Mayor Lisa Wong at the Bike/Walk Summit

The Summit could not have come at a better time. On Saturday, April 13th (two days after the event), the Senate debated and then voted on a five-year, $800 million per year transportation package. This is much more than the $500 million bill passed by the House, which Governor Deval Patrick has threatened to veto since it falls so far short of his ten-year, $1.2 billion per year plan.

Transportation for Massachusetts, a coalition of organizations including MassBike and WalkBoston, released a statement on the Senate’s transportation bill. Here is an excerpt:

As passed, the bill makes progress by closing yearly budget shortfalls and begins to address our significant maintenance backlog. However, it does not provide sufficient funding to move our transportation system into the 21st century. The bill’s revenue projections are too optimistic and the total funds insufficient.

Because two different versions of the bill were passed by the separate chambers, they will now go to a conference committee. The differences will have to be worked out, and MassBike is hopeful that the end result will do two things:

• Restore dedicated funding for shared-use paths, and ensure that biking and walking are included in everyday road and bridge projects.
• Maintain, or ideally increase, the Senate’s bottom line funding for transportation – though the latter seems unlikely.

Finally, we asked Summit attendees to ask their legislators to support specific pieces of bike/pedestrian safety legislation, which you can find here. Because the Legislature’s focus so far this session has been on funding, the first public hearings for these bills have not yet been scheduled. We’ll let you know just as soon as that happens.

As always, we are going to count on your support to call up your legislators and tell them that these issues matter. We will be issuing action alerts as the need arises so that the needs of bicyclists don’t get lost in the broader legislative conversation. Thanks as always, we couldn’t do it without you.

State Bike/Ped Funding – Action Needed

MassBike, in partnership with WalkBoston, has been working to organize the Bike/Walk Summit on Thursday, April 11th. This year, we have five pieces of legislation that would make the roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, we will be asking participants to support the Governor’s Transportation Plan, and specifically the $430 million dedicated to bike/ped facilities. To register, click here.

In the meantime, there is a coordinated effort this week being led by Transportation for Massachusetts (of which MassBike is a member) to let the legislature know that investing in our transportation system is essential. While their focus is on transportation broadly, we urge our members to specifically reference support for the $430 million set aside for biking and walking infrastructure. MassBike Executive Director David Watson kicked things off by testifying at the transportation bond bill hearing at the State House on Monday, where he urged the members of the Joint Committee on Transportation to fully fund Massachusetts’ transportation needs, including biking and walking.

Here is how you can take action now:

1. Join in on the Transportation Day on the State House steps on April 2. If you can’t make the Bike/Walk Summit on April 11, or if you want to have your voice heard on broader transportation issues, then this is a great opportunity.
2. Email your legislators using this simple template.
3. Call your legislators and tell them you support adequate transportation funding, including funding for biking and walking. If they are supportive, ask them to express that support to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President. Phone numbers can be found here.

Victory On Capitol Hill

When we were in DC for the National Bike Summit, we weren’t able to meet with the Massachusetts Congressional delegation due to a snow storm. Despite that setback, we have been keeping in close touch with members of Congress and their staff. This has recently paid off by the news that more than half of Massachusetts’ US Representatives signed on to a letter to USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood asking that USDOT establish performance goals for reducing bicyclist fatalities.

Please send a thank you email to these US Representatives if you live in their districts:

• Michael Capuano
• William Keating
• Ed Markey
• Jim McGovern
• Niki Tsongas

Things are only going to get more hectic as the transportation funding debate comes to a head in the State House, and as the current federal transportation authorization nears its expiration in 2014. As always, we depend on you, our members and supporters, to make sure that bicyclists aren’t forgotten in these discussions – thanks so much for your hard work.

Your voice is crucial this year for biking and walking. Governor Patrick has proposed increasing funding for transportation, including a four-fold increase for bicycle and pedestrian funding – and we need your help to make it reality. You can read the details here, but under his plan, we would have $430 million devoted to multi-use paths and other bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This is unprecedented, and we must urge our legislators to support the Governor’s transportation plan.

Help us send this message loud and clear by attending the 2013 Massachusetts Bike/Walk Summit on Thursday, April 11 from 10 AM to 1 PM at the State House in Nurses Hall. For the second year in a row, MassBike and WalkBoston are teaming up to host the Summit so that bicyclists and pedestrians speak with one voice on Beacon Hill.

Please register today by clicking here.

