• Question 1 will hurt our ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Question 1 will limit our ability to invest in low- and non-polluting transportation projects such as biking, walking, and public transit.

Say NO to Question 1.

If you are eager to help stop Question 1, please spread the word and follow the campaign on Twitter or like it on Facebook.

Click here to read the full ballot question.

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Candidates Talk Transportation And Smart Growth

Starts off a little slow, but a really good insight into what our potential new leaders think about the future of transportation in this state.

From Livable Streets:

Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates took the stage at the Boston Public Library to discuss top transportation and smart growth priorities in front of hundreds of people watching in-person and through the live-stream.

The forum was sponsored by two state-wide coalitions, Transportation For Massachusetts and Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance. As a member of Transportation For Massachusetts, LivableStreets helped coordinate the forum, building off the success of the Mayoral Forum we helped coordinate last September with 28 partner groups. These forums provide an opportunity to elevate the issues we all care so much about, to hear directly from candidates about how they plan to improve transportation to make our communities more livable, and inform voters – that’s you – about where they stand on these issues

The full house and dynamic twitter conversations (#MovingMAForward) show that people in Boston and across the state hold transportation as a top priority. It was energizing to see you all there. With so many of us that care about these issues, we are well poised to make our city safer and more livable.

Forward this email with the video to a friend to help raise awareness about important transportation issues and to grow the community of people invested in improving our streets for people.
Thank you,

Jamie
Jamie Maier, Campaign Coordinator
LivableStreets Alliance
[email protected]
www.LivableStreets.info
T: @StreetsBoston
F: LivableStreets

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Mayoral Candidate Forum On Transportation Tonight!

The Boston Mayoral Candidate Forum on Transportation & Livable Communities is happening tonight!

TODAY, September 17th from 6-8PM (doors open at 5:30PM)

@ the Boston Public Library Rabb Lecture Hall, 700 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116

The mayoral election is a huge opportunity to improve our city and our communities.

The forum is sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance and 27 other organizations throughout Boston. The forum will be moderated by Paul McMorrow, Associate Editor at CommonWealth magazine, and Stephanie Pollack, Associate Director at the Kitty & Michael Dukakis Center for Urban & Regional Policy and LivableStreets Board Member.

RSVP today for easy sign-in. RSVP doesn’t guarantee seat. First come, first serve.

They are expecting over 400! People to attend so if you want to be there, get there early!  Hopefully someone will video tape it and put it on youtube when its over for those of us who can’t make it.

SHOW UP!  Make sure these people know that we care about these issues and that we want more and better bicycle infrastructure!

Here are three mayoral candidates views on biking from BCU:

Boston’s 12 mayoral candidates are in an all out sprint to determine which two hopefuls will stride past the primary election. Two weeks ago, 10 members of the bike community put 10 questions to them-and so far, three campaigns have answered. Does their timely response indicate the amount of priority they will give bicycles in their administration? You be the judge.

First to respond: Bill Walczak, Dorchester

Second to respond: John R. Connolly, West Roxbury

Third to respond: Felix G. Arroyo, Jamaica Plain

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Mayoral Candidate Transportation Forum

I have talked a bit about select candidates and how they feel about transportation issues, but you can listen to them all at once at the Mayoral Candidate Transportation Forum presented by Livable Streets:

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