4th Annual Boston Bike Update, Feb. 28
Have you taken a ride around town on a Hubway bike yet? Has there been a new bike lane installed in your neighborhood this past year? Have you heard about the Boston Bike Network Plan? If yes, then you know that 2011 has been a big year for Boston Bikes.
For the fourth year in a row, LivableStreets Alliance will host the annual Boston Bike Update event. Nicole Freedman, Director of the Boston Bikes Program, will present her fourth report on past achievements, challenges, and future goals of the Mayor’s effort to create a “world class bicycling city.” Come hear details on Hubway, the Bike Network Plan, parking facilities, youth programs, festivals, and more. Special guest Mayor Thomas Menino will speak to his “the car is no longer king” policy for the city.
Event takes place from 5:45 – 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, at the Boston Public Library, Rabb Lecture Hall, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Free and open to the public. Join fellow cyclists at this public forum on bicycle planning in Boston.
5:45 – 6:15 p.m. Transportation Community Showcase-come learn about all the different groups working together for better biking in Boston
6:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Presentation
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Q&A/discussion
LivableStreets is your advocate for a balance of biking, walking, and transit with automobiles—creating safe streets and livable communities—making the Boston region a better place to live, work, and play.
>For more information: www.livablestreets.info / 617.621.1746 / kara@livablestreets.info
> For sponsorship opportunities, please contact jackie@livablestreets.info
Transportation Justice Rally, Jan. 23
Fired up by fare hikes? Enraged by proposed service cuts? A kick-off Transportation Justice Rally will take place on Monday, January 23, 2012, beginning at 12pm at the State House, with a planned march around the Boston Commons, with the march route concluding at the Transportation Building to accommodate testimony opportunities for the 1 p.m. Public Workshop (and some additional outside action and demonstration). For more information, contact Kevin Raymond Odell,
Coalition Coordinator, On The Move (OTM): The Greater Boston Transportation Justice Coalition, by emailing kevin.odell@bostononthemove.org or calling 978-429-5515. Visit OTM online at www.bostononthemove.org. View participant groups and march/rally details after the break. Continue Reading »
Meetings on T Fare Hikes
The MBTA is holding a series of public hearings on proposed fare hikes and service cuts which will affect local transit users, especially those in Dorchester. Significant cuts to service in Mattapan – including weekend service on the trolley – are also in the works. See English language fare increase booklet here and translations in Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean, Spanish, and additional languages/formats are available here. A complete schedule of hearings can be found here, please note upcoming Dorchester and Mattapan MBTA Hearings on Fare and Service Cuts:
- January 31, Tuesday, 6:00-8:00 PM, Mildred Avenue Community Center, 5 Mildred Avenue
- February 2, Thursday, 1:00-3:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM, Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, Multi-Purpose Room, 1353 Dorchester Avenue
To “Join the Discussion” see the MBTA website. Emailed comments are welcomed: fareproposal@mbta.com.
Option 2, with lower fare hikes, proposes the following service changes, among others. Option 2′s fare increases range from 33% (bus), to 50% (subway), to 100% (the RIDE base fare).
“Moscow to Mongolia” Presentation and Bike Fundraiser, Dec. 20
From ”Moscow to Mongolia”: a bike in a suitcase, the Trans-Siberian railroad and a 1,000 kilometer cycling adventure. Sage Cohen of Dot Bike will present an account of her Summer 2011 bike journey. More than just beautiful landscape and intimate portraits–come learn about adventure cycling, how to ride the Russian rails, and why you might want full suspension and a GPS in Mongolia. Suggested donation of $10 benefits Boston neighborhood bicycle groups (including BU Bikes, DotBike, JP Bikes and RozzieBikes). Snack on refreshments and and enjoy varied door prizes!
