Local bicyclists in Northampton getting ready to collect data.

Thanks to the hard work of the local volunteers, we collected an enormous amount of information about the layout of the intersections and areas that could be improved. The fantastic thing about having local bicyclists undertake these assessments is that we can get information that only a frequent rider on a particular road would know – such as that a certain intersection becomes unmanageable after the adjacent high school lets out, but otherwise appears adequate.

After analyzing the data and going through the pages of notes, we are proud to release the Hampshire County Bikeability Assessment. Click here if you would like to look at the full report. Some of the main points from the report were:

• Amherst: The intersections in and around the UMass Campus are barriers to bicycling, particularly the intersection of Triangle Street and East Pleasant Street.
• Belchertown: The intersection of Routes 9 and 202 should be the focus for improvements in the future. Due to the geometry of this intersection a roundabout with grade-separated bicycle facilities should be considered.
• Northampton: Intersections along King Street (Route 10) all need additional bicycle infrastructure. Route 10 is an arterial road that provides access not only to many commercial destinations, but also the Northampton Bikeway and the Franklin County Greenway. Tightening turn radii and adding colored biycle lanes and/or bike boxes should be done to improve bicyclist safety and comfort.

Overall, communities in Hampshire County are leaders in the state when it comes to bike-friendly infrastructure. They have a considerable off-road network, many traffic calming features, and painted infrastructure like bike lanes, sharrows, and even a bike box. However, the process of retrofitting our streets to encourage bicycling is still in its infancy, even in our most advanced communities. This report should further the conversation on prioritizing areas for improvement.

You can find out more about our Bikeability Assessments (which is a part of our Bikeable Communities Program) by clicking here. If you are interested getting an Assessment for your community, please email Services@MassBike.org.

For those communities in Middlesex County, there is now funding available to support the creation of a Bicycle Advisory Committee. The application can be found here, and it’s due by January 11.

This funding is available through the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. If you have any questions about this application, feel free to email me at Price@MassBike.org or give me a call at (617) 542-2453. This is a great opportunity, I hope it can help your community take a big step toward making biking a safe, fun option for transportation and recreation.

We told you late last week that the crisis in federal transportation funding was only getting worse, and to stay tuned for an Action Alert. This is it. The consensus among advocacy groups, like the Alliance for Biking and Walking, Transportation for America and MassBike, is that there is no chance for salvaging the House transportation bill. MassBike is in close touch with the Massachusetts delegation and is confident that we will have their unanimous opposition to this horrible transportation bill. (Which is why we are not asking you to contact your House Representatives about killing H.R. 7 – but you can if you want.)

Hope, then, lies in the Senate. Over the past few days, two amendments have been proposed to the Senate’s transportation bill (MAP-21, or S. 1813) that would fix many of the problems relating to bike funding. Without these amendments, the three key sources of funding for biking and walking (Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, and Recreational Trails Program) will no longer receive dedicated funding and will instead be forced to compete with many other programs for a smaller pot of money.

Today, we need you to contact Senator Kerry and Senator Brown to ask them to support the Cardin-Cochran Amendment and the Klobuchar Amendment.

Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) are co-sponsoring an amendment which would give local communities more access to Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. In Massachusetts, this amendment would likely make it easier for towns and cities to access this funding.

Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) amendment would restore dedicated funding to the Recreational Trails Program, a key resource for off-road trails.

In Massachusetts, these programs have been leveraged into hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in off-road trails, paved multi-use paths, and improved signage, drainage, and crossings that remove barriers to biking. Just a few examples of worthwhile projects that received funding were:

• The Independence Greenway in Peabody for path construction;
• The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in North Adams for trail construction;
• The New England Mountain Bike Association for maintenance and improvement of numerous off-road facilities around the state.
• The Jamaica Pond Trail in Boston for both construction and land acquisition.

