Boston Cyclists Union

Mission

Our mission is to transform the streets of greater Boston into equitable and inviting people-centered spaces affording access and connection for every body. We accomplish this through organizing, advocacy, public actions, and holding city and state agencies accountable to build out the network of safe, protected bike infrastructure.

Vision

The Boston Cyclists Union believes that bicycling is a meaningful way to shape the future of our cities.

We envision a Greater Boston where people, especially those of color, elders, youth, female-identified people and those who have historically been most vulnerable can safely ride for transportation and leisure on a network of connected, low-stress and physically separated infrastructure year round. As a result, residents are healthier, cities greener with less pollution from motor vehicles, and traffic congestion eased as more and more opt for biking to reach their destinations.

Equity is central to our vision of the future. Residents, especially people of color and low income individuals whose opinions have historically been left out of planning processes, participate in the planning of their neighborhoods. Accommodations for people on bikes are as prolific in Roxbury as they are in Cambridge. Many will use bikes to connect to other forms of transit, which will be functional, well-maintained, and convenient. Inequities in health narrow and neighbors across the Greater Boston community can more easily access opportunities—education, employment, leisure, and commerce—safely by bicycle.

In our vision of the future, municipalities will fund bicycle infrastructure, access and education at levels that are meaningful. They will use data and an equity framework to inform their decision-making. Residents, trained in organizing best practices, will be engaged and active in planning their communities and agencies will keep their promises to build and maintain bike facilities in a timely manner.

Values

• People power: We know that many voices are more powerful than one, and that organizing residents to speak up for their desired future not only brings in multiple perspectives, it decentralizes power, flexes strength, and leaves people feeling energized and civically engaged.

• Dignifying each person: We value the humanity of our city’s residents. We seek to realize a mobility culture that places people ahead of vehicles and in which each journey recognizes people as beings deserving of respect. We recognize that creating a community that is inclusive takes work, and we strive to do the work to make any person who rides a bicycle feel welcome anywhere they are present.

• Mobility justice: We recognize that inequitable investment in transportation infrastructure has left many without viable access to opportunity, and seek to reverse this pattern. In order to achieve a genuinely just transportation system, all users, including those historically disadvantaged through systemic injustice, must have access to safe and comfortable trips, regardless of their chosen mode of travel and free from harassment or bias in law enforcement.

• Joy and freedom: We celebrate the joy inherent in the basic physicality of moving about the city by bicycle. Unlike those caged in cars, people on bikes maintain connection with their surroundings, other people, the community, and the natural world. We relish and nurture the vibrant bicycle culture and community in our city.

• Sustainability: We see bicycles as a key ingredient in healthy, ecologically adaptive urban settlements. Given the criticality of forging a transportation system that does not emit greenhouse gases and other pollutants, we believe that bicycles can and must play a central role in the mobility future.