New data adds job creation to the many benefits of bicycle infrastructure

This week, a coalition of bicycling advocates introduced me to a new report showing that in Baltimore, MD, pedestrian and bicycle projects created nearly twice as many jobs per dollar spent than typical road projects.

In this case-study, "Estimating the Employment Impacts of Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Road Infrastructure," the Political Economy Research Institute compiled data provided by the city of Baltimore. They found that on-street bike lanes and pedestrian measures created more direct jobs, more indirect jobs, and moreinduced jobs per dollar than either road upgrades or road resurfacing.

More from the Department of Transportation:
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/01/new-data-adds-job-creation-to-the-many-benefits-of-bicycle-infrastructure.html

City Bike's Fashion Moment - WSJ.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704518904575365132164503268.html?KEYWORDS=bike+chic#

Biking and Walking increase...

Today, the Federal Highway Administration is releasing "The National Biking and Walking Study: a 15-year Status Report." This study, by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, discusses trends and outcomes in bicycling and walking since 1994. I think the news is pretty good.

via fastlane.dot.gov

The first official statewide Bay State Bike Week is in full gear! Weve already had awesome bike breakfasts and other events all over the state, with much more to come. The MassCommuter Challenge has blown away its goal of 125,000 miles pledged and is closing in on 200,000 miles! MassBike and MassDOT got together this year to throw a unifying umbrella over Bike Week, showing everyone just how many people want to get around by bike. Yes, you heard it, our state government is actively encouraging bicycling, and we really appreciate the collaborative effort this year. MassBike has been working hard to build a stronger relationship with MassDOT and other state agencies, and Bay State Bike Week and the Same Roads, Same Rules campaign are the most visible fruits of that effort to date.

Check out the calendar, get a free t-shirt or ankle reflector, grab a Same Roads, Same Rules spoke card, and have fun!

Click here to find events near you

Boston Bike Week and Hub on Wheels

Boston Bike Week May 17-21, 2010

Bike Week is just one week away. Kick-off the cycling season at Boston Bike Week, May 17-21. Sign up today! Mayor Menino's Bike Festival, May 21 City Hall Plaza, Boston, 7-9 AM Give your car the day off. Enjoy a guided bike convoy to Boston's City Hall Plaza, where you'll be met with a free breakfast from Boloco, a bike festival and expo with music and tons of free giveaways. While you're there enter for your chance to win a bike from GIANT Bicycles. Bike Week Kickoff, May 17 City Hall Plaza, Boston, 11:45 AM Join Mayor Menino and hundreds of cyclists to kickoff Bike Week in Beantown. Ride with Mayor Menino, participate in the ribbon cutting of new Commonwealth Ave bike lanes, and hear what's new in Boston. Cities for Cycling - Best Cycling Cities, May 20 Boston University's Jacob Sleeper Auditorium 871 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, 5-7:30 PM. Learn what what Roger Geller from Portland OR, Jon Orcutt from New York City and Timothy Papandreou from San Francisco are doing to make their cities world-class bicycling cities. All are invited to a reception after the summit at Landry's Bicycles, courtesy of Boloco and Harpoon Brewery. Free Registration for Boston Bike Week is now open. Keep riding all summer at Bike Fridays too. Sign up today!

TD Bank Boston Cycling Celebration SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

Hub On Wheels and the TD Bank Mayor's Cup Pro Race, now on one spectacular day: Sunday, September 26, 2010. Join us for the 6th Annual Hub On Wheels Citywide Ride. Bike down a car-free Storrow Drive, enjoy harbor views and hidden pathways, river greenways and Boston's wonderful eclectic neighborhoods, all in the company of 6,000 fellow cyclists. Sign up today! The TD Bank Mayor's Cup Pro Race is moving to the same day as Hub On Wheels for an entire day-long cycling extravaganza. Watch more than two hundred of the top professional cyclists zoom around the action-packed course at speeds of over 30 mph and check out the Boloco Block Party on City Hall Plaza.

Just for laughs!

Hub On Wheels 2010 - Save the Date!

Hub On Wheels and TD Bank Mayor's Cup Hub On Wheels and the TD Bank Mayor's Cup Pro Race will be Sunday, September 26, 2010. Join us for the 6th Annual Hub On Wheels Citywide Ride. Bike down a car-free Storrow Drive, enjoy harbor views and hidden pathways, river greenways and Boston's wonderful eclectic neighborhoods, all in the company of 6,000 fellow cyclists. Sign up by March 31st and use discount code SPECIAL to get $5 dollars off of the registration fee. The TD Bank Mayor's Cup Pro Race is moving to the same day as Hub On Wheels for an entire day-long cycling extravaganza. Watch more than two hundred of the top professional cyclists zoom around the action-packed course at speeds of over 30mph and check out the Boloco Block Party on City Hall Plaza. www.BostonBikes.org Boston Bike Week Bike Week is May 17-21 and we're celebrating in Boston with Mayor Menino's Bike Week Festival on Friday, May 21st. This special edition of Bike Friday will feature guided bike convoys to Boston's City Hall Plaza, free breakfast from Boloco, a bike expo and a festival with music and tons of free giveaways. www.BostonBikes.org Bike Fridays Get geared up for Bike Fridays on June 25th, July 30th and August 27th. Ride into town with an experienced cycling guide, enjoy free breakfast from Boloco, check out the bike expo on City Hall Plaza...and still get to work on time. www.BostonBikes.org

City releases more details of upcoming bike share program

As Boston city officials continue to work on plans for the nation's first bike share program that is set to begin next spring or summer, more details of the program are emerging.

