FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2005

MASSBIKE HERALDS APPOINTMENT OF NEW STATE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

First Bike Advisory Committee Formed in More Than a Decade

Boston, MA: Today the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), the statewide bicycling advocacy and education group, praised the Executive Office of Transportation for establishing a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee for the first time in more than 10 years. In addition to government representatives, this committee will include fourteen citizen members, seven of whom will address bicycling issues and seven of whom will represent pedestrian concerns.

"MassBike has worked hard to advocate for a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and we are very pleased the state has taken action. This will help bicycle and pedestrian issues move to the forefront of the state’s agenda,” said MassBike Executive Director Dorie Clark. “The new committee members are all very qualified. We look forward to their contributions to improving bicycling in Massachusetts.”

The appointees for the bicycle advisory positions are: John Allen of Waltham, the author of Bicycling Street Smarts, which has been adopted as the official bike manual in four states; Dan Tieger of Manchester, founder of the North Shore Bikeways Coalition; Rob Miceli of Cotuit, co-founder of Mad About Cycling; Joe Repole of Framingham, founding member of the Framingham Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee; Michael Halle of Cambridge, co-creator of Cambridge’s “Be Bright” bike light campaign; Jennifer Miller of Watertown, the Director of Marketing for Seven Cycles, Inc.; and Dick Miller of Natick, a founding member of the Cochituate State Park Advisory Committee.

WalkBoston supplied qualified applicants for consideration for the seven pedestrian advisory spots on the committee. For more information about this organization and the pedestrian advisory committee members, call 617-367-9255.

MassBike has served the communities of Massachusetts for 28 years. The organization has 1400 dues paying members. Its accomplishments include expanded access for cyclists on the MBTA and development of a curriculum to train police officers in the rules of the road as they apply to cyclists.

To get involved in MassBike and learn more about bicycling issues visit www.massbike.org.