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Some polite suggestions:<BR>
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stop trying to assume one should re-create all of what Brookline and Cambridge succeeded in doing without first studying how it is they did it. <BR>
It’s not as simple as a vote with a roll call, and it’s <I>not</I> the job of elected officials to do the legwork required before and after appropriations occur. If you think funding is an issue, for instance, find a civil engineering firm to consider consulting pro bono, or offer the name of a friend or professional group that might. <B>If you make it clear to the City you’re willing to stand behind your own project, you will be amazed at how willing they will be to step up and stand behind you.</B> As someone who’s done a small project within a bike trail proposal for a town, I find it fascinating how people think writing an E-Mail will make bike racks a reality. <BR>
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<U>Reality Check</U>: <B>City Hall roll call votes <I>won’t</I> install the bike rack</B>, your elected officials <I>aren’t suppose</I> to know where to place the bike racks, or which kinds to order, or how to save money on them to make it feasible, or who to contact to consult with, or anything like that. They might represent you, but they also depend on you to help them help you.<BR>
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For the cynics: Find a city you feel is as equally apathetic as Boston, yet managed to one-up most cities that claim they’re progressive on this issue. Think MTA for LA Buses. Ever LA bus has one, and Mass Bike points to this all the time. Bu did anyone bother to call someone behind that multi-year campaign, ask them what lessons they learned, how they pulled it off? Or do we think MTA are super cool and smart and decided to do it one day, and no one resisted? (disclaimer: for all I know, MassBike people did this, it’s just an ex.)<BR>
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There is always a way, and few problems exist in one part of the world that were not successfully conquered in another part. Find that part of the world with the solution, talk to the people behind the solution. Then, reverse engineer it.<BR>
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Oh, and if I may suggest: avoid the term ‘racks.’ it sounds more complicated to build than a bike post. Racks sound complicated and expensive. Bike posts sound like wooden roads you want to hammer into a natural park... When I think of bike racks, I think of jackhammers and graffiti and hideously bleak black paint, constructed by people who would, if it were up to them, paint the SF Golden Bridge white or something. <BR>
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Even if they did get more bike racks in Allston, we still can’t convince Allston to organize the real estate developers to lobby for planting trees in place of concrete street islands. And that’s not apathy, that’s stupidity– trees always are cheaper than the rise in home values they create.... Can’t we just get trees on Comm Ave first? We all know the bike racks will be painted some primary grayscale color, since it’s Boston... What’s the point of adding some ugly thing like that?<BR>
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On 6/7/09 10:43 AM, "Lee Peters" <<a href="leepeters@gis.net">leepeters@gis.net</a>> wrote:<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT SIZE="2"><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>I think the city trawls this list for that kind of info. Be patient....or give a call to your city councilor's office.<BR>
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----- Original Message ----- <BR>
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<B>From:</B> jb fentner <<a href="mailto:symboliceon@hotmail.com">mailto:symboliceon@hotmail.com</a>> <BR>
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<B>To:</B> BCM <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>> <BR>
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<B>Sent:</B> Sunday, June 07, 2009 3:18 AM<BR>
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<B>Subject:</B> Re: [*BCM*] bike racky<BR>
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I'm always appreciative when I see any evidence of this town putting some money in to doing things that help us out, but we REALLY need some more attention in Allston. The fact that there are just SO many folks who ride bikes in that area and very few places to lock up is really starting to bother me. Every damn time I go to that convenience store near the Model on my way home from work I end up having to lock up to that bus stop overhang thing. About a mile away, in Coolidge Corner where there seem to be less cyclists there seems to be about fifteen thousand places to lock up. <BR>
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<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="100%"> From: <a href="leepeters@gis.net">leepeters@gis.net</a><BR>
To: <a href="list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><BR>
Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 13:14:37 -0400<BR>
Subject: [*BCM*] bike racky<BR>
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</FONT></SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>There are some sweet new racks on the sidewalks of the Back Bay and elsewhere in Boston. Try them out.<BR>
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