For those who are not familiar with municipal bike share programs, the way they work is pretty simple. The city will place bike "stations" around the city (mostly at public transit stops and other attractions). Anyone who wants to rent a bike can pay to unlock it and rent it for a set amount of time. When the rider reaches their destination, they drop off the bike at another station to lock it back up.

As far as the new details, here's a quick run down. The city has said it plans to have 1,000 to 3,000 bikes available at stations around the area. The stations will be 300 to 400 yards apart.

Under one proposal, bikes could be rented for $2.50 for a single rental or $40 for a yearly membership. A rental would be good for 30 minutes, and the rider would have to pay an additional fee after 30 minutes. The reason for this is the fact that, in other cities, the average bike sharing trip is less than 30 minutes long.

For more information on the bike sharing program, check out this story from The Globe.

Cyclists kick off Bay State Bike Week

Fifty or so bicyclists gathered in Christopher Columbus Park in the North End to celebrate the beginning of Bay State Bike Week.

Many bicyclists across the street have pledged to ride 250,000 combined miles this week to show politicians that they are serious about their demands for more bike lanes, racks, and other improvements.

There are many events across the Greater Boston area scheduled to promote bicycling. For more information on bike week events, check out this page of our website. Also, check out this story from The Globe on the events today in Christopher Columbus Park that marked the beginning of bike week.

Bids go out for citywide bike share program

City leaders began accepting bids for Boston's proposed citywide bike share program today, which is schedule to begin in the spring of next year.

The program will place 150 or so kiosks around the city with bikes locked to them, and program participants will be able to swipe a credit card and pick up a bike. The kiosks will be located around busy areas such MBTA stations, colleges, and hospitals.

The fee for the bikes will range between $2 and $5 an hour, city officials said.

Biking advocates are excited about the program because it gives commuters flexibility in using bikes to get around the city.

Biking to work increases your productivity

Employees who bike to work miss an average of one less day a year because of sickness or illness, according to a study by the Dutch transport ministry.

Less sick days means an employee is more productive and that his or her company makes more money. Your company provides incentives to encourage you to bike to work because it keeps you healthy and makes you more productive. Are you aware of these incentives?

Safe ways to bike to work

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has this bike to work video/slide show on its health and fitness website. The slide show contains videos that show riders the proper way to wear helmets, what can happen if you don't wear a helmet, and other safety accessories riders should own.

Minuteman Bikeway inducted into hall of fame

Local officials and bicyclists celebrated the Minuteman Bikeway's induction into the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Rail-Trail Hall of Fame with a rolling celebration on Sunday, Oct. 7, that began with an event at the Alewife Station. After the event, a group of bicyclists rode the length of trail, with stops in Arlington, Lexington and Bedford.

The 11-mile trail, which used to be a rail line for trains, is now a path for bicyclists and walkers that runs from Cambridge to Bedford.

"We are all very excited about the award," said Joey Glushko, Arlington Department of Planning and Community Development liaison to the Arlington Bike Committee. “ [The trail] has a great atmosphere, is used by every age group, and is wonderfully accessible."

The trail is one of the most popular in New England, attracting an estimated two million visitors a year. The trail is maintained by the four communities it passes through. The trail was not only created with recreation in mind but also with the goal of reducing automobile traffic in the area as the trail serves as a convenient bicycling and walking route from the Alewife Station to other communities in the area.

The Minuteman Bikeway is the fifth of 25 trails that will be inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Since announcing in June that the Minuteman Bikeway would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the RTC has chosen its sixth and seventh inductees, a trail in Illinois and a trail in Wisconsin. The RTC will inductee 18 more trails into the Hall of Fame between now and the end of 2011.

The path is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. year round. For more information on the Minuteman Bikeway, visit the trail's web site.

Cambridge Bike Shops

Interested in getting a new bike or a new bell for your old bike? These shops will be more than happy to help you. Biking helps burn calories and reduce emissions.

• ATA Cycle
  1773 Massachusetts Avenue (617-354-0907)
• Bicycle Exchange at Porter Square
  2067 Massachusetts Avenue (617-864-1300)
• Broadway Bicycle School
  351 Broadway (617-868-3392)
• Cambridge Bicycle
  259 Massachusetts Avenue (617-876-6555)
• Emerging Vehicles
  One Broadway, Kendall Square (617-583-1379)
  (Sells and repairs electric bicycles and electric motorscooters for commuting, etc.)