Cape Chapter

The MassBike Cape Cod Bicycling Forum

2010 FORUM: HOW FACILITIES HAPPEN. The special Massachusetts way of creating Bikeways, Lanes, Routes, signs, rules, and all that other good stuff

June 26 2010 Hyannis Transportation center, Hyannis Ma.

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Mission Statement: Cape Cod & Islands Chapter
Rob Miceli, President

The mission of the Cape Cod and Islands Chapter of MassBike is to promote the bicycle as a safe, healthful, enjoyable, and non-polluting means of transportation on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Some goals of the Cape Cod Chapter are:

acceptance of bicycling as a safe and enjoyable means of touring scenic Cape Cod and the Islands;

support of bicycling by government, law enforcement, and planning organizations devoted to sustaining the environment and ambience of Cape Cod;

create of a strong community of bicyclists on Cape Cod and the Islands through sharing of information, resources, and opportunities for bicycling in all its forms among enthusiasts and neophytes, residents and visitors;

promote of a strong statewide MassBike through expansion of membership and sponsorship on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Programs & projects:

Establish liaison with local governments and the Cape Cod Commission.
Projects:

establish a seat for MassBike on the Cape Cod Commission’s Transportation Program;

encourage the formation of bicycle committees in the towns on the Cape and Islands and help them become effective advocates for bicycling in the community.
Support the passage of laws friendly to bicycle transportation in the Massachusetts legislature.
Projects:

lobby legislators representing Cape Cod districts for the passage of legislation before the General Court, one that would pass into law such bills as one that clarifies the rules of the road for both motorists and cyclists.
Promote safe bicycling practices through education programs, public communications, and the support of appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Projects:

run bicycle training and safety education videotapes on local community television stations;

offer MassBike’s Cycling Skills classes , developed to help train participants to cycle more safely and effectively;

promote and organize events that encourage bicycling to work and to school.
Promote the construction of facilities that encourage bicycling.
Projects:

• work with MassHighway, the Cape Cod Commission, and town transportation agencies to design road reconstructions that are in compliance with the Massachusetts bicycle accommodation law (Chapter 90E, Section 2A);
• identify and map regional bike routes and work with the state, Cape Cod Commission, and towns to improve pavement conditions, and filling in gaps and missing connections;
• work with towns to become bicycle-friendly communities by designing facilities that invite people to bicycle to desired destinations such as town centers, historic sites and the Cape’s many beaches. Such facilities may include dedicated bike paths, route signs for cyclists, share the road signs, bike lanes on roads where feasible, bicycle logos painted on streets where feasible, and bike racks. Such efforts may include changes in bylaws and local comprehensive plans, and working closely with the towns department of public works.

Plan and support bicycle events and rides on the Cape & Islands in cooperation with organizations that promote a healthy environment and a reduction in automobile traffic.

Establish mechanisms for communicating matters of interest to bicyclists across the Cape and the Islands.
Projects:

create a chapter website;

issue timely press releases to the Cape Cod Times, local community newspapers, and public access television stations;

maintain an email hot line for chapter members. Content may include organized events (rides, rallies and meetings); opportunities for cycling (guides to attractive routes and interesting sites to visit); legislation before the Massachusetts legislature affecting bicycling; local problems involving roadway design, construction, inappropriate enforcement, inadequate facilities; and solutions suggested or found.
Issued July 2005 (rev. September 2005)

MassBike Cape and Islands (C&I) June update

MassBike Cape and Islands (C&I) has enjoyed an active and productive bike month here on beautiful Cape Cod. On May 1st, the chapter sponsored the first annual Cape Cod Bicycle Forum at the Hyannis Transportation Center in Barnstable. A near capacity audience of local town engineers, advocates, police, legislators and bicycle users packed the conference room to listen to a stellar line-up of presenters. Craig Della Pena led the forum with his usual eloquent presentation on the state of rail trails in Massachusetts and how we can do more to increase the number on Cape Cod. Next, Nick Jackson of the Toole Design Group presented on the state of bicycle facility design including signage. After lunch, MassBike Executive Director David Watson briefed the audience on the highlights of the state’s new bicycle bill passed in January. Finally, we were swepted up by Nicole Freedman, City of Boston’s Bicycle Coordinator, with her presentation on making communities bicycle friendly. The audience raved about the quality of the presenters and their presentations and left wee-informed and motivated to enact some of the ideas that we discussed in open forum. We give our thanks to Craig, Nick, David and Nicole for their willingness to attend/present and to Pan D’Avignon and Café e Dolce of Hyannis for providing breakfast.

On May 19th, we celebrated Cape Cod Bike to Work Day. Four locations along the Shining Sea Bikeway and downtown Falmouth collected data and served breakfast compliments of Pie in The Sky Bakery in Woods Hole, Coffee Obsession, Cape Cod Bagel and Starbucks of Falmouth. Data was collected from close to 100 bicycle users/drivers. We extend a very sincere thank you to MassBike C&I members Ted Rowan, Vickie Lowell, Christine Wieseger, Kevin Lynch and Ed Gross for volunteering on short notice.

Planning is ongoing for the upcoming MassBike Spins series Tour of Cape Cod Towns and Villages. We hope to have a Falmouth tour organized and posted by late June. In other news, the MassBike Board of Directors will be meeting in Falmouth at the Falmouth Public Library on June 6th. Chapter board member and vice-president, Dr. Ed Gross, will host the meeting then lead a ride of the soon to be acclaimed Shining Sea Bikeway Extension. MassBike C&I will be assisting the Mashpee Kiawanas with a bicycle Rodeo and safety event on Sunday, May 31st at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum on Great Neck Road in Mashpee. The Kiawanas will be our newest member of MassBike and all rodeo participants and their parents will be invited to join MassBike.

Cape Cod Chapter in 2009

It is so exciting to see the number of responses to the Google MassBike Cape and Islands postings. It is a very positive sign that the interest in the bicycle culture on Cape Cod is flourishing.

In 2009, The Cape and Islands chapter wishes to sponsor a Cape-wide Bicycle Forum this spring. We have several guest speakers in mind. The Cape and Islands chapter is also planning to publish a schedule of MassBike Spins rides and, hopefully the weather will be more cooperative! Our third goal for 2009 is to start planning for the MassBike Festival in the fