Dot Bike

As you hopefully have heard there is a bike cage at Forest Hills Station in J.P. for secure bike parking.

This is the second cage installed by the MBTA – Alewife station getting the first.  The MBTA has dedicated some resources and has plans to install a number of additional cages across it’s system and DotBike has been pushing hard to get one if not two of them installed on the Dorchester redline.

In anticipation of getting our own Dorchester line bike cage one DotBiker decided to get himself a Bike Charlie Card so he could use the Forest Hills cage.  So he rode down to the station and asked the attendant on duty for a card.  He was informed that they didn’t have any on hand and that he would need to call the MBTA’s main number and request a card and that one would be mailed to him.  So he did.

After navigating a few “press #1″ for this, “press #2″ for that, he reached the right person. She informs him that the only place to get the card is at Alewife station.  Being at the other end of the red line he expresses a disinclination to make the two hour round trip to Alewife just to get a Charlie card.  The initial response is that there is nothing else that she can do since this is the only place where it is available.  After he tells her that the station attendant had indicated that getting a card by mail was an option she remains adamant that that was not the case.  At this point he politely indicates that he finds the situation unacceptable and asks to speak to her supervisor.  After a moments wait on hold she comes back on the line and says they just found some bike-cage Charlie cards, and that she will mail one right away and takes his mailing address.

When asked if his friends could get a card the same way, she answered with a weak yes.  I for one am planning on making sure that this is true.

We heard from MassBike that they had been working with the T to make sure that Bike Charlie cards would be available at the stations with cages.  It seems obvious that this is the very least that they could do to encourage use of the cages.  Perhaps they weren’t so worried about it because it’s winter but in fact the time I would be most likely to use a cage would be during the winter (otherwise I’d just ride my bike where I was headed). In any case DotBike will work with other advocates to make sure that Bike Charlie cards are more accessible.

MassBike and Livable Streets has just reported some good news regarding MassDOT and that they have modified their plans for the Longfellow Bridge reconstruction project. You can read all about it here. But needless to say perhaps this bodes well for other projects including several in Dorchester that are under MassDOT control and that we have provided input on including the Dot Ave. intersection redesigns.

Did you know that riding a bike is not allowed in Franklin Park?  What!? you ask.  Although the rule is not regularly enforced, there’s no way to tell how the bicycling tide may turn.  Multi-use paths in Boston parks can be designated by width, so simply measuring the path width and determining which are appropriate for shared use will allow submission of a proposal to take this rule off the books.

DotBike is teaming up with JPBikes and the Franklin Park Coalition to make this happen.  On two days – Wednesday Sept 9th at 5:30 and Sunday Sept 13th at noon join other cyclists to help with the measuring and then meet in the club house for snacks and socializing afterward.  Meet at the golf course club house.  See the listings in our event calendar for more info on specifics.

It’s great timing to take care of this lowest of low hanging fruit for expanding bicycling infrastructure since Circuit Drive is due to have a bike lane painted as part of an upcoming repaving project.  Franklin Park could soon be *officially* one of the most bike-friendly parts of Boston!

Do you Bike? Do you Drive? If you answered yes to either question we’ve got a survey for you.

Last week, MassBike launched an important new survey of Massachusetts bicyclists and motorists. People are definitely interested – they have already received almost 800 responses! The data collected from this survey will help MassBike more effectively target their educational and advocacy efforts. To take the survey, click on the link below. And please forward the link to every Massachusetts motorist and bicyclist you know – the more responses we get, the better.

Click here to take the survey now

Here is a story about one DotBiker’s effort that took a long time to pay off but with continued hard work finally has born fruit.

The winter before last, not long after the inception of DotBike, Phil who is a year round commuter from Dot to JP wondered why the Parks department didn’t plow the path connecting Pierpont and Glen roads which is the quickest way to cut through Franklin park.

He started making inquiries and was passed back and forth between several people.  As the weather improved he relented but if the Parks department was hoping he was going to go away they were sadly mistaken.

This past winter Phil, realizing he had just been getting lip service started  a full fledged campaign to get the Parks department to plow Glen Road.  He enlisted the aid of fellow DotBikers, the Franklin Park Coalition and other Park users including dog walkers who frequently use that path.  A letter writing campaign, a petition and finally talking directly to the mayor at his coffee hours made it clear to those in power that this issue had many vocal advocates who were not going to go away.

Finally last week Phil received a letter from Parks Commissioner Toni Pollack from which I quote:

“The Mayor has forwarded your letter to me for response. At his request we will include Pierpont/Glen Road in our Tier 2 snow removal plan for the interior park pathways.”

Congratulations to Phil and all who helped him in his effort!

And thanks to the Mayor for his directive that made this happen.

Over the past year DotBike has taken up a number of advocacy efforts with the intent of making Dorchester a better neighborhood for us all to cycle in.   We’ve reported in the past about some of the more visible efforts that have born fruit – like the new city bike racks that have been springing up all over town and our participation in several community events.   However, we’ve continued to work on several other projects and kept our eyes out for ways to influence and guide policies that will make Dorchester a better and safer place to cycle.  The progress on most of these efforts has been much slower but is still moving along.

We have met with project managers at the MBTA about improving bicycle parking facilities at T stations in Dorchester.   I just received a report that a new rack was installed at the Fields Corner Station in a visible and convenient location, so this is good.

But as Ashmont Station is nearing completion we need to make sure that adequate facilities are included and certainly there can be improvements at other Dot stations.

