Allston-Brighton bikes

The Helmets in Play (HIP) program of the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center (JMSCHC) is one of the grantees of the Allston-Brighton/Boston College Community Fund recognized at an award ceremony held May 7, 2009. HIP, a partnership of JMSCHC and Allston-Brighton bikes (a/k/a A-Bbikes), will offer free bike and/or skate helmets to MassHealth eligible Allston-Brighton youth. Vouchers will be distributed by JMSCHC through its Allston clinic and satellite community health center sites at the Jackson-Mann complex and Gardner Pilot Academy. International Bicycle Centers will assist with fitting and supplying helmets through HIP. MassHealth eligible youth get a free helmet while supplies last! For more information contact: Francisca Guevara (JMSCHC Community Health Manager) at 617-208-1562 or fguevara@jmschc.org

Helmets in Play is part of A-Bbikes’ and its partners’ efforts to increase local youth access to bikes, helmets and bike education. A-Bbikes encourages local schools to take advantage of the bicycle education and other resources available through the Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools program. Supported by funds from Ron Gluck (of the Boston law firm Breakstone, White & Gluck) additional bike education opportunities will be provided by MassBike to Allston-Brighton youth through West End House Boys and Girls Club and JMSCHC. Gluck’s donations will also be used to help maintain a fleet of bikes and helmets donated for use at the West End House by International Bicycle Centers and other A-Bbikes donors.

Dear Friends of Bay State Bike Week,

On behalf of the city of Boston, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Bay State Bike Week organizing committee, I would like to cordially invite you to the Bay State Bike Week Kickoff Press Announcement and mini-bike ride.

• Monday, May 11, 2009
• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM; departing City Hall at 12:00 sharp.
• Start @ 1 City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA (at flagpole on Cambridge Street side).
• Finish @ Christopher Columbus Park, Boston, MA

Together we will bike 1 mile from City Hall Plaza to Christopher Columbus Park for the speaking portion where Mayor Menino and members of the Mass Commute team launch Bike Week. Thank you T-shirts provided to first 50 arrivals and water bottles to all who join.

R.S.V.P preferred but not required: Nicole.freedman.bra@cityofboston.gov

Sincerely,

The Bay State Bike Week Team

Come celebrate Bike Week with hundreds of cyclists and enjoy our FREE BREAKFAST, BIKE EXPO AND MUSIC on City Hall Plaza in Boston on Friday May 15th from 7 AM to 10 AM. Ride home with your gift bag and water bottle. And if that is not enough, we will personally escort you to downtown Boston. You can join any of our police-escorted cycling convoys for a safe and fun commute to work and meet new friends. Led by experienced cyclists and escorted by Boston Police, convoys follow a fixed schedule and route and originate at locations throughout metro-Boston. All convoys finish at City Hall Plaza Boston. You can join a convoy in Boston, Cambridge, Arlington, Newton, Dorchester, West Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain. More event and route information is available at: http://baystatebikeweek.kintera.org/faf/help/helpEventInfo.asp?ievent=300139&lis=1&kntae300139=46AB74DCE2174141BBB4C2A3232AE3AA

Please spread the word to ALL who may be interested!

If interested in being a ride leader for the Allston-Brighton route, contact Amy (volunteer coordinator) at: Amy@hubonwheels.org

We’re meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday, 4/28/09) at 7pm at Herrell’s Cafe. The recent weather’s been getting lots more folks out on bikes, and those of us who ride tomorrow may NEED a cold treat instead of coffee! Please join us to connect, brainstorm, and learn about various A-Bbikes and related projects and updates in person. For those unable to attend, please feel free to contact us by e-mail to learn more about how to get involved.

We’ll be meeting 3/31/09 at 7pm at Herrell’s Cafe. Please join us to connect, brainstorm, and learn about various A-Bbikes and related projects and updates in person!

Check out the links provided below by Boston Bikes to learn more about upcoming Boston Bikes events, opportunities to volunteer (as a ride leader for the Allston-Brighton convoys of the rides, to work with the new youth programs, etc.), or check out and provide feedback on the Boston Bikes bike map!

