Archive for September 2011

MassBike leader physically threatened with car

Though many would say it’s business as usual, publicized incidents wherein cyclists are harassed and threatened ballooned on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Four separate incidents came across the wire in one day, and even the city’s top bike advocates were not immune. That morning a car bumped into the back tire of one of the most…

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Transportation crisis averted—but trouble looms ahead for bike and ped funding

Last week shutdowns of the FAA and parts of the Federal Department of Transportation were avoided with the passing of extensions of the bills that govern both agencies funding sources, including a six-month extension SAFETEA-LU which funds federal highway projects. A smaller chunk of SAFETEA-LU, about $800 million per year, goes toward Transportation Enhancements—”quality of…

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Courteous Mass riders spread "civility" on Boston streets

By Patrick Kelleher-Calnan A group of around 50 cyclists set off on a short ride Downtown last Friday in an effort to “mobilize civility, respect, and tolerance among road users.”  It was Courteous Mass, a group ride that contrasts with the city’s monthly Critical Mass rides by emphasizing riding within the law and courteous behavior.…

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Annual Meeting 2011 surpasses all goals!

Frankly, for our first annual meeting we were hoping to simply break even. Our friends in the biz had reminded us that many organizations lose money on their first big fundraising event. But even with showers forecast, the enthusiasm of people who love to bike in Boston shone through gray clouds last Thursday and the…

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Time is ticking on the Casey Overpass replacement

Just over a month ago MassDOT’s team of consultants working on a replacement design for Jamaica Plain’s Casey Overpass flashed a PowerPoint slide on the screen. The assembled Working Advisory Group (WAG) for the project, including the Boston Cyclists Union’s representative Bob Dizon, groaned. It was a pie chart depicting WAG members’ answer to the…

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