[*BCM*] Opinions on move by MassBike

[Anne Wolfe]

So let me start by saying that first of all, as I already wrote, I did not know that the
review of the meeting as submitted was NOT an offidial MassBike one.  I just went on the
notes as submitted. But following that up......

> 
> >1) MassBike's goal is to double its membership.  Not advocate for better
> >biking conditions or safety or whatever in the greater Boston area, but to
> >double its membership.
> 
> MassBike has a two year strategic plan.  One part of it is to reach 2000 members, which
> I think is a modest goal, but we *are* our membership and we depend upon our members
> for their volunteering energy, information about local conditions, and yes, funding. 
> But other no less significant parts of the plan include advocacy, safety education,
> media outreach, fund raising, working with state, local and national government
> officials, legislative action, and so on.

Maybe, just maybe, success at acheiving and implementing the goals in the latter part of
this passage will increase the membership?  Just a thought.  As opposed to a two year
plan with a set goal of doubling membership rather than just increasing outreach?
> 
> That's why MassBike will lead a group to Washington, DC to meet with Massachusetts'
> Congressional delegation during the National Bike Summit in March.  It's also why we're
> sponsoring at least two Bicycle Driver Training courses in the early spring, and why
> we're hosting a League of American Bicylists League Certified Instructor course on
> Patriot's Day weekend in April (which I plan to take).  We are now setting up our
> Commuter Seminar lunchtime presentations for 2005, in which we go into places of
> employment to discuss how they and their employees can encourage bicycle commuting.  We
> held dozen or more of these in 2004, and I personally gave three of them.

1) Why aren't you meeting with the Mass Gongress delegation here in Mass?  Why aren't you
meeting with officials at the State House to get your legislation passsed and funded? 
Why spend membership dollars for a fun weekend away for staff in DC rather than wandering
the halls of the statehouse achieving something locally?

2) What is "hosting" a seminar?  Providing space?  Providing press?  Merely lending a
name?  If you're taking it, you're obviously not giving the seminar.  This seems very
code word for "we're associated, but don't really have much input or effort here."  And
doing it on a weekend when lots of people are out of town for the holiday seems
counterproductive,although that is a great time for the marathon and some Red Sox v.
Yankees.

3) Weekends in DC, the entire state of Massachusetts as your membership and one seminar a
month to employers on bike commuting?  Good start, but that's not much.  I'd like to see
more.  A LOT more.> 

> You also don't appear to understand the importance of the MassHighway design manuals,
> and our role in their revision.  These are the books that the highway department uses
> when they build or rebuild roads.  They specify lane widths, shoulder sizes, drain
> gratings, intersection layouts, traffic controls, surface treatments, and yes, bike
> lanes, crosswalks, curb cuts and other facilities.  They're used in every town and city
> in the Commonwealth, and they're currently undergoing the first substantial revision in
> decades.  Their timetable for release isn't up to MassBike -- it's the highway
> department's job to produce these things, after all, and they're doing it by command of
> the Governor, so if you want them out sooner rather than later, tell him -- but the
> fact that our ED was chosen to chair the committee that would produce the bicycle &
> pedestrian specifications is very significant.

Sounds to me more like the good of your ED rather than anything MassBike has specifically
done.  And I'm not an idiot, so stop explaining to me what a highway design manual is. 
They're undergoing their first revision in decades, as you say, so it really therefore
isn't by MassBike design that this revision is happening.  And it is the ED, not MassBIke
that's chairing the committee.  Committee, now there's a hateful word.  Any word on how
much of his ideas, etc have been implemented into the design?  And where did MassBike
advocacy actually go with this?  Any success at all?
> 
> And there's the police training, the "Kid's Club" youth outreach, the Bikes on the T
> work ... there's a lot we're doing.  All with a paid staff of three people and lots of
> volunteers.
1) Police training - mostly not in Mass.
2) YOu never mentioned the kids club ooutreach, so it doesn't seem to be significant.
3) Bikes on the T work - as discussed yesterday, still no bikes on the green line, no
racks at stations, in short, six years ago you stopped bikers having to have free to
obtain bike passes.  Oh big woo.
> 
> You would know about the strategic plan, its action items if you had gone to the links
> that I offered you yesterday, and read the MassCyclist for the last few issues, or the
> frequent MassBike Updates that are sent out via email and available on-line.  And while
> you might argue that some people don't have on-line access (hence, we still mail them
> the quarterly MassCyclist, which was redesigned and expanded last year), you clearly
> do.

Again, why would I want to continue to read the newsletters of an organization that I
used to belong to, but no longer do due to the fact I felt they were ineffective?  What
makes you think I have so much time on my hands?  I took the arguments YOU made as
MassBike's acheivements, and said what I thought.  You obviously didn't like it, and
that's' your right, but your arguments here seem pretty reactionary and really haven't
seemed in the slightest bit welcoming or cause me to re-think my position.  I forwarded
the e-mails to my friend who's leaving MassBike now, and her reaction was "Wow, these
people really don't like you, do they?  And I'm thinking you're more right every minute."
 At least that makes me feel better.

Off to go ride my bike...........

Anne
> 
> So I don't know why you haven't.  All a friend can say is, ain't it a shame?
> 
> ...............................Tom
> 
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