In addition to transportation funding, we will also be asking participants to encourage their legislators to support several pieces of bike/ped safety legislation:

• Vulnerable Road Users Bill (SD.1639) – Would give added protection to bicyclists, pedestrians and other vulnerable users of the road.
• Bike Lane Protection Bill (SD.1640) – Would prohibit motor vehicles from parking in bike lanes.
• Senior Safety Zones Bill (HD.550) – Would create zones around areas with high senior citizen populations similar to school zones.
• Active Streets and Healthy Communities Bill (HD.3091/SD.68) – Creates incentives for communities to design streets which encourage biking, walking and other forms of active transportation.
• Speed Limits Bill (HD.3129) – Would give communities the flexibility to lower the prevailing speed limit on certain roads to 25 mph.
• An Act to Promote Pedestrian Safety (HD.1570) – Would encourage snow removal from sidewalks.

And if all that isn’t enough excitement, after the legislative meetings, we’ll have lunch in Nurses Hall with special guest speaker Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, a Massachusetts healthy communities rockstar! Please attend this important event, and make sure that the safety of bikers and walkers doesn’t get overlooked. Together, let’s get Beacon Hill Moving!

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood

Due to a snow storm, most of the congressional meetings were canceled, including all Massachusetts delegation meetings. Nonetheless, we were still able to discuss important bicycling issues, share stories, and network with other advocates from across the country. Because we were not able to meet with our delegation on Capitol Hill, we are working on scheduling meetings with them locally to continue our ongoing relationship, and as well as build new ones with Senators Warren and Cowan and Representative Kennedy.

To watch videos of the keynote and plenary talks, visit the League’s YouTube Channel. If you were not available to attend the Summit, the League has made the presentations from break-out sessions public; click here to view.

The National Women’s Bicycling Forum

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth

Congresswoman Duckworth said, “As you promote cycling as a way to be fit and as a way to become part of your community, think of the disabled. Three steps can permit me from getting into a bike shop. Simple things that cost little prevent many disabled people from participating. Continue to help promote this lifestyle, you are making a difference in this avenue.” Along with her inspiring words, many other speakers at the Women’s Forum had words of wisdom.

MA Attendees & MassBike Staff

The current transportation authorization, MAP-21, was passed after years of delay and much hard fought negotiation. The united voice of bike advocates was a crucial element keeping even our small share of funding from being totally gutted. However, it expires in a short 19 months from now and the current Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair has already been quoted calling bicycle-related investments into question.

We want you to join us in D.C. to tell our congressional delegation to continue supporting cycling.

In a few weeks, MassBike will be leading Massachusetts advocates to Washington D.C for the 2013 National Bike Summit hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. It’s a great experience, and we hope you will join us. To register for the National Bike Summit click here.

If you will not able to make it down to the Capitol with us, we still encourage you to call your Representative and Senators on March 6th. We’ll post more about this as the date approaches, so stay tuned.

Even better, the day before the summit the Women’s Bicycling Forum will take place, which will highlight the rising influence of women in the bicycling movement. Both women and men are welcome to attend. To register for the Women’s Bicycling Forum, click here.

If you have any questions feel free to call 617-542-2453 or email Advocacy@MassBike.org.

“An Act To Protect Vulnerable Road Users”, SD 723, co-sponsored by:

• Senators William Brownsberger (lead sponsor), Sonia Chang-Diaz, Katherine Clark, and James Eldridge.
• Representatives Denise Andrews, Gailanne Cariddi, Carolyn Dykema, Lori Ehrlich, Kenneth Gordon, Jonathan Hecht, Kate Hogan, Kay Khan, Peter Kocot, Denise Provost, David Rogers, John Scibak, Carl Sciortino, and Frank Smizik

“An Act To Protect Bicyclists In Bicycle Lanes”, SD 731, co-sponsored by:

• Senators William Brownsberger (lead sponsor), Sonia Chang-Diaz, Katherine Clark, Kenneth Donnelly, James Eldridge, Patricia Jehlen,
• Representatives Denise Andrews, Carolyn Dykema, Lori Ehrlich, Kenneth Gordon, Jonathan Hecht, Kate Hogan, Kay Khan, Peter Kocot, Elizabeth Malia, Denise Provost, David Rogers, John Scibak, Carl Sciortino, and Frank Smizik

We could not have won the support of so many legislators without your help, so many thanks to all of you who called or emailed your senator and representative!

Our efforts to build even stronger support in the Legislature are just beginning, but this is a great start. Over the next few weeks, we will be reaching out to like-minded organizations around the state to sign on in support of these bills – and they will help us win over more legislative supporters. If you are involved with an organization you would like to see support either or both of the bills, please let us know who to contact by emailing their information to Executive Director David Watson, David@MassBike.org.

MassBike’s bills are the “Act To Protect Vulnerable Road Users”, S.D. 723, and the “Act To Protect Bicyclists In Bicycle Lanes”, S.D. 731. Many thanks to Senator William Brownsberger, who sponsored and filed the bills on our behalf.