We are asking you to do two things:

1. Call and/or email your Senators TODAY, tell them why bicycling is important to you, and ask them to SUPPORT the Cardin-Cochran Amendment and the Klobuchar Amendment to MAP-21 (S. 1813).

Senator John Kerry: (202) 224-2742, Email (select “Transportation” as Topic)
Senator Scott Brown: (202) 224-4543, Email (select “Transportation” as Topic)

Don’t have time to write your own email? Click here to send a pre-written email message.

2. Email action@massbike.org and let us know you contacted them!

We know that we have been sending out a lot of Action Alerts on federal issues, but we want you to know that it’s only because the situation has grown that dire. Thanks so much for adding your voice to this crisis – and stay tuned for more developments!

Looking at the report closely, it shows encouraging trends on the prevalence of biking in Boston and Massachusetts. Boston maintains one of the  lowest bike and pedestrian fatality rates of any US city and Massachusetts boasts the ninth-lowest fatality rate of any state. Meanwhile, funding for biking and walking projects has continued to steadily increase both within Boston as well as across the Commonwealth.  It is always encouraging to see an upward trend since, as this report points out, biking and walking makes serious contributions to improved public health, less traffic congestion, and better air quality.

But despite this positive news for MassBike and the Bay State, there are still serious challenges facing bikers. First, it is important to note that the statistics from this report combine the numbers for both biking and walking. We all know that Boston is “America’s Walking City”, and it is unclear how much of the #1 ranking is a result of walking as opposed to biking statistics.

When you drill down a little more, you can see some figures that indicate biking still has a long way to go. In Boston as well as statewide, around 70% of those who commute to work by bike are men. (It has often been noted that women are more risk averse than men, and so higher levels of women biking usually indicate a safer biking environment.) And our rate of fatalities for children under 16 is about 50% higher than the national average, indicating a strong need to improve facilities and bike education for our youngest cyclists.

MassBike is ready for the challenge of closing gaps in bike usage and safety, especially with events like Bay State Bike Week and our advocacy for the Vulnerable Road Users Bill. Here’s to an even better 2013!

If you value parks and open space, now is the time to be heard. The National Park Service requires the state to complete a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) every five years to remain eligible for funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Since the LWCF was established in 1965, more than $95,000,000 has been awarded across the  state for the acquisition of conservation or park land, development of new parks, or renovation of existing parks.

To help inform the SCORP process and guide future use of LWCF funds, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is conducting a survey to gather input about Commonwealth residents’ preferences for recreational activities. We encourage you to tell the state and Forest Service about the value you place on recreational biking!  It should take about 15 minutes to complete, and could make a huge difference.

Here is the link to the survey and any questions should be directed to Melissa Cryan, LWCF Stateside Coordinator, at (617) 626-1171 or melissa.cryan@state.ma.us.

The project as described in the recently-filed Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) would include designing at least part of the Community Path extension, but it would not include the actual construction of the Path extension. We think that the project should include both design and construction of the entire Community Path extension, and we said as much in our comments on the FEIR (see below). I participated in a recent meeting between representatives of several advocacy and community groups with MassDOT Deputy Secretary Brian Murphy and Green Line Extension Project Manager Kate Fichter to discuss these issues.

We really appreciate MassDOT’s attention to our concerns, and it appears that they now plan to include some of the underlying infrastructure for a future Path extension (thank you, MassDOT!), but the fact is there will never be a better, more cost-effective time to extend the Path than with the Green Line extension. Past experience with big projects (Big Dig?) leads us to fear that if the Path extension is not included in this project, it will never be built.

July 23, 2010

Secretary Ian Bowles

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, MEPA Office
Attn: Holly Johnson, MEPA Analyst,
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114

Re: EEA #13886, Urging Community Path as integral part of GLX

Dear Secretary Bowles:

The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) promotes a bicycle-friendly
environment and encourages bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.
It is our vision that car-free pathways will connect our communities, and
that bicycles will be fully integrated into our public transportation
system. MassBike believes that the Somerville Community Path perfectly
embodies this vision, connecting the Northwest suburbs of Boston with the
Green Line Extension (GLX) stations and the Charles River paths of Boston
and Cambridge. The Path as it currently exists helps to further your
office’s goals of promoting clean energy, curbing greenhouse gas
emissions, and cutting energy costs, and extending the Path in concert
with the GLX will extend those benefits to a much larger, and historically
underserved, segment of the community.

