MassBike executive director David Watson spoke at this morning’s rainy bike facility opening. Unfortunately, the video cuts off before we got to the dedication, but the new name for the bike cages is “Pedal & Park” as you can see in the pictures below.

The Jingle Ride brought together dozens of festively dressed bicyclists riding imaginatively-adorned bikes, spreading good will and song from Arlington to Boston and back. Words alone cannot do it justice, so here is the video:

First off, our apologies: due to technical difficultly we were unable to show the amazing short film “The Impossible Journey” by John Bonner, but thanks to the magic of the Internet you can watch it below.

The Impossible Journey from John Bonner on Vimeo.

Recap of many of the major accomplishments we had in 2009, and some of the great things we are planning for 2010.

Top 2009 Accomplishments:

• January: Bicyclist Safety Act signed into law
• January: Completed a study of bikeability in five Boston neighborhoods
• February: Launched new MassBike Calendar using Google Calendar, featuring public meetings statewide, part of our new focus on public engagement
• March: Organized and led the MA delegation to the National Bike Summit
• May: Played leading role in promoting Bay State Bike Week and National Bike Month
• May: Cape Cod and Islands Chapter held first Cape Cod Bicycle Forum
• August: Helped MassHighway draft new statewide rumble strip policy that is more bike-friendly
• August-September: Conducted online Safety Survey of almost 1800 bicyclists and motorists
• Spring-Summer: Ran Pump & Lube Stations to encourage bicycle commuting
• September: Forest Hills bike cage opened (with other advocates and the T) and the T removed the last restriction on folding bikes
• September: Replaced our popular but aging website: blogging, Facebook, and Twitter to reach more people more effectively
• October-present and beyond: Joined transportation reform advisory committee and opened new lines of communication with MassDOT
• November: Pioneer Valley Chapter got bike racks on last 29 PVTA buses, now 100% rack-equipped
• December: Launched Same Roads Same Rules campaign (download spoke cards here)

All Year: Continued statewide advocacy efforts on MABPAB, Trails and Greenways Task Force, SRTS Task Force, and project-specific advocacy delivering testimony and written comments

All Year: Taught bicycling skills and safety classes to 3020 people, including adult classes, commuter workshops, and Safe Routes to School

All Year: Valet parked over 500 bicycles at events to encourage bicycle transportation

All Year: Expanded MassBike Spins Ride Series to 27 rides

Plans for 2010:

Legislation: Vulnerable Road Users Bill, which would increase penalties for motorists who injure or kill bicyclists, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users. It would also make it easier to prosecute those motorists.

Policy: Strengthen partnership with MassDOT and the transportation reform effort, particularly Office of Transportation Planning and Healthy Transportation Compact

Education: Major spring push on Same Roads, Same Rules campaign

Education: Safe Routes to School Train-the-Trainer program, to make the program more sustainable in schools

Education: Expanded Safe Routes to School with new MassBike instructors so that we can reach more schools

Education: Expanded adult programs with new League Cycling Instructors

Education: Revise police training to teach police about the new Bicyclist Safety Law

Infrastructure: Campaign to relax MBTA peak hour restrictions for bicycles

Infrastructure: Campaign for more MBTA bike cages and bike parking

Capacity Building: Membership growth, Volunteer/Public Engagement across the board

We had a fantastic year in 2009, and are ramping up for an even better one in 2010. Thank you once again for all your support and we hope you stick with us for the great year ahead. Happy holidays, and happy riding.

Also in case you wondered, Shane is the fastest MassBike staff person on the rollers. If you need proof, see below.

The law officer training page has been update to include some new resources, and all the videos are now available in easy to embed YouTube format! Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you want more information about the law officer training contact us.

Here is a little taste of the new YouTube videos.

New Bike Link to Orange Line from Chris Lovett on Vimeo.

Found this little gem, you may notice cameo’s from Laura Smeaton one of our board members, Nicole Freedman Boston Bicycle programs director, and David Watson our executive director. They really are nice cages.