The other night on a quick trip to the grocery store I saw the following:
A man in bright red-orange pants, curly hair flopping in the breeze, riding a step through bike with coat guards.
Two men arriving at the store with new bikes which looked like they came with dynamo lighting as a standard feature.
A grandmotherly looking woman riding down a residential street, helmetless.
A 20 something guy riding with a young lady sitting sideways on his bike rack.
So Cambridge is not Amsterdam yet, but I'm seeing lots of the things you see there, which makes me very very happy.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Why I support Livable Streets
As astute readers may have noticed, I'm signed up to participate in the Bike for Life ride next weekend to raise money for the Livable Streets Alliance.
I started getting interested in bicycle advocacy about three years ago after two years of commuting in Boston. At that time, I felt like the viewpoints of slow(er) transportation bikers or women weren't necessarily being represented in the public planning process. When I first started going to public meetings, it felt like there were lots of men in dayglo gortex, and a lot of them felt that riding in the lane was a fine solution for everyone. They couldn't really understand that a slower rider wouldn't feel comfortable riding in fast moving traffic, and they thought that I was being impractical and unsafe by riding in a dress or heels.
After a while, I found my way to the Livable Streets Alliance as an organization which seemed like a good match to my advocacy goals. Livable Streets are streets that are safe and comfortable for 8 year olds and for 80 year olds. They are comfortable for people walking, driving or riding bicycles, parents with strollers, joggers and flauneurs. They are good for local businesses, and create dense and vibrant urban communities. I volunteer as a member of their Advocacy committee- a group of freelance advocates who email each other and get together to share ideas and resources. I spend evenings going to meetings (often summarized on this blog), write letters, and canvass for signatures to further these goals.
LSA was founded by a transportation engineer who believed that streets were public spaces that shouldn't necessarily be ceded to the purpose of moving cars as quickly as possible. It has created a coalition of bicyclists, walkers, people with physical disabilities and transit users; public health officials environmentalists, social justice advocates and progressive engineers and planners, all who believe that streets and cities are about people, not just cars.
We believe that cities and regions need to turn away from the outmoded view that cars are the only real form of transportation, and consider all the ways that people get around in making planning decisions. Livable Streets Alliance takes a unique approach of trying to work cooperatively with local and regional governments. Many advocates have an adversarial relationship with their official counterparts, following successful campaigns with more strident demands instead of thanks and encouragement. LSA strives to provide resources, technical advice and common sense solutions to help governments provide the best and most balanced streets possible.
Livable Streets Alliance has had some notable successes so far- the bike lanes on the BU bridge, and the planned bike lanes on the Museum Bridge are highlights. We've helped in the planning of bike lanes on Anderson and Longfellow bridge, and hope to achieve cycletracks on Western and River Street bridges. We're also working to repair communities damaged by urban freeways. We, along with many others lobbied for the Casey overpass to be removed in favor of an at-grade solution with better bike-ped connections to the Emerald Necklace. We're pushing to begin the process of removing the McCarthy Overpass which slashes through Somerville, and the Bowker Overpass which divides Back Bay. We're also working to convince the legislature to establish a more secure financial future for the MBTA, which provides mobility for the entire region.
Livable Streets Alliance relies on dedicated volunteers. However we need funding for a small fulltime staff, equipment, office space and fliers and informational materials. Donations raised through the Bike for Life fundraiser will help us do more to promote the interests of active transportation and public transportation in upcoming years.
I hope that you'll consider supporting me, or becoming a member of LSA, or both. The button at the lower right of this page takes you to my fund raising page. If you support the ideas of Livable Streets and the work they do going to meetings, contacting town engineers, and elected officials, I hope you'll consider making a donation.
I started getting interested in bicycle advocacy about three years ago after two years of commuting in Boston. At that time, I felt like the viewpoints of slow(er) transportation bikers or women weren't necessarily being represented in the public planning process. When I first started going to public meetings, it felt like there were lots of men in dayglo gortex, and a lot of them felt that riding in the lane was a fine solution for everyone. They couldn't really understand that a slower rider wouldn't feel comfortable riding in fast moving traffic, and they thought that I was being impractical and unsafe by riding in a dress or heels.