MassBike urges you to state in your certificate for the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIR) for the GLX that the infrastructure
for the Community Path extension must be included as part of the GLX
project design, construction, and funding all the way to Lechmere, even
while full funding from other sources is still being identified. More
specifically, we urge you to require that MassDOT:

1. Design the Path to reach all the way to Lechmere/North Point –
through the Somerville Environmental Justice neighborhoods of Winter Hill
and East Somerville – and not just to Inner Belt (as stated in the FEIR).

2. Make the commitment that the Community Path extension is part of
the Green Line project even while full funding is still being identified.

3. Include the costs for the construction of the Community Path
extension infrastructure components in the planned Design/Build Contract
and in the funding applications for the Green Line Extension to Lechmere,
such as FTA’s New Starts. We appreciate that MassDOT is considering
including partial Path infrastructure as part of the GLX project – a very
significant move – though we await an official commitment.

4. Co-sponsor or at least support the Tiger II grant application with
the City of Somerville to fund the remaining Community Path elements of
the GLX and help fund the 20% match. (Final application is due August 23)

5. Continue to work with Somerville to apply for other funds for
Community Path construction from sources such as the proposed federal
Active Community Transportation Act, House Bill 4722.

Your support of the Path extension will build on the vision of the
Southwest Corridor Park and will increase Green Line ridership at a low
per rider cost. This has been demonstrated by the success of the existing
Path in Cambridge and Somerville that brings thousands of residents to the
Davis Square Red Line Station where boardings are almost double what were
projected. The Path will be a critical zero-emissions transportation link
that will offer great environmental, health, safety, noise-reduction, and
community benefits to Somerville – and, moreover, to the region.

This key multi-modal Path will connect some 40 miles of paths in the
region, finally linking the Minuteman Bikeway with the Charles River
Paths, and all of their offshoots. This path system reaches through
Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Medford,
Waltham, and Watertown, and connects all these communities to each other
and to the Red and Green Lines. Beyond the benefit to daily Path users,
the Path extension will dramatically increase opportunities for bicycle
tourism through all of these cities and towns. The extended Path will also
be the eastern end of the planned 104-mile cross-state Mass Central Rail
Trail connecting Boston to Northampton.

Thank you very much for your consideration of our comments. Should you
have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Very truly yours,

David Watson
Executive Director
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
171 Milk Street, Suite 33
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-542-2453
Fax: 617-542-6755
Email: david@massbike.org

We got this question from James about riding from Alewife to Seaport district in Boston. We are not always able to answer route questions but we chose this one because so many people use the Minute Man Bike trail and it ends at Alewife.

HI,
At the transportation event today a work I was told by that someone at your office rides from Alewife to the Seaport area. Is it possible to get the names for the streets used?
Many Thanks,
James

Hello James

I don’t ride from Alewife to the Seaport area exactly, but I do ride from Arlington to the Financial District. So most of this route is what I do every day. It’s almost all on-road, in traffic, but there are bike lanes most of the way between Porter Sq and Boston.