YOU CAN HELP

We are actively seeking co-sponsors for all these bills, but the deadline is February 1, so there isn’t much time! Please email your own state senator and state representative and ask them to co-sponsor these bills. If you’re not sure who they are or how to email them, enter your address here.

This marks the second time we have filed the Vulnerable Road Users Bill. In the last session, it got stuck in committee, but we succeeded in raising awareness of the risks posed by motor vehicles to bicyclists, walkers, and other vulnerable users.  The bill will strongly encourage motorists to exercise more caution when operating around vulnerable road users, will educate motorists to operate more safely, and will provide law enforcement with additional tools to protect vulnerable road users. The bill:

• Defines “vulnerable users” to include pedestrians, bicyclists, and others including wheelchair users, all non-motorized users, and horseback riders (an even more inclusive list than last time!)
• Enhances the fines applicable to motorists who kill or seriously injure vulnerable users
• Requires traffic safety education
• Requires community service

And, new for the VRU Bill: We have added protection that makes it illegal to physically harass a vulnerable user with a motor vehicle, and enables you to sue motorists for a wide range of harassing behavior.

The Bicycle Lane Bill is very straight-forward and addresses a common problem: It makes it a violation statewide for the driver of a motor vehicle to park or stand in a marked bicycle lane or other on-street bicycle facility. When a motor vehicle parks or stands in a bike lane, it endangers bicyclists by causing them to move out of the bike lane into traffic to avoid the parked vehicle, or squeeze between the parked vehicle and the curb or other parked cars. In most communities in Massachusetts, it is not clearly a violation to park in a bike lane. While the City of Boston has recognized the problem and adopted its own ordinance, we run the risk of a patchwork of inconsistent and confusing local laws if we do not act statewide.

MassBike also strongly supports bills filed by our partners:

The “Act Relative To Active Streets And Healthy Communities”, S.D. 676/H.D. 1917, will create a program that encourages cities and towns across Massachusetts to routinely include Complete Streets design elements in locally funded road projects, making streets that are safer and more convenient for bicyclists, pedestrians, and all users – not just cars.

The “Act Relative To Speed Limits”, H.D. 3991, would reduce the prevailing speed limit (the default when there is no sign) from 30mph to 25mph. Even a small reduction in speed limits can dramatically increase the chances of a bicyclist or pedestrian surviving a collision with a motor vehicle.

Finally, the Transportation for Massachusetts coalition (MassBike is a member) has filed three bills aimed at increasing revenue for transportation and accountability for transportation decisions. These bills support the very progressive transportation plan recently proposed by the Governor, including increased funding for biking and walking.

Join us on April 11 at the State House to say with one united voice: Pass the Governor’s transportation plan!

We will also be educating legislators on the following topics:

• Safer street design
• Senior Safety Zones
• Lowering speed limits on neighborhood streets
• Vulnerable Road Users
• Prohibiting cars parking in bicycle lanes.
• Snow Removal

Mark your calendars, Thursday, April 11th from 10am-1pm in Nurses Hall at the State House for your opportunity to meet legislators and fellow Bay State advocates. Find more details at the event page (it will be updated as we learn more about the legislation and work out the event logistics). This event is free and open to the public. Last year, biking and walking advocates came from around the state and this year it is crucial that we have an even more powerful showing on Beacon Hill from people who value livable communities, who want safer roads, or just people who bike and walk for fun, fitness or transportation.

If you have any questions, please email Events@MassBike.org. More details to come soon!

Well things here at MassBike headquarters have been absolutely crazy these past few weeks and we have been a bit delayed in announcing our contest winners. We apologize for the delay and are also excited to finally be announcing our three winning stories.  So without further ado we are pleased to announce that the following three folks wrote stories that really rose above the rest.

1st Place – Jesse Cohn

2nd Place – Katie Harris

3rd Place – Sari Long

These three riders had stories that really encapsulated the personal importance riding a bicycle has for them. We all have had our personal biking moments, where the skies part and we realize just how awesome it is to be riding a bike, and these three stories really hit the nail on the head.  Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted their stories. With all of these great biking stories we will now have the examples we need to speak more passionately with our legislatures about important bicycle policies.

Below you will see, for your reading pleasure, our three winning stories, enjoy!

1^st Place

Jesse Cohn

It often baffles people when I tell them that I got into cycling by riding across the country, but it’s true. In 2008, albeit my little cycling experience, I rode from Providence, RI, to San Francisco, CA, with Bike & Build, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for affordable housing. That summer changed my life. My own legs powered me coast-to-coast, and I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do.