After a while, I found my way to the Livable Streets Alliance as an organization which seemed like a good match to my advocacy goals. Livable Streets are streets that are safe and comfortable for 8 year olds and for 80 year olds. They are comfortable for people walking, driving or riding bicycles, parents with strollers, joggers and flauneurs. They are good for local businesses, and create dense and vibrant urban communities. I volunteer as a member of their Advocacy committee- a group of freelance advocates who email each other and get together to share ideas and resources. I spend evenings going to meetings (often summarized on this blog), write letters, and canvass for signatures to further these goals.
LSA was founded by a transportation engineer who believed that streets were public spaces that shouldn't necessarily be ceded to the purpose of moving cars as quickly as possible. It has created a coalition of bicyclists, walkers, people with physical disabilities and transit users; public health officials environmentalists, social justice advocates and progressive engineers and planners, all who believe that streets and cities are about people, not just cars.
We believe that cities and regions need to turn away from the outmoded view that cars are the only real form of transportation, and consider all the ways that people get around in making planning decisions. Livable Streets Alliance takes a unique approach of trying to work cooperatively with local and regional governments. Many advocates have an adversarial relationship with their official counterparts, following successful campaigns with more strident demands instead of thanks and encouragement. LSA strives to provide resources, technical advice and common sense solutions to help governments provide the best and most balanced streets possible.
Livable Streets Alliance has had some notable successes so far- the bike lanes on the BU bridge, and the planned bike lanes on the Museum Bridge are highlights. We've helped in the planning of bike lanes on Anderson and Longfellow bridge, and hope to achieve cycletracks on Western and River Street bridges. We're also working to repair communities damaged by urban freeways. We, along with many others lobbied for the Casey overpass to be removed in favor of an at-grade solution with better bike-ped connections to the Emerald Necklace. We're pushing to begin the process of removing the McCarthy Overpass which slashes through Somerville, and the Bowker Overpass which divides Back Bay. We're also working to convince the legislature to establish a more secure financial future for the MBTA, which provides mobility for the entire region.
Livable Streets Alliance relies on dedicated volunteers. However we need funding for a small fulltime staff, equipment, office space and fliers and informational materials. Donations raised through the Bike for Life fundraiser will help us do more to promote the interests of active transportation and public transportation in upcoming years.
I hope that you'll consider supporting me, or becoming a member of LSA, or both. The button at the lower right of this page takes you to my fund raising page. If you support the ideas of Livable Streets and the work they do going to meetings, contacting town engineers, and elected officials, I hope you'll consider making a donation.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Women who Bike Brunch-September
Just a reminder, the Women who Bike Brunch will be a special event this month. By special request we have set up a mini-maintenance clinic with Emily of Hub Bicycle. Clinic will be this Saturday Sept 22 at 11 AM at Hub Bicycle, 1064 Cambridge Street, Cambridge. Emily will take us through a couple of basic maintenance tasks, and maybe give tire changing tips.
Afterwards we'll regroup for brunch, probably at City Girl Cafe if they can accommodate us.
If you're not on the email list for this, and would like to be added, please email me at bikinginheels@yahoo.com, or just RSVP in the comments. Even if you can't make it, please pass it along to friends who you think might be interested.
Afterwards we'll regroup for brunch, probably at City Girl Cafe if they can accommodate us.
If you're not on the email list for this, and would like to be added, please email me at bikinginheels@yahoo.com, or just RSVP in the comments. Even if you can't make it, please pass it along to friends who you think might be interested.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
In her own words
I first heard about Emily Finch from Bike Portland a couple of months ago. She's a mother of 6 kids, who gave up the giant SUV and got a Bakfiets (and a host of accessories for carrying kids and stuff). Her story is amazing, and it's gone viral all over the world, but mostly as a human curiosity story I'm afraid, as many people can't empathize with even riding a bike with one kid, let alone 6. This video is a presentation she gave at the Bike-Walk summit in California last week.
