Sunday, September 2, 2012
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…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
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 …
42.38671
-71.09836
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
/articles/more-hubway-stations-coming-to-somerville-in-a-matter-of-weeks
787420
/locations/7581703
Monday, August 6, 2012
Bike sharing is officially in Somerville.
Somerville, along with Cambridge, Boston and Brookline, will celebrate on Aug. 8 the expansion of the Hubway bike sharing network in the Boston area. Three Hubway stations are already installed in Somerville, and nine more are to follow once equipment is available from the manufacturer. Here are some photos of the new Hubway station in Union Square, near the SCATV building. It has space for 19 Hubway bikes. The other two stations currently installed are at the intersection of Washington and Beacon streets and at Somerville City Hall.
42.37965
-71.095579
90 Union Sq, Somerville, MA
/articles/photos-union-square-hubway-station
/locations/7528299
Friday, July 27, 2012
At least three Hubway bike sharing stations will be installed during the first week of August, but the city must wait longer for manufacturers to supply equipment for all 12 stations.
The first three or four Hubway bike sharing stations will be installed in Somerville during the first week of August. That's according to an email from Sarah Spicer, senior transportation planner with the city's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Hubway, which launched in Boston last summer, allows people to make short-term bike rentals at automated stations positioned throughout the city. The program is expanding to Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline this summer. Somerville has bought a total of 12 Hubway stations, and Spicer said they're being installed east to west, which means the first three stations in Somerville will be in Union Square, Beacon Street (near Washington Street) and City Hall. Because Hubway is an …
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Ryoji Uyehara said, "I deserved to be arrested" but thinks police are overreaching in their enforcement of bicycle laws.
Ryoji Uyehara, the 28-year-old Allston man arrested June 22 and charged with a bicycle violation—the first bicycle violation arrest since police started enforcing traffic laws for bikers in April—has commented on his arrest. Writing a comment on Somerville Patch, Uyehara said "I deserved to be arrested," but he thinks police are overreaching in their targeting of bicyclist, and he called the enforcement of a "Do Not Enter 7AM-9AM" sign for bikers "draconian and petty." This is what Uyehara wrote: Yeah it's not so much that I think that I can get away with whatever I want so much as I believe that I shouldn't have to answer to a bunch of policecops who want to suddenly equate cyclists with motor vehicles. I've been riding a bike since I …
Monday, June 25, 2012
The biker pedaled through a "do not enter" sign and then tried to avoid police, according to a police report.
An Allston man likely would have pedaled away with nothing more than a verbal warning had he stopped for police. Instead, 28-year-old Ryoji Uyehara allegedly led police cruisers on a short chase and became the first person to be arrested in Somerville for committing a bicycle violation, according to Deputy Chief Paul Upton of the Somerville Police Department. According to a police report, officers were stationed at Tufts and Washington streets in East Somerville the morning of June 22. Tufts Street had a "Do Not Enter 7AM-9AM" sign posted, and at about 7:55 a.m. Uyehara, riding a bike, turned up Tufts Street in violation of the sign, the police report says. According to the report, one of the officers was standing next to his cruiser, …
Monday, June 11, 2012
The outdoor block party, dedicated to biking, will include food, music and prizes.
Ed. note: The Redbones Bike Party was originally scheduled to take place June 4, but due to rain it was postponed. The block party will take place outside the restaurant, and there will be food, music and prizes. Below is information about the party, sent by Redbones: Time: 5 - 9 pm, prize drawing @ 7:30 pm Place: Redbones, 55 Chester Street, Somerville Information at: 617.628.2200 & www.redbones.com Tickets: $15.00 includes bicycle valet parking, a Redbones sandwich, soft drink or beer & a ticket for the prize drawing. All tickets purchased on site. No advance sales. Additional tickets for prize drawing: 1 for $2.00 & 3 for $5.00 Proceeds from entry & prize drawing ticket sales go to: MassBike - www.massbike.org & NEMBA - www.…
42.39507
-71.12227
Redbones
55 Chester St, Somerville, MA
/articles/redbones-bike-party-tonight
786768
/locations/7178327
Friday, June 1, 2012
A new method of parking in Union Square—that has created 11 new parking spots but narrowed a traffic lane—has begun in Union Square. It's an experiment. Do you think it's working?
Back-in angled parking is now under way in Union Square. The new method of parking, in which drivers back into angled spots, is meant to create more parking spots, increase safety for pedestrians, drivers and bikers, make it easier to load and unload your car, and be safer to pull out into traffic when leaving. The new parking configuration, on Bow Street in Union Square, adds about 11 new parking spots to the business district, but it also narrows the traffic lane. A video on the Union Square Main Streets website shows Bow Street's back-in angled parking in action. The video was created by LivableStreets, a biking, walking and transit advocacy group, and it includes interviews with locals who love the new parking method. Check out the …
42.38162
-71.09775
Bow St & Summer St, Somerville, MA
/articles/is-back-in-angled-parking-working-in-union-square
/locations/7131695
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The posters will educate bicyclists and drivers about road safety.
Some of the posters encourage bicyclists to take commonplace safety precautions: Wear a helmet. Don't drive the wrong way down one-way streets. Others talk about stuff that might not be so obvious. One poster reminds bicyclists it's the law to have lights at night. Another tells riders they need to ride in the streets, as opposed to on sidewalks, in the city's squares and business districts. If they don't, they could get a ticket. And the posters aren't aimed just at bikers. They remind drivers not to park in bike lanes, and they ask drivers to check the mirror before opening doors, which bikers could slam into. They're all part of a new bike safety poster campaign unveiled last week by the city. The 16 posters feature cool graphic designs…
42.39851
-71.10797
Trum Field
Broadway & Cedar St, Somerville, MA
/articles/city-rolls-out-bike-safety-poster-campaign
1301644
/locations/7104424
42.39432
-71.1141
Lexington Park
Lexington Ave & Hancock St, Somerville, MA
/articles/city-rolls-out-bike-safety-poster-campaign
1301647
/locations/7104425
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The “Somerville Parks, Now and Then” tour kicks off at 2 p.m.
A bike tour of the city today will explore Somerville's parks. Here's a description of the tour, which begins at 2 p.m., from the city of Somerville: “Somerville Parks, Now and Then” is sponsored in cooperation with the Somerville Bike Committee. This year’s theme will take us from one end of the City to the other, learning about Somerville’s wealth of parks and what they used to be. The guided ride, escorted by the Somerville Police, is designed for all ages and riding levels, and includes a couple of rest stops and park hosts. Starts at City Hall and ends at the Somerville Museum around 4:15 pm, with light refreshments. $3.00 donation suggested." You can see a map of the route here. Check out the event's Facebook page here.
Ken Long
12:14 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Laws are laws and they're meant to control people and situations. Sitting at lights isn't difficult, but it doesn't solve the major problems, and there's really only a small portion of the biking population that sits at lights needlessly. The major problems seem to come down to awareness, on both sides, and what it takes to be safe. This cant be dictated in a law. Many cyclists seem to ride on … more ›