E-bulletin 25: May 9, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

• BAY STATE BIKE WEEK-- Next Week!
• Mon. May 12, 2 pm: Bicycle Rally w/ Boston's Mayor Menino and Cambridge's Mayor Simmons
• Fri. May 16, 5:30 pm: The Boston dPARTY! Incite a design revolution. Food, drink, music, exhibits, shmooze, network! >>
• Thu. May 22, 7 pm: StreetTALK by Professor Furth, "Developing a bicycle network in Boston" >>
• Sun. May 25, 8:30 am: Swan's Brunch Ride for Safer Streets @ TheOTHERSIDE cafe ; benefiting LivableStreets advocacy >>
• Sun. June 8: Bikes Not Bombs Annual bike-a-thon / Green Roots Festival >>

BAY STATE BIKE WEEK! May 12-18, 2006
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BIKE RALLY! MONDAY MAY 12 @ 2 PM SHARP. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons kick- off Bay State Bike Week with a mini-bike ride and speeches! Depart City Hall Plaza by bicycle @ 2 PM SHARP, Bike to Post Office Square, Rally 2:15 - 2:30pm. Free T-shirts and/or water bottles provided to first 100 attendees. LivableStreets Alliance strongly urges you to attend-- a strong show of support is critical to the success of the new Boston Bikes program!

Sign up for Bike Week today! BayStateBikeWeek.org.

The 50,000 Mile Commuter Challenge: The heart of Bike Week is the 50,000 Mile Commuter Challenge. That's how far we know you and your fellow Bay Staters can pedal over the course of the week. Sign up and tell us how many miles you will ride. We're even here to help and make it fun.

Look what's planned for Bike Day, Friday May 16th:

• Safe Guided Convoys: Join one of our Boston, Cambridge, Newton or Stow/Acton/Concord/Lexington/Arlington commuter convoys and meet new friends while you're at it [ more info... ]
• Free Goodies & Breakfast: Pick up a free water bottle and goodies from one of our "Goodie Zones". Or, stop by Government Center Plaza for free goodies and breakfast on your way to work. There are also bike breakfasts/ breakfast pit stops in Cambridge Monday through Thursday, and Dorchester on Turesday. [ more info... ]
• Bike Buddies: Can't find somebody to ride with? Email us to be paired up with a fellow commuter or to escort a new rider. [ more info... ]
• Rentals: No bike? No problem! Contact Urban Adventours, 617.233.7595, info@urban adventours.com

What else? [ click here for MassBike's list of statewide events ... ]

• Sat. May 10: Bike The Charles, sponsored by MassBike Metro Boston Chapter [ more info... ]
• Wed. May 14: Dotbike's Monthly Ride home event (to Dorchester) , 5:30pm Boston Common, Boston [ more info... ]
• Sat. May 17: Cambridge Annual Spring Bike Tour:"Trails, Sails, Rails and Wheels - Cambridge Transportation History" [ more info... ]
• Sun. May 18: Brookline Bikes Beacon Bicycle Parade [ more info... ]
• Sun. May 18: Newton Bicycle Rally and Family Ride [ more info... ]
• Mon. May 19: 12th Annual Redbones Bike Party & Benefit, Somerville [ more info... ] RESCHEDULED BECAUSE OF RAIN FORECAST
• Sun. May 25, 8:30 am: Swan's Brunch Ride for Safer Streets @ TheOTHERSIDE cafe, Boston [ more info... ]

Note from LivableStreets: Thanks to an infusion of energy from the City of Boston's new bicycle coordinator, Nicole Freedman, this year's bike week, now called the "Bay State Bike Week," has even more events open to the public. For the past decade, the local Transportation Management Association's (TMA's, formed by companies and institutions to help get employees out of their cars and into transit or on bikes) has been taking the lead, and therefore focused on their members and employees only. Though the City of Cambridge has been a local leader in a program to pass out "goodie bags" to bike commuters to say "thank you", bike week in the Boston area hasn't in the past been all that exciting for the public (except of course for the big Red Bones bike party!). This year hopefully marks a change. Though resources are still meager this year, there are many more exciting things happening, and there is a lot more energy! On Friday May 16th there are several "bike convoys" converging on Downtown Boston where there are a variety of "bike breakfasts".

Click here for more information.