While at this point in my life I'm never going to have 6 kids, I think she's a kindred spirit, in that she looks at the giant rolling stepstool and says "why not" and then figures out how to get it strapped into the bike and home. Giant package of fireworks? No problem! Nine kids? We'll figure it out!
I also love that she admits that it's not always smiley faces and cheerful kids. But then again kids have temper tantrums in Suburbans every day across the nation, and there's no reason for that to be an argument for or against biking with kids. But the overall message is that she's happier on the bike than without one, and that her kids are learning important lessons about self sufficiency.
While at this point in my life I'm never going to have 6 kids, I think she's a kindred spirit, in that she looks at the giant rolling stepstool and says "why not" and then figures out how to get it strapped into the bike and home. Giant package of fireworks? No problem! Nine kids? We'll figure it out!
I also love that she admits that it's not always smiley faces and cheerful kids. But then again kids have temper tantrums in Suburbans every day across the nation, and there's no reason for that to be an argument for or against biking with kids. But the overall message is that she's happier on the bike than without one, and that her kids are learning important lessons about self sufficiency.
Family Folder
I've seen this guy riding around a couple of times (I counted him going both ways on the Longfellow when I did my bike count) but I'd never seen him with his passenger.
Oh, and one of the things I noticed during the bike count was the surprising (to me) number of folders. I didn't track it exactly, but I suspect that it was 10%, which is pretty high.
What you can't see from the picture is that this is a folding tandem specially designed to take a kid on the back- the Bike Friday Family Traveller
I can't actually tell how it folds from the photos, but it claims to fit in a suitcase.
I don't know if it would be simple enough to fold on a daily basis, but if it were, it could be a good solution for someone looking for a kid bike with a tiny apartment. Longtails aren't much worse than a normal bike to store, but Bakfiets and cargo bikes are not easy to fit in a city apartment.
It claims that the stoker can be from 3'6" to 6'3" so it would be useful for a long time.
This is clearly their daily child transport bike, as I see the father riding with the empty bike (presumably after drop off) quite often. I think it's an interesting option that you don't often see for kid transport.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Shogun goes for Tea
I hadn't seen my friend Silent q recently as she's missed a couple of Women who bike brunches, and since she was also going to miss the next one, we made plans to go for tea together.
Since it was likely to be a lovely Indian summer day, we biked out to The Tea Leaf in Waltham.
We rode along the river path almost all the way to Waltham center, and then cut across to the end of Moody street where the shop is located. Since she was riding her brand new Surly Cross Check, and I wanted to keep up, I rode the Shogun.
After a bit of rain this morning, the weather turned lovely- crisp and just warm enough to be pleasant, and it was a gorgeous ride once we cleared the heavy traffic part of the path near Harvard sq.
We were starving by the time we got there, and we dove right into the finger sandwiches and sweets before I had a chance to take a photo:
While we were "in the neighborhood" we swung by Harris Cyclery, where she had bought the bike for a bit of a mini-tuneup.
I treated the Shogun to a Radbot 1000 rear light, partly because I've been wanting to try one, and partly because I lost one of my planet bike superflashes, and a needed a dedicated light for this bike in case I get caught out after the ever-earlier arriving darkness :(
There was a cool old Raleigh, almost but not quite a mixtie. It actually has almost an identical frame to a Betty Foy (there was one sitting right next to it)
They've improved the Brooks display area since the last time I was there- the oriental carpet seems slightly out of place in a bike shop, but it does definitely set that area apart.
I love the the Rivendell headbadges- would love to have taken this Atlantis for a spin, but it was closing time, so it'll have to wait for another trip.