EVENT INFO – HUB ON WHEELS, BIKE WEEK, BIKE FRIDAY
Hub On Wheels: www.hubonwheels.org
Bike Week: www.baystatebikeweek.org
Bike Fridays: www.bikefridays.org
Boston Bikes: www.cityofboston.gov/bikes

VOLUNTEER SIGN UP for Boston Bikes events (ride leaders for A-B routes, etc.)
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Q8JilYGs1ClJOwYxuecoBw_3d_3d

YOUTH CYCLING –  INFO AND SIGN UP FOR YOUTH GROUPS
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=WXKxcnPnjep2BGj4zha25w_3d_3d

BIKE MAP
View map: http://www.cityofboston.gov/TridionImages/BikeMap_Jan09_tcm1-3455.pdf
Provide feedback: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=32_2f5JXAWyZzBwzspV3XLbQ_3d_3d

see http://www.mass.gov/dcr/projects/pdf/BU%20Craigie%20Follow%20Up.pdf for DCR’s presentation about it’s current plans for the bridge renovations/rehab.

excerpts of interest to A-Bbikerz from MassBike’s latest quick release:

New MA Bike Law
Now that the Bicyclist Safety Bill is law, the next step is to get the word out to as many people as possible. So we’ve released a quick Guide to the New Bike Law to explain in plain language all the changes in the new law. http://www.massbike.org/bikebill/index.htm

BU and Craigie Bridges Update: January 27, 2009
The DCR is holding this follow-up meeting for the first two projects in the Accelerated Bridge Program. The initial public meetings on the BU and Craigie Bridges were very well-attended by the cycling community. When the DCR presented plans that did not adequately address bicycling, the negative response from cyclists was immediate, and the DCR heard you! The DCR has now promised a series of steps to ensure that bicycling needs are better addressed on these bridges and throughout the rest of the program. At this meeting, the DCR will show us their revised plans. We need lots of bicyclists at this meeting to give a strong response to whatever we see, good or bad. Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 6-8 pm, Kirsch Auditorium, Stata Center, MIT, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge.

First Annual Boston Bikes Update Report: January 29, 2009
LivableStreets Alliance will host the first “Boston Bikes Update Report” by the city’s Director of Bicycle Programs, Nicole Freedman. The public meeting will be held starting at 7 PM in the mezzanine conference room of the main branch of the Boston Public Library. The focus will be on future steps needed to create the “world class bicycling city” that Mayor Menino has promised. There will be additional discussion about what could be done to significantly expand the cycling population — and its political influence — by attracting “traffic intolerant” bicyclists, by installing low-cost bike-friendly infrastructure in all parts of the city, and by setting up programs to assure that low-income and non-white communities feel included, among other strategies. Thursday, January 29, 7 pm Boston Public Library, main branch at Copley, mezzanine conference room. MassBike will be participating in this event, and MassBike members are encouraged to attend.

Learn more about Mayor Menino’s bike initiatives and what’s in store for 2009!

Mayor Menino kicked off Boston Bikes a year ago with a strong commitment to transform bicycling in Boston. Since then, Boston Bikes has installed 250 racks, added several miles of bike lanes, started a bicyclist advisory board, worked with nearly 500 youth, and engaged over 7,000 cyclists in a variety of programs, both old and new. Hub On Wheels, Bike Friday, Bay State Bike Week, and Rock Roll & Ride were just some of the fantastic cycling events enjoyed by the Boston cycling public this year.
To learn more about the Mayor’s initiatives thus far and to find out what is in store for 2009, we invite you to join us for a public presentation sponsored by the Livable Streets Alliance. The presentation will take place on January 29th at the Boston Public Library Rabb Lecture Hall at 7:00 PM.

We also invite you to take the time to read the Boston Bikes Annual Summary. View the report at: http://www.cityofboston.gov/TridionImages/AnnualSummary2008_tcm1-3431.pdf

The first A-Bbikes meeting of this year is scheduled for the same time as the DCR’s follow-up meeting regarding the BU bridge… so we’ll plan to meet briefly after the DCR meeting, location TBD by those attending. We hope to see you there!

Excerpts from MassBike’s last update re: the BU Bridge meeting…

BU (and Craigie ) Bridge(s) Update: January 27, 2009

The DCR is holding this follow-up meeting for the first two projects in the Accelerated Bridge Program. The initial public meetings on the BU and Craigie Bridges were very well-attended by the cycling community. When the DCR presented plans that did not adequately address bicycling, the negative response from cyclists was immediate, and the DCR heard you! The DCR has now promised a series of steps to ensure that bicycling needs are better addressed on these bridges and throughout the rest of the program. At this meeting, the DCR will show us their revised plans. We need lots of bicyclists at this meeting to give a strong response to whatever we see, good or bad. Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 6-8 pm, Kirsch Auditorium, Stata Center, MIT, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge.