MassBike Update

Bike Bill Enacted! Now Waiting for Governor’s Signature

Grassroots advocacy works! Thanks to your efforts, the Bicyclists’ Bill of Rights and Responsibilities has been engrossed and enacted in both the House and the Senate. Now we are just waiting for the Governor’s signature to make the bill into law, so keep your fingers crossed! This would be an enormous victory for MassBike and the people of Massachusetts. Now we’re doing everything we can to make sure the Governor signs the bill. Again, thank you for everyone’s time, energy and support during this long process. Massachusetts will be that much better in the future and will lead not by car, but by bike!

To see the text of the bill as enacted by the Legislature, click here
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht05pdf/ht05372.pdf

Meet MassBike’s Newest Staff Member: Pete Collins

Pete joined us this month as Advocacy & Programs Associate. Pete recently completed his Masters in Regional Planning from University of Massachusetts – Amherst. His Master’s Project attempted to correlate the built environment and public health. More specifically, Pete looked to understand the role residential proximity played in usage to the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Florence, Massachusetts. While studying in Amherst, Pete worked in the Planning Department at Northampton’s City Hall. In addition, Pete comes to MassBike with a bicycle touring background (leading and scouting tours in Prince Edward Island, Acadia National Park, Nova Scotia, from Seattle to San Francisco, and from Edinburgh, Scotland to Nice, France). Pete is really looking forward to meeting MassBike members and friends; please come introduce yourself! You can reach Pete at pete@massbike.org or 617-542-2453.

Volunteer Nights: Tuesday, January 9 & Wednesday, January 10

We really need all hands on deck with our annual Winter Appeal to the entire membership. That’s a lot of envelopes!

Stuff yourself with gourmet pizza, while you stuff an envelope! Please join us from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s a great way to have fun, help the cause and meet fellow bikers!

Remember our new address is: 171 Milk Street, Third Floor, Boston.

Please RSVP (so we know how much pizza to order) to bikeinfo@massbike.org

For more information about Volunteer Night, click here
http://www.massbike.org/about/vol_night.htm

Register for Bicycling Skills Classes: Waltham and Arlington

Want to improve your urban riding skills? MassBike’s Bicycling Skills classes are a great way to take your cycling to the next level. We have free evening classes (Introduction to Bicycle Safety—this has tips even advanced cyclists will benefit from), and day-long, on-bike classes on the weekends. Classes are added frequently, so check the website often. Winter Classes will be posted soon! All of our classes are taught by certified League Cycling Instructors.

Intro will be taught in Waltham on Thursday, January 18; in Arlington on Monday, February 26; and in Waltham on Thursday, March 21.

To register for our upcoming classes, click here
http://www.massbike.org/skills/classes.htm

MassBike Is Hiring: Membership Coordinator

MassBike is a membership organization, so we’re reorganizing staff responsibilities to provide even better service to our members and drive member recruitment. The Membership Coordinator position will be half-time (roughly 20 hours/week) with some night and weekend commitments. Responsibilities will include processing new and renewing memberships, and creating new membership programs to strengthen, expand and diversify our incredibly important membership base.

For more information about this position, click here
http://www.massbike.org/news/MembershipCoord.htm

Register Your Bike on the Internet

Protect your bicycle this holiday season by simply registering it on JustStolen.net. A free and innovative means to protect your assets, JustStolen.net was created by the police to track and facilitate recovery of lost or stolen merchandise. It is safe, secure and best of all, FREE.

Become a member and enjoy some peace of mind. Two fantastic features of JustStolen.net:

1) Once your items are registered, if they are ever stolen or lost you have all the information you need to give to police. Your descriptive information about the item has been stored in our secure database.

2) But here is the best part: When your item is recovered by police across the state or across the globe, they only have to log onto one simple-to-use website to search for its owner. They just enter the serial number or description of your bicycle, laptop or other valuable, and the item’s description and the email address that you entered when you first registered is there for them to contact you!

For more information on this new program, click here
http://www.juststolen.net/

Too Cold for Biking? Try Speedskating!

A gift for those who have everything – speedskating lessons! No need to go to Lake Placid or another Olympic site to learn this amazing sport that can be fun for the whole family.

Bay State Speedskating Club (a MassBike sponsor), which practices in Walpole, MA, is holding its 6-week Intro to Speedskating clinic on Saturdays, January 6th through Feb 10th 2007, from 4:45 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. The cost is $85 and only $45 for an additional skater.

It is open to adults and children. You can bring figure or hockey skates to learn on, and basic skating skills are helpful but not required. Skating is a great alternative to cold-weather cycling, and it is an incredibly friendly and fun sport. The club also holds practices on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, which are also open to new skaters.

For more information, please see http://www.speedskaters.org/bssc.html or call Janine at (978) 808-2243.

Got Local Issues? Get Involved in a Local MassBike Chapter

Did you know MassBike currently has three local chapters and is looking to form more? There is no better way to address local bicycling issues than with local advocates on the ground. So get involved and start making things happen!

Cape Cod & Islands Chapter: contact Rob Miceli, miceli@mashpee.k12.ma.us

Metro Boston Chapter: contact Chris Porter, cporter@camsys.com

Pioneer Valley Chapter: contact James Lowenthal, james@earth.ast.smith.edu

For more information about how to start a MassBike chapter, click here
http://www.massbike.org/about/start_chapter.htm