From the back of Alewife Station (the side where the elevator exits near one of the bike cages), follow the path through Russell Field to the Linear Path (it’s a little confusing so you may have to look around a bit). Take the Linear Path out to Mass Ave. Take Mass Ave to Porter Square. At Porter Sq, bear left onto Somerville Ave (to the left of the T station). If you don’t want to merge into the left turn lane at Porter Sq, stay in the bike lane and there is a ramp on the right onto the sidewalk to wait for a bicycle signal to cross the intersection. From Somerville Ave, take the first right onto Beacon St, which immediately curves to the left. Beacon St turns into Hampshire St at Inman Sq. Follow Hampshire St to the end, then take a left at the light onto Broadway. Take Broadway through Kendall Sq to the Longfellow Bridge. At the end of the Longfellow Bridge, go straight onto Cambridge St and follow to Government Center. Cambridge St turns into Tremont St. At Park St station, turn left onto Winter St, and continue straight onto Summer St. You can take Summer St all the way into South Boston, or turn left at South Station onto Atlantic Ave, then right at Congress St or Northern Ave to go directly into the Seaport area.

Hope that helps!

Press release from the governor’s office below.

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Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Department
Office of Governor Deval L. Patrick
Press Release
Contact: Juan Martinez, Kim Haberlin, Alex Goldstein “ 617-725-4025; Colin Durrant (MassDOT) “ 617-973-7870

PATRICK-MURRAY ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES WATERTOWN MULTI-USE PATH, INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

WATERTOWN “ Friday, January 15, 2010 “ As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Governor Deval Patrick today announced the construction of a multi-use path and various intersection improvements in Watertown will move forward this spring.

Across the Commonwealth, we are investing in bike and pedestrian improvements and expanding multi-use paths to improve public health, strengthen our communities and boost the quality of life for residents,” said Governor Patrick.

The Charles River/Alewife Connector multi-use path in Watertown will construct a path along an abandoned rail corridor from School Street to the Arlington Street intersection (at Nichols Avenue, Coolidge Hill Road and Crawford Street), with a spur connecting the new path to Arsenal Street across from the Watertown Mall parking lot. The $847,000 project will fully fund the project as designed, including the removal of existing railroad rails and ties followed by construction of a ten-foot wide asphalt path with grass shoulders over a distance of approximately two-thirds of a mile. In addition, under a $1.4 million project approved in late December the intersections of Spring and Summer, Mount Auburn and Summer, and Arlington and Nichols at the eastern limit of the new multi-use path will be resurfaced and traffic sensing devices and new, more accessible sidewalks with wheelchair ramps will be installed.

I am thrilled that this long-awaited project is moving forward and that funding has been awarded for the construction of Phase I of the bike path, said Senator Steven A. Tolman. After over a decade of hard work by various government agencies, community groups, and my brother, former Senator Warren Tolman, this multi-use path is now one step closer to completion. I hope that today’s announcement is the first of many and that together we can continue to make Watertown an even better place to live and work.

The Connector path is a significant step in integrating Watertown into the growing network of bike paths in the Metro Boston area, said Representative Jonathan Hecht. The intersection projects address long-standing issues of safety and accessibility. Together they represent a major investment in better multi-modal transportation in Watertown.

This is a great day for the residents of Watertown and I can’t wait to see the end result, said Representative Peter Koutoujian. These improvement will create an even more vibrant and enjoyable community. This is a prime example of how our delegation can work with the administration to make something good happen for our constituents.

MassDOT is committed to balancing the needs of all transportation users, whether they be drivers, bikes or walkers,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan. These multi-use paths and intersections will improve accessibility and allow cyclists and walkers to enjoy the outdoors while also expanding commuting options.

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Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) crews will begin lead-abatement work on about one mile of decorative fencing between the bicycle/pedestrian pathway and the Charles River along Memorial Drive in Cambridge. During the work, bicyclists and pedestrians may experience minor detours.

Lead abatement is the first step in DCR’s plan to replace the roughly 5,700 feet of embankment fence, which is decaying. The $2 million project, to be funded through DCR’s capital budget, will replace the existing fence with new, historically correct, fencing. The fence replacement is expected to begin in March and be completed by the end of June.

WHEN: Monday – Friday
Beginning January 18, 2010, and continuing about three weeks
7 a.m.-3:30 p.m., each day

WHERE: Bike/Pedestrian pathway
Between Fowler Street and the Longfellow Bridge
Cambridge