MassBike and the MBTA Need Your Help
Are you a cyclist who uses the MBTA’s subways, trolleys,
commuter rail, buses, or ferries? If so, we need your help.
The MBTA has asked MassBike to help them determine the best
places for new bike racks to be located. Please send us your
suggestions on: which stations need more bike racks; how
many additional bikes you believe need to be accommodated;
and if you have specific suggestions for where at a particular
station the new bike racks ought to be placed.
Email
your responses to Sarah at MassBike.
New! Member Benefit:
MassBike Welcomes Simple Living Cycles as Business Partner
A new bike shop, Simple Living Cycles, is opening in Framingham
in early March. Simple Living, located at 57 Waverly St.
(Rte. 135) on the Natick line, is starting out right by
signing on as a financial supporter of MassBike’s advocacy
work, and will offer a 10% discount to all MassBike members.
They are also looking for a bike mechanic/sales person, part-time
to start. Please call Phil at 508-620-6600 or 774-279-1908, or
stop by 57 Waverly Street in Framingham.
Two Great MassBike Events in March
including talk by author of Bicycle: The History
Two local businesses are making it fun to raise money
for MassBike. On Friday, March 11, Petsi Pies (285 Beacon St.,
on the Cambridge line) will donate 20% of the day’s sales
to MassBike. Come in and purchase a handmade, delicious pie!
Cyclists will also get a free scone with your purchase—just
remember to show your helmet!
On Saturday, March 12,
O’Naturals in Davis Square,
Somerville (187 Elm Street, the former site of Carberry’s)
will donate 10% of sales between 4:00-8:00 p.m. to MassBike.
Come hear our special guest David Herlihy, author of
Bicycle: The History,
speak at 4 p.m. and then enjoy
a healthy, tasty dinner with your family or friends!
Join Us to Lobby for Cycling in Washington—March 16-18
Would you like to take the next step in your bicycling advocacy?
Each year, the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) coordinates
the National Bike Summit, in which people learn about bike
advocacy at the national level and then lobby their
representatives in Washington. MassBike coordinates the
Massachusetts delegation, and we’d love to have you join
us this year from March 16-18. There is a cost for Summit
registration (payable to the LAB), and participants must pay
for their own transportation and lodging.
To register for the
conference and for more information,
visit the League of American Bicyclists’ webpage
Can’t Come to Washington? Write a Letter to Your Legislator
If you’d like
to encourage our Congressmen and Senators to
support bicycling but can’t join us at the National Bike
Summit in Washington, here’s an important way you can help.
Write a letter describing your experience cycling in your
community, and urge your legislators to support funding to
improve cycling in Massachusetts. If you are working on a
particular issue or project (particularly one that relies
on federal funding), please mention it! Include your name,
phone, email, and address so that they can verify the letter
and respond to you. You can email your letters (they can be
short or long!) to sarah@massbike.org, and we will pass them
along to your elected officials. These letters truly make a
difference.
Become a League Cycling Instructor: April 15-17
Would you like to teach cycling skills to others?
MassBike is sponsoring a training by the League of American
Bicyclists for experienced cyclists to become certified League
Cycling Instructors, or LCIs. This weekend-long training
(Friday night through Sunday afternoon) will take place in
the MetroBoston area, and is the only such training this
year in New England. As a prerequisite, you must have taken
the “Road I” (aka Cycling Skills)
class—see next listing.
The cost of the training is $175, payable to the League of
American Bicyclists. You MUST register by March 18, so
please do so as soon as possible!
For more information and registration details, click here
Sign Up for MassBike Cycling Skills Class: March 16 and 20
Would you like to learn how to ride more confidently in
traffic? MassBike's Cycling Skills Class will teach beginning
and intermediate cyclists the skills necessary to ride safely
in traffic. This course will build confidence and teach important
safety skills and tips for commuting. The class meets in Boston
with an off-bike learning session on Wednesday, March 16 from
5:30—8:30 p.m., and an on-bike skills training on Sunday,
March 20 from 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. The cost of the course,
taught by League Cycling Instructor and former Boston “bike
czar” Paul Schimek, is $50 for members of MassBike, Charles
River Wheelmen, and participants in the Mass Red Ribbon Ride.
The regular cost for others is $60.
Please note that if you plan to take the “League
Cycling Instructor” training course from April 15-17 and
have not completed your “Road I” course, this will
be your only opportunity to do so.
For more information and to register, click here.
MetroBoston Chapter Meets Wednesday, Feb. 23
and other Chapter Updates
MassBike drew 27 people in the middle of a snowstorm for our
first MassBike-MetroBoston chapter meeting in January! Please
join us this time around as we build on the excitement. This
meeting will be crucial, as we elect officers and set a
“Top 10 List” of priorities for chapter activism.
We’ll be
meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the University
Lutheran Church, 66 Winthrop St., Harvard Square (just off
JFK Street, past Pinocchio’s Pizza).
Email
Chris Porter for details.
Also, please consider
helping our other local chapters.
Want to start a MassBike chapter in your region?
Email
Dorie.
Join MassBike or Renew Online
If you’re reading this and you’re not a MassBike
member—please
join! (If you’re already a member, it’s never too
early to renew!)
We’re the leading bicycling advocacy group in Massachusetts,
making
change on a daily basis to help cyclists across the state. If you
enjoy riding on the Minuteman Path, cycling to work, bringing
your bike on the T, or just having fun, MassBike has been
instrumental over the past 28 years in making that possible.
Please join today and make us even stronger.
Click
here to sign up
Sign up for
MassBike's Email List
Do you want to be in the loop about cycling advocacy and events in
Massachusetts? Our messages are sent twice a month and include updates
on legislation, bike activities in Massachusetts, and the cycling
community in our state.
Email
us to get on the list.
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