Incite a design revolution at
THE BOSTON dPARTY (d for design)
Fri. May. 16, 5:30 - 8:30 pm
@ Institute for Human Centered Design, 200 Portland Street, Boston (Near N. Station), suggested donation $2

BOSTON dPARTY is a feisty counterpoint to the AIA (American Institute for Architects) convention. For the first time ever, we're gathering local design non-profits and their compatriots for a radical event. Network with nonprofits | eat, drink, listen to music | view innovative exhibits | talk about design projects | get excited to change the world!

Partners: Action for Regional Equity, Architecture for Humanity Boston, Archventures, Ashmont Hill Association, Citizen Schools, COG Design, Design That Matters, Dot Bike, Fab Lab, LivableStreets Alliance, Olin College Foundry, St. Mark's Area Main Streets, Urban Edge, UrbanArts Institute, WalkBoston, Freedom By Design.

Click here for more information

STREET TALK!
Developing a bicycle network in Boston
Thu. May. 22, 7 - 8:30 pm
by Peter Furth, Professor of Civil Engineering, Northeastern University

@ LivableStreets office space, 100 Sidney Street, Central Square, Cambridge [ map... ]

free and open to the public, donation suggested, beer/sodas provided compliments of Harpoon Brewery!

If someone said it’s possible to interconnect the three most significant greenways in Boston what would you say? If someone told you that there was a 2 1/2 acre park with water views in Downtown Boston that few know about and no one goes to would you believe them? Come learn about plans to reconnect three of Boston's most important greenways: the Emerald Necklace, the Charles River Basin, and the Southwest Corridor and, in the process, reclaim a lost park overlooking the Charles River.

This event is sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance

Click here for more information

Swan's Brunch Ride for Safer Streets
Sun. May 25th, 8:30 am @ TheOTHERSIDE Cafe

Meet at the cafe at 8:30 AM for a one-hour bike ride through the streets of Boston led by bike messenger/OTHERSIDE brunch cook Chris Swanson ('Swanie'), followed by a group breakfast at the cafe. Includes brunch buffet, omelets made to order and one PBR. Vegetarian and Vegan friendly.

Jeff Rosenblum, co-founder of LivableStreets Alliance (http://livablestreets.info), will give a few words at brunch discussing recent advocacy successes to improve our streets in Boston and to answer questions.

Ride is limited to 25, please reserve in advance at the cafe.

Cost is $20/person, with ALL proceeds donated to LivableStreets Alliance to a special fund to advocate for bike lanes and other bike accommodation improvements on Mass Ave. in Boston.

Sponsored by TheOTHERSIDE Cafe and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.

Click here for more information or 617-53-OTHER (536-8437).

Bikes Not Bombs BIKE-A-THON!
Sun. June 8

JOIN THE FUN! Choose from 15, 25, or 62 mile routes. Great for families! Great for distance trainers and racers! Great for regular old bikers! Ride at your own pace with full support: maps, route markings, mechanics, rest stops, food, and following vehicles. This is the 21st Annual Bike-A-Thon so we know how to take care of you. Full details at www.bikesnotbombs.org/bat08.

Pre-Registration is now required (details below). Don't wait! Register now, start your fundraising, and get pre-ride support, activities, and fundraising advice from BNB. Once you're registered, BNB gives you a rider packet, a pledge sheet, a coupon, and other goodies.

REGISTER BY FRIDAY, MAY 9 and you are invited to a special dinner party here at the BNB Hub, 284 Amory St. in the Brewery, 6 - 8:30pm! It's a special gathering just for registered B.A.T. riders - complete dinner including vegan pizza, and presentations by Carl Kurz (founder of BNB) and Jon McCurdy (an amazing volunteer who was last year's top fundraiser). If you and your friend still haven't registered by then, come on down to the party and we can register you on the spot!

Prizes for top TEAMS & other categories, including of course, fundraising! And mind-boggling grand prizes: getaways for two in the woods of Maine, one during the Micro-Brew Festival, both courtesy of Back Country Excursions: famous MOUNTAIN BIKE MECCA! www.bikebackcountry.com

The after-party for your ride is the GREEN ROOTS FESTIVAL- an outdoor environmental festival with live music (featuring the Branches Pan Groove Steel Drum Band and more), info tables (environmental orgs!) with educational workshops, food (free dinner for riders), and it's open to the public. This will be really fun as well as educational, and it's in honor of you and your fellow riders! Keynote speaker is best-selling author BILL McKIBBEN!

Click here for more information...