In 2009, a good friend from college, Paige Hicks, participated in a Bike & Build trip. She too had an amazing experience – one that was so good that she decided to ride across the country again in 2010, from Providence, RI, to Seattle, WA. Tragically, Paige was struck and killed that summer while riding in South Dakota.

After her passing, I realized that biking is not just empowering, but humbling. It reminds me to be aware of my vulnerability. In reaction to Paige’s death, some of my friends have chosen to stop riding. They don’t think that riding is worth the risk to their health and life. My reaction to Paige’s death was quite the opposite. I continue to ride, and completed my second cross-country trip in 2011. But now, in addition, I also educate and advocate on bicycle safety and the importance of sharing the road. I want every child and adult to have the opportunity to ride a bike, and to do so safely. I want others to feel the same joy and empowerment I derive from being on a bike.

But there’s only so much that my fellow riders and I can do. We need legislature and infrastructure to ensure the safety of all cyclists. We need to create a favorable setting where those interested, but cautious citizens are not afraid to ride.

2^nd Place

Katie Harris

There are a lot of people in Boston who think cyclists have a death wish. I can only imagine what they must think about cyclists who are deaf.

Indeed.

As I commute to work or school, I wear a helmet. I look both ways before moving into traffic. I stop for pedestrians and for every red light. I use blinkies at night and when it’s raining. I do everything I can to make sure that I’m traveling safely on the road, because I know that the following is true: My hearing? It doesn’t work so well. Other road users? They’re not always paying attention.

When I was a child, living in a quiet neighborhood in Maine, my parents had a “DEAF CHILD AREA” sign installed by our house. This was embarrassing, but I understood that they worried. As an adult, I’ve noticed that other parents put up portable signs by their driveways such as “KIDS AT PLAY.” If only we could trust people to be safer as they navigate through the city. To put down their cell phones, watch the road, and have patience with their surroundings.

I started riding my bicycle in Boston three years ago. For years, I observed Boston traffic’s (lack of) flow, and was too terrified to ride: I was convinced my hearing loss was an insurmountable obstacle. And then I happened to meet Amelia—also deaf—and she rode through Boston with such aplomb that I knew I had to try it for myself someday.

It’s so not hard to be aware of your surroundings and to act accordingly, so I guess it’s not so difficult to be a deaf cyclist after all.

3^rd Place

Sari Long

Love Song for Pancho

I was 18 when I first saw you

You shone and shone with your silver sheen and your Raleigh seal and I was in love

A mountain bike who was, inevitably, named Pancho

Seven days we rode from Minneapolis to Chicago, raising money for charity (four times)

I wore fairy wings, but you actually gave me wings

Laughing and crying through the hills of Wisconsin and the cornfields of Illinois,

Together

You came with me to college in Montreal

You carried me through snow and ice and wind and cold

The snowiest I had ever seen

Patient, stalwart, beautiful, strong

Pancho, the most constant figure in my life

I covered you lovingly in stickers

I rode you angrily home after the 2000 elections

You carried me uncomplaining

Then patiently you waited while I lived far away in a place where bikes like you were

Aliens

Thinking about you every day and dreaming of our reunion

On to Boston, along the river, over the cobblestones, in dizzying traffic and horns

We were united and fearless and bold

You, unjealous when Rojito entered my life

A quick muscular little racing number to make the heart beat faster

You knew with quiet certainty where you stood

And today, you, Pancho, my daily companion still – 13 years later

You are there every morning, like the sunrise

Your bell gleams proudly, your bar-ends like horns await my hands

When nothing else seems to fit, when the rain whips sideways and the clouds are black

When tears stream either because of icy wind or overwhelming

You are there for me

And I am again renewed, inspired…made brave.

• We rallied widespread support from the biking and walking communities, demonstrating to legislators that we are a political force.
• We succeeded in generating a great deal of awareness about the dangers faced by bicyclists and pedestrians from motorists.
• We got valuable feedback that helped us revise the bill to make it more likely to pass.
• And we won support from new friends in the Legislature and other advocacy groups.

While disappointing, what happened to the bill is not surprising. Even successful bills, like our 2009 Bicyclist Safety Act, usually take multiple sessions of advocacy before passing. (That one took four legislative sessions, a total of eight years.) With the level of interest we generated in this session, the bill will be well-positioned, with a better chance of passing, when we re-file it next January.

Many thanks to everyone who responded to our Action Alerts on the bill over the last 17 months, and told their personal stories to demonstrate the need for this bill. Thanks also to everyone who attended our Bike/Walk Summit and met with their legislators. And thanks to Representatives Sean Garballey, Kay Khan, and Carl Sciortino, and Senator Will Brownsberger, for sponsoring the bill. We know you will all be there when we need your help next time! And we will get this bill passed!