Action Alert & Quick Release 10/5/07

The key provisions of the bill are: police training on bicycle law; clarification of how to safely pass a bicycle; clarification of how to safely make turns in front of bicycles; “dooring” subject to ticket and fine; riding two abreast permitted when it does not impede cars from passing; improved enforcement of bicycle law for both motorists and bicyclists; and additional legal protections for bicyclists who choose to ride to the right of other traffic.

The Public Safety Committee held a hearing on this bill in June, and MassBike and others testified in support of it. Now we need the Committee to report favorably on the bill, so that it can move to the next step in the legislative process. We are still a few steps away from getting the bill passed again.

Here is what we need you to do:

1. Email the co-chairs of the Public Safety Committee, Senator James Timilty (James.Timilty@state.ma.us) and Representative Michael Costello (Rep.MichaelCostello@hou.state.ma.us) to ask that S1414, An Act Relative to Bicyclist Safety, be reported favorably.

2. Call or email your state representative and your state senator and ask each of them to contact the co-chairs of the Public Safety Committee to say they want S1414, An Act Relative to Bicyclist Safety, reported favorably.

Your participation counts – don’t assume that everyone else will do it! 

Click here to find contact information for your State Representative (called “Rep in General Court”) and State Senator (called “Senate in General Court”).

On commuter rail, the T has been adjusting the schedules over the past few months, and is moving to open the first inbound train on most lines to bicycles. Previously, bicycles (with the exception of folding bikes) were not permitted on peak trains at all, making it all but impossible to take your bike into Boston before mid-morning. Although the first inbound trains may still be designated peak, bikes should eventually be allowed on those trains on most lines. The T has already made this change on the Lowell line; the Haverhill line will be next when the new schedule debuts in November.

Click here for a printable brochure about bikes on the T, or contact us and we’ll mail you one.

MassBike is working hard in 2007 to make bicycling better and more visible in Massachusetts:

• We’re working with Boston’s bicycle coordinator, newly appointed by Boston’s now-bicycling mayor, on efforts to make the city more bike-friendly;
• We’ve been teaching classes statewide in our redesigned bicycling education program, with more options for busy cyclists;
• We’re launching our children's bicycling education program this Fall – look for us in the Safe Routes to School program and elsewhere;
• We testified in support of Bicyclist Safety Bill, and were warmly received by the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security;
• We’re actively working at the intersection of public health and transportation, with the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, and directly with the Secretaries of Transportation and Health and Human Services; and
• We’ve piloted a campus advocacy effort by distributing bicycling safety pamphlets to almost every college and university in the Boston area, with an eye to starting campus chapters.

Click here to donate to the Summer Appeal now!

Volunteer Night: Tuesday, October 9
Do you enjoy hanging out with fellow cyclists, conducting sparkling conversation, and eating gourmet Picco pizza with a refreshing Harpoon beer or soda? Then you won’t want to miss Volunteer Night on Tuesday, September 11, from 5-8pm. It’s a chance to have some fun and help MassBike with a few easy administrative tasks. The more help we get from volunteers, the more time MassBike staff can spend making bicycling better. Just let us know you’re coming so we know how much pizza to order! RSVP to dorothy@massbike.org or call us at 617-542-2453.

Our office is located at 171 Milk Street, Third Floor, in Boston’s Financial District. The closest T Station is Aquarium.

Please also note that the date of November’s Volunteer Night has been moved to November 13.

For more info, click here.

This is our last class of the season!

Basic Bicycling Skills (2-part class), October 11 & 13, Wilmington

For a full course description and future updates, click here.

Meet at Landry's Bicycles at 890 Commonwealth Ave. at 10am. Discounted bike rentals are available by contacting andrew@urbanadventours.com. Helmet required. Keep it Wheel!

We’re psyched to announce the third edition of this annual must-see festival, at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square and a few other locations.

The festival kicks off on Thursday, October 18, with a free showing of “Caravan/Prague” at the Lucy Parsons Center in the South End, followed by an informal gathering at the Other Side Cafe on Newbury Street.

The rest of the festival, Friday and Saturday, October 19th and 20th, takes place at the Brattle Theatre. In addition to a great lineup of films, there will be a raffle, a cash bar with wine and Harpoon Beer, and food provided by Redbones BBQ. Food and a raffle ticket are included with ticket purchase.