This event will take place Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. (presentation at 7 p.m.) in the 2nd floor auditorium of George Sherman Student Union at Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. Short background on the presenter follows. Continue Reading »
Strategies for Increasing Bicycling in Low-Income Communities, Nov. 30
Safe Routes to School will hold a free webinar entitled “Strategies for Increasing Bicycling in Low-Income Communities” on Wednesday, November 30, from 1 to 2 p.m. Register today! For more information, please contact Dave Cowan at dave@saferoutespartnership.org
Bicycling is a key strategy for Safe Routes to School programs looking to encourage students to travel short and long distances. However, the lack of bicycles in low-income neighborhoods is a major obstacle to even the most persistent Safe Routes to School program. Low-income communities face many issues that act as barriers to long-term participation in bicycling. Ironically, low-income neighborhoods have the most to gain from engaging in bicycling for recreation and transportation. Continue Reading »
CANCELLED: Dot Bike Movie Night, Dec. 9
Update: This event has been cancelled by Dot 2 Dot due to personal health reasons. Join Dot Bike at the Dot2Dot cafe (1739 Dorchester Ave.) on Friday night, December 9th for a great dinner and a fun movie! The group will screen The Triplets of Belleview, a 2003 classic animated feature film. At 6:30 p.m., just prior to the screening, Dot Bike will discuss an exciting new idea being worked on by a coalition of organizations to ‘Circle the City’ with a car free route for riders, rollers and walkers by closing roads or lanes to traffic to allow car free connections between the paths of the Emerald Necklace parks and the Neponset Greenway and Harbor Walk on select Sundays during the summer. Your input is requested for possible routes to connect Franklin Park to the Neponset Greenway and key Dorchester hubs. Additionally, the group will share (and welcomes feedback on) the Boston Bike Network plan presented 2 weeks ago. Even if you can’t stay for the movie, come on by and share some ideas.“Pedestrian Safety in Upham’s Corner”: Upham’s Corner News
Upham’s Corner News has a great article up regarding walkability and safety in Upham’s Corner. The report carefully details problems raised at community meetings, analyzes pedestrian interactions with street traffic on Columbia Road, and highlights a seemingly successful intervention–taking the issue “upstairs” to the BTD and getting an answer for the community. Read the first few lines below, or check out the article on UphamsCornerNews.com.
Recently at meetings in Upham’s Corner, residents discussed pedestrian safety and identified what they call “a dangerous crosswalk” in the very heart of the business district.
“Crossing Columbia Road from the Pilgrim Church to the Strand Theatre is a nightmare.”
The Upham’s Corner Improvement Association decided to take on this intersection as a project and contacted Upham’s Corner News to do some investigation. [Read more at Upham's Corner News].
Neponset River Trail Mtg., Nov. 17
On Thursday, November 17, The Department of Conservation and Recreation Commonwealth of Massachusetts (MA DCR) will hold a public meeting on the Neponset River Trail. At the meeting, DCR will provide an update on the pathway project to link the Lower Neponset River Trail to the Neponset Esplanade, including information on a U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER grant application submitted by DCR for federal funding for the project. DCR will also seek additional public input on potential design opportunities.
The meeting will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Foley Senior Residences Dining Room, 249 River Street, Mattapan, MA. View a flyer here.
With questions, please call 617-626-4974 or email DCR.Updates@state.ma.us.
Be Bright, Blinky Light, Oct. 26
The Ashmont Cycles Wednesday night ride group has decided to call it a night, so to speak, for the season, and will be giving out blinky lights to Dorchester riders on Wednesday, October 26. Please join Dot Bikers at Ashmont Cycles at 6:00 p.m. if you want to participate (or need a light). Show up brightly lit yourself and you may take home a prize! Your RSVP (to dotbike@bostonbiker.org) always appreciated, as are suggested locations to give out lights.
After meeting, the bikers will choose a couple of prominent locations and spend some time handing out lights, then meet up for some socializing. This was a blast last year – riders met were pleased to have the lights.
P.S. – Check out some photos of the Dot Bike crew’s Public Art Ride at Dorchester Open Studios here.
Subsidized Hubway Memberships for Low-Income Residents!
Hubway, Boston’s “bikeshare” program, is offering $5 annual memberships to Low Income residents of the city! Get a subsidized membership code and free helmet by calling 1-617-534-5690. You must be 17 or older to apply. Subsidies are established in partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission Chronic Disease Prevention & Control Division. Distribution of subsidized memberships will likely take place until the bikes are taken off the streets for winter (i.e. November) and resume when they return (i.e. March). You can view &/o download a flyer here. Continue Reading »