At that point we hit the roads, taking Watertown street into Watertown sq, then following the river path on the Boston/Newton side all the way back into Cambridge
When we stopped to part ways, I was amazed at the honeysuckle growing along the river. I don't think I've ever noticed honeysuckle along there, and now it's growing on everything-creating an undulating carpet of silver blooms. It might be an invasive weed, but it sure smells heavenly.
It was a lovely 18 mile ride (according to Silent q's computer, and the Shogun was very comfortable for that distance. I may finally be breaking in the saddle I think. I feel more like I'm settling into the saddle and less like I'm perched on top of it, sliding around. I might start to look for some gloves if I'm riding much further though, as the combination of the skinnier tires/ more vibration and having more weight on my hands makes me really feel the ride in my hands.
Since it was likely to be a lovely Indian summer day, we biked out to The Tea Leaf in Waltham.
We rode along the river path almost all the way to Waltham center, and then cut across to the end of Moody street where the shop is located. Since she was riding her brand new Surly Cross Check, and I wanted to keep up, I rode the Shogun.
After a bit of rain this morning, the weather turned lovely- crisp and just warm enough to be pleasant, and it was a gorgeous ride once we cleared the heavy traffic part of the path near Harvard sq.
We were starving by the time we got there, and we dove right into the finger sandwiches and sweets before I had a chance to take a photo:
 |
| The aftermath of our assault on the tea plate |
There was a cool old Raleigh, almost but not quite a mixtie. It actually has almost an identical frame to a Betty Foy (there was one sitting right next to it)
It had a really cool old school water bottle cage on it:
The cage has a spring-loaded hasp to hold the bottle tightly:
At that point we hit the roads, taking Watertown street into Watertown sq, then following the river path on the Boston/Newton side all the way back into Cambridge
 |
| Crossing back into Cambridge as the sun sets |
It was a lovely 18 mile ride (according to Silent q's computer, and the Shogun was very comfortable for that distance. I may finally be breaking in the saddle I think. I feel more like I'm settling into the saddle and less like I'm perched on top of it, sliding around. I might start to look for some gloves if I'm riding much further though, as the combination of the skinnier tires/ more vibration and having more weight on my hands makes me really feel the ride in my hands.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Transpo-lectures
There's a good series of lectures at the Harvard Kennedy school about Public infrastructure called "Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and Bikes). Last year they were all in the middle of the afternoon, so it was tough for me to get there from downtown, but this year they've moved them all to 4:30-6PM, so I might be able to make it to a few.
The schedule:
The schedule:
· September 19 Seth Moulton, Managing Director-Lone Star High-Speed Rail (Taubman 401, 4:00-5:30)
· September 26 Carl Dietrich, CEO/CTO and Co-Founder-Terrafugia www.terrafugia.com (Taubman 401, 4:30-6:00) [to be confirmed]
· October 3 Gerry Mooney, general manager, IBM Global Smarter Cities-IBM (Taubman 401, 4:30-6:00)
· October 10 Josh Robin, Director of Innovation at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (Taubman 401, 4:30-6:00)
· October 15 John Pucher, professor of planning and public policy-Rutgers University, and author of City Cycling (MIT Press 2012) (Room TBA, 4:30-6:00)
· October 17 Steve Poftak, Executive Director-The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston (Taubman-Allison Dining Room/5th floor, 4:30-6:00)
· October 24 Carl Allen, Director of Transportation, Boston Public Schools (Taubman-Allison Dining Room/5th floor, 4:30-6:00)
· October 31 Aaron Naparstek, founder-Streetsblog, and Paul White, Executive Director-Transportation Alternatives www.transalt.org (Taubman 401, 4:30-6:00)
· November 7 Rachel Kaprielian, Registrar of Motor Vehicles-Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Taubman 401, 4:30-6:00)
· November 14 Mark Joseph, Chief Executive Officer-Veolia Transportation (Taubman 401, 4:30-6:00)
If you are interested in participating and/or would like more information, contact John Foote at john_foote@hks.harvard.edu. For up to date information see the "events" section of the Taubman Center website- www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/taubman.
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