This year’s festival features films by local and national filmmakers, and each night will be anchored by the showing of a feature length film. “24 Solo” from Gripped Films Productions will be the feature for Friday, and “The Flying Scotsman” from MGM will be the feature for Saturday. The films will be judged by audience poll, and winners will be announced on Saturday night following the screenings.

Advance tickets (online only) are $20 for one night and $30 for both nights. Tickets will be $25 per night at the door. After 9pm tickets are $10, but do not include food or raffle tickets. Click here for tickets!

All proceeds benefit better bicycling in Massachusetts!

For tickets or more information, click here.

Registration flyers are available at all Middlesex Savings Banks, Landry's Bicycles, and Grace Bicycles locations.

For online registration, more information, and personalized fundraising webpages, click here.

Honk Festival Parade: Sunday, October 7
Join the parade! Reclaim the Streets for horns, bikes, and feet!

Meet at the Dilboy VFW Hall at 371 Summer St. in Davis Square at 11am; the parade leaves for Harvard Square promptly at noon and finishes there at 2pm.

Walkers, strollers, bicyclists, rollers, wheelchairs, pedicabs, skateboarders, dancers, kids, adults, teenagers, and geezers will honk, roll, strut, and stroll with 20 marching bands from around the world, led by CarTalk's Click & Clack (in pedicab) and Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone! Dogs (on leashes) welcome! A great lineup of bands, organizations, and fun!

Bread & Puppet is also looking for more volunteers to wear puppets. Email  lydia.stein@gmail.com if you’re interested.

For more information, including the full festival schedule, click here.

You can view the press release from MassHighway here.

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is a proposed mixed-use trail through the communities of Lowell, Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, Sudbury, and Framingham, following the 25-mile route of the old New Haven Railroad Framingham & Lowell line. The path will honor the late Bruce Freeman, who was a strong advocate of this project for many years.

For more information, click here.

Tour de Somerville: Saturday, October 13
On Saturday, October 13, the Somerville Bicycle Committee and the Friends of the Community Path will lead the 15th Annual Tour de Somerville.

This year's ride will explore the flat side of Somerville, avoiding all of the city's hills. We'll ride along the Community Path and its future extension, and then take a level, low-traffic route through East Somerville to the Mystic River at Assembly Square. From there, we'll ride alongside the river into a bit of South Medford, then return through West Somerville back to our starting point.

The Tour begins at 10 am at Seven Hills Park, behind the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. Our nine-mile ride will be leisurely paced, easy for cyclists of all ages. For more information, call Ron Newman, 617-628-8895, or email RNewman@theCIA.net.

For more information, click here.

Lady K Ride: Sunday, October 14
The third annual Lady K Memorial Ride & Fundraiser: Sunday, October 14, at 2 pm.

Kirsten Anne Malone, an extremely energetic member of the Boston arts and music community, was struck and killed by an automobile as she bicycled in Allston on June 12, 2004. October 1, 2007 would be her 33rd birthday. 

Show up with your bicycle, helmet, and donations between 2 pm and 3 pm at JFK Park in Harvard Square.

Our leisurely-paced group will travel down the Charles River path, through Central Square, over the Longfellow Bridge, cross Boston, and wind up at Kirsten’s alma mater, MassArt. At about 5 pm, the riders will proceed to an after-party in Mission Hill with dinner generously donated by The Milky Way Lounge & Lanes, dessert by Toscanini's, and prizes for fundraisers by Back Bay Bicycles and Landry's Bicycles.

We hope each rider will try to raise $50 in pledges -- whether it's a handful of $5 and $10 gifts or a few $20 pledges. You don't have to raise funds to participate in the ride, but we're hoping you'll want to support the Kirsten Malone scholarship fund at MassArt. Our goal is a permanent endowment in Kirsten's name for young women artists. This fund will not only serve to keep Kirsten's memory alive, but also act as a perpetual reminder of how much work there is to do towards a healthy environment for cyclists in Boston.

Other ride sponsors include: Wheelworks, Ferris Wheels Bike Shop, Broadway Bicycle School, Magpie, The Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub, and Brookline Booksmith. 

For more information, contact Jasmine at ladykride@yahoo.com.

For a map and pledge sheet, click here.