The Dot Ave. intersection redesign project is reaching the final stages.  There was a recent meeting where designs were presented and it was clear that while some bike accommodations had been included they were given short shrift.  In response, we asked for input from DotBikers and wrote up extensive comments and suggestions as to how bike boxes, lanes and minor curb reconfigurations would not only make these intersections safer for cyclists but could also be thought of in the context of a continuous bike lane along much of Dorchester Ave.  We’ll have to wait and see if these suggestions get incorporated into the final designs.

There has also been a group of us working with BNAN to close the gap between the Neponset Greenway and the Harbor Walk with an off road bike path.  We’ve had several positive interactions with many interested parties and we have recently heard that National Grid who had previously refused to even consider allowing a path to pass by the gas tanks is now having discussions with DCR on possible options.

These are just a few of the things we are keeping tabs on.

Small steps forward.

Saw this on BostonBiker

The MBTA really wants to know what you think. They have developed a new survey all about bikes, bikes on the T, etc. This feedback will help them craft future policy towards bicycles, so be sure to let them know exactly what you think!

Take The Survey Here

The Boston Bikes program has made a great start on it’s pledge to install 750 bicycle racks on city side walks and property over a three year period with 250 installed last year. Dorchester has received quite a few of these racks but we should work to get more.

Below is the Map that the city is using to track bike requests and inform the public of their status. The thing you may not realize by looking at this map is that there are four whole pages of land marks indicating rack requests. To see that you will need to view the larger version of the map and navigate with the next and previous buttons near the bottom of the land marks pane.

View Larger Map

If you have an idea for a good place for a city bike rack you can either let us know using the contact form available via the link at the top of the page or you can make a request directly to Boston Bikes via this link to their request form also available from the Boston Bikes home page.

As part of the Governor’s accelerated  bridge project the DCR will begin work on phase II of the Neponset Bridge that connects Dorchester and Quincy.  If you’ve ever tried riding across this bridge you know that you’re either taking your life or your bike in your hands.  That is either competing for space with fast moving traffic or carrying your bike down sets of stairs and ending up not exactly where you wanted to be.

Come to a meeting this coming Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at the Quincy town hall (1302 Hancock St., Quincy) to hear what the DCR has planned and give your input.   Close to the Quincy Center stop on the Braintree redline branch.

This report from MassBike.

Governor Patrick Signs Bicyclist Safety Bill

Yes, it’s true: the Bicyclist Safety Bill is law after 8 years and 4 legislative sessions — perseverance and grassroots support paid off in the end!

MassBike played a central role throughout the history of the bill, from drafting the language, to lobbying for its passage, to the successful 2006 effort that ended in a veto, and now to a law!  MassBike thanks our many supporters in the House and Senate for their persistence, and thanks Governor Patrick for recognizing that this law will help make Massachusetts a healthier, greener, more sustainable state.

This is a great victory for cyclists, and it was a true team effort, ranging from MassBike to legislators to you, our members and supporters.  Without all your calls, emails, and letters to legislators and governors over the years, this could not have happened.  You let the politicians know that bicyclist safety is an important issue, and they heard the message!  So thanks to all of you.

Governor Patrick signed the bill into law yesterday.  Coming on the heels of a year that saw gas prices soar to over $4 a gallon, huge increases in ridership on public transportation, and a surge in interest in bicycle commuting, the law will help more people, particularly new and less experienced bicyclists, take advantage of bicycling as an affordable transportation option.

Among the many changes the new law makes, it adds police training on bicycle law and dangerous behavior by bicyclists and motorists; explains how a motorist should safely pass a bicycle; explains how a motorist should safely make a turn in front of a bicycle; makes “dooring” (opening a car door into the path of a bicycle or other vehicle) subject to ticket and fine; permits bicyclists to ride two abreast when it does not impede cars from passing; and adds legal protections for bicyclists who choose to ride to the right of other traffic. Click here for the full text of the new law.

We will post guidance on exactly what the new law means on the MassBike website (www.massbike.org) as soon as possible.

This great day would not have happened without the help and support of our friends in the Legislature, many of whom threw their support behind efforts to get the bill signed.  Representative William Brownsberger, who assumed a leading role in moving the bill forward immediately upon taking office two years ago, kept the pressure on in the final months, weeks, days, and, yes, even hours, leading up to the signing.  Representative Kay Khan, the House sponsor of the bill, who was instrumental in garnering the support of dozens of like-minded colleagues in the House and Senate – including Representative Robert DeLeo, Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and Representative Frank Smizik, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture – to urge the Governor to sign the bill.

The Bicyclist Safety Bill was originally introduced in 2001 by now-retired Representative Anne Paulsen, who worked closely with MassBike to draft a bill designed to modernize Massachusetts’ bicycle laws and improve bicyclist safety.  Paulsen championed the bill until her retirement in December 2006, when the bill passed the House and Senate only to be vetoed by the outgoing Romney administration.  (Anne then joined MassBike’s Board of Directors where she has continued her efforts on our behalf.)  Following Representative Paulsen’s retirement, Senator Pamela Resor (who herself just retired) took up leadership on the bill, filing the version that was ultimately signed into law by the Governor.

Now that the bill is law, our work really begins.  We will start getting the word our to bicyclists, motorists, and the police, so that we can begin to see the improvements that the new law makes possible.  And this is not the end of the road for bicycle legislation: the law and the needs of bicyclists continue to evolve, and MassBike will continue working to ensure those needs are met.