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<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>MassBike expresses its condolences to family of the rider; we're thinking
about how to respond to this tragedy.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>While
MassBike does work on projects statewide, much of our activity actually is in
metro Boston. Not only is our Metro Boston chapter incredibly involved in
local projects (Charles River paths, Longfellow Bridge, Storrow Drive, Cambridge
Road Hazard ID Day, MassBike Spins Ride Series, etc.), but our office is
continually working behind the scenes on urban issues. We've been so busy
that we haven't had time to update our website, so the information on our
projects and priorities is not current. The bike safety bill is very
relevant to urban riders, dealing with passing, turning, and dooring.
We're trying to work with the city to make sure that new road projects include
bikes in the plan. At the National Bike Summit in DC last month, we asked
Congress to appropriate money for the Conserve By Bike program to encourage
people to ride instead of drive on short trips, and asked them to support the
Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit Act, which would encourage companies to pay cash
incentives to people who ride their bikes to work.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Because so much of what we do is not immediately visible to the public,
we've been trying harder lately to let everyone know what we're working
on. If you'd like to stay up-to-date or get involved, please subscribe to
our email list at <A
href="http://www.mainstreetmail.com/signup/index.php?listID=324&redirect=http://www.massbike.org">http://www.mainstreetmail.com/signup/index.php?listID=324&redirect=http://www.massbike.org</A>.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>And we
are always open to input from you, the riders on the streets every
day.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>-David</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359473221-05042007>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>David Watson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Executive Director</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>MassBike</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>171 Milk Street, Suite
33</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Boston, MA 02109</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Phone: 617-542-BIKE
(2453)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Fax: 617-542-6755</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT color=#0000ff>Email: </FONT><A
href="mailto:david@massbike.org">david@massbike.org</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>MassBike - Better Bicycling for
Massachusetts</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT color=#0000ff>Visit us at </FONT><A
href="http://www.massbike.org/"><FONT
color=#0000ff>www.massbike.org</FONT></A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org
[mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org]<B>On Behalf Of
</B>Ian Thistle<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, April 05, 2007 1:03 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
list@bostoncriticalmass.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [*BCM*] My
thoughts<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>So I have been stewing over the last day and here
are some points I'd like to bring up for discussion.<BR><BR>First, I offer my
sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the young man who
died. I didn't know him personally but it seems like I easily could
have. I'm not sure if his name has been officially released, so I'm
not going to say it, but he was a friend of friends of mine. It's a
terrible tragedy that I'm sure will stick with us for a long time.
<BR><BR>What I'm upset about is this: Anyone who rides frequently
in Boston could have told you that the area where he was hit is very
dangerous. One of the first responses on this list called it a
"highway," and I agree. People drive very fast and the road is
needlessly narrow. You always have to watch out for Northeastern /
MassArt / SMFA students crossing the street without warning and yet it's the
quickest route from downtown to Mission Hill, Brookline Village, and so
on. <BR><BR>Sometimes it unfortunately takes a tragedy for things
to change. I'd have hope that the area would be improved, except
the area of Cambridge St where Kirsten Malone was killed three years ago (if I
remember correctly) is still just as dangerous as it was the day she
died. Similarly, anyone could have told you that area was really
dangerous before she was killed. <BR><BR>Now, MassBike does some good things,
but for a cycling advocacy group, they haven't done much to make things better
for cyclists <SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">in the city</SPAN> (at least
that I can tell in the four and a half years I've lived here). One of
their major recent victories was securing $40 million of funds for bike paths
<A href="http://www.massbike.org/projects/federal_bikepath_funding.htm">(link
here)</A>. Most of these are in the rest of the state, and the ones that
are in the Boston area aren't ones I will ever ride, nor do most of my biking
friends. I don't want to stereotype, but they seem to mainly be for
"weekend warriors" rather than commuters. No matter who rides them, bike
paths are in my opinion counter to the safety of cyclists, since they get
overwhelmed by joggers and rollerbladers and they reinforce the idea to
drivers that cyclists belong <SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">off the
road</SPAN>. <BR><BR>I don't want to pin it all on MassBike, as I fully
support a lot of the things they are doing. I guess what I'm mostly
looking for is some way to get my voice heard, as a cyclist on the streets of
Boston who sees the city as needlessly forboding to cyclists. <BR><BR>Lastly,
I wanted to voice to everyone that while being scared to ride is a natural and
understandable reaction to this death, that they shouldn't stop riding.
Fewer bikes on the streets makes it harder for everyone still riding, not to
mention increasing pollution and lowering personal health. <BR><BR>Be
safe,<BR>Ian<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>