Bay State Bike Week Begins

The week encouraging bike-based activities is May 11-19.

  The Massachusetts Department of Transportation along with several other public and private entities have banded together to tell you to get out of your cars and onto your bikes this week. May 11 to 19 is Bay State Bike Week, a week unique to Massachusetts which celebrates all things bicycle. There are bike-based events going on around the Bay State this week, and several in the Boston area.  The Bay State Bike Week website has provided a searchable calendar to find dates, locations and times for events closest to you. In Somerville, they include Monday's bike commuter breakfast and the Mystic River Annual Herring Run, Bike & Paddle n May 19. There are several events scheduled in Cambridge, too. What would a statewide bike week be without…

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Mayor Defends Street Improvements that Don't Emphasize Parking [VIDEO]

"People aren't moving to Somerville because they have more parking," the mayor said at the annual Business Town Meeting.

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone defended his administration's push to create more biking and walking infrastructure in the city, even when those plans come at the expense of parking. What's more, he said embracing multiple modes of transportation is good for local businesses and the local economy. The mayor spoke about the matter Wednesday after addressing members of the local business community at the annual Business Town Meeting hosted by the Somerville Chamber of Commerce. During a question and answer session, an audience member asked the mayor to talk about the city's efforts to build cycling infrastructure and reconstruct streetscapes and complaints from some about lack of parking. "I argue that people aren't moving to Somerville …

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Sen. Jehlen Speaks Out Against Beacon Street Reconstruction Plan

Anger about the proposal continued Tuesday night even as the city works to increase parking spaces included in the plan.

Somerville State Sen. Patricia Jehlen weighed in on a proposed plan to reconstruct Beacon Street, a plan that would add cycle tracks and eliminate some parking spaces along the street. The proposal has been a contentious issue in the neighborhood in recent months. Jehlen, speaking Tuesday at a community meeting about the project held at the Argenziano School, was skeptical about the cycle tracks. "Will these tiny cycle tracks actually increase safety?" she asked. "I strongly doubt that a five-block track will attract more cyclists. I think what will attract more cyclists is paving the street!" the senator said to applause from those who oppose the reconstruction plan. Jehlen said of the proposal, "If this makes people unhappy and [it's] …

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Police Issued 202 Bike Citations Between April and Mid-October

Most citations were written during the first month of enforcement in April.

Somerville police issued 202 bicycle citations between April and Oct. 10, according to police, who spoke about the matter at a Ward 4 ResiStat meeting on Dec. 5. The Somerville Police Department began issuing citations on April 11 in an effort to promote safety among bicyclists. A chart presented at the Ward 4 meeting shows that most of the citations, nearly 80, were written in April, and in June fewer than 10 were written. September was the second highest month for bicycle citations, with over 40 written, based on the chart. In the first month of issuing citations, from April to May, police wrote about 87 bike citations, compared to 1300 traffic citations for motorists during that same time period.  The issue of bicycle safety is at the …

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Illuminations Bike Tour Scheduled for Dec. 15

The Illuminations Bike Tour takes off at 5:50 p.m. at Somerville High School on Dec. 15.

The Somerville Bicycle Committee and Somerville Arts Council will hold the third annual Illuminations Tour guided bike ride on Dec. 15, according to an email from tour organizers. The bike ride coincides with the city's Illumination Tour trolley rides that take spectators around the city to see Somerville's Christmas and holiday lights. The guided tour will last about 45 minutes or less, and riders will need to wear warm clothes and have bike lights. It meets at 5:50 p.m. at the main entrance to Somerville High School. Afterward there will be hot drinks and treats at City Hall, the email says.

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Beacon Street Reconstruction Would Eliminate Parking, Add Cycle Tracks

It's "called Beacon 'street' and not Beacon 'bike path,'" said one resident. "Your businesses are going to boom with more cyclists coming down your street," said a biker.

A plan to reconstruct Beacon Street calls for eliminating parking on one side of the street over a nearly mile-long stretch of roadway. Doing so would make space for dedicated cycle tracks for bicycles. At a presentation about the reconstruction held Tuesday night at the Kennedy School, many neighbors and Beacon Street businesses were adamantly opposed to the proposal. "Parking is a priority," said Vincent Drago, a lifelong resident of Beacon Street. "You can ride your bike on any street. Tell me where I can park my car." "Beacon Street is called Beacon 'street' and not Beacon 'bike path,'" he said. Matin Filosi, who owns property on Beacon Street, said eliminating parking on one side of the road would "destroy" the value of his property, …

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Nikolai Slavov

12:27 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Great comment Rob, As with most changes, there are upsides and downsides. I think that in this case the upsides of safer bike lines exceed by far the downsides.   more ›

20th Annual Tour de Somerville to Explore 'Edge of the City'

The bike tour, which takes place Oct. 13, will take riders along the 15-mile border of Somerville.

More Somerville Hubway Stations Getting Installed This Week

Bike sharing stations in Davis, Porter, Powder House and Ball squares are coming this week, according to Boston.com.

Hubway continues its expansion into Somerville this week as the bike sharing program installs stations in Davis, Porter, Powder House and Ball squares, according to Boston.com. The Boston bike sharing program expanded into Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline in August, and the first four Somerville stations were in Union Square, City Hall, the intersection of Beacon and Washington streets and Conway Park. The installation of subsequent stations—12 are planned for the city, in all—was delayed while Hubway waited for parts from the manufacturer. After this week's installations Somerville will have eight operating Hubway stations, and according to Boston.com the locations of the final four stations haven't been determined yet. The city …

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Courtney O'Keefe

2:41 pm on Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Matt: Good idea!   more ›

Somerville Cyclist Discusses Dangers of Commuting by Bike

A Somerville cyclist talks about how she stays safe on the road, in the wake of several serious accidents.

(Editor's note: The headling on this article was corrected on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 11:26 a.m.) Somerville resident Amanda King, 32, bikes 16 miles roundtrip to work in Waltham, on average three times a week during the summer. While she knows the risks of riding the roads, taking safety precautions and not being complacent is how she says she stays safe. “When I first started biking, I thought, how can I possibly bike on the road — I’m going to get killed,” she said. “Now, I’m not as worried about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not very wise to the dangers.” When it comes to safety, King rides her bike wearing a helmet and fluorescent-colored vest. She mounts blinking lights on her helmet and the front and back of her bike. She “signals like a…

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More Hubway Stations Coming to Somerville in a 'Matter of Weeks'

Davis Square, Ball Square, Conway Park and Teele Square will soon have Hubway bike sharing stations, according to Hubway's general manager.

In Somerville, three of a planned 12 Hubway bike sharing stations are already installed. The rest of the stations, including those planned for Davis Square, Teele Square, Ball Square and Conway Park, will be installed soon, according to Scott Mullen, general manager of Hubway. He said Hubway is waiting for parts from the manufacturer, adding it's "a matter of weeks at this point." In addition to the locations listed above, Somerville is planning to put stations in Wilson Square, Powder House Park, Powderhouse Boulevard, the eastern side of Davis Square and on Highland Avenue. The exact locations of those stations will depend on demand, according to a recent post on the Somerville ResiStat blog. Somerville's existing Hubway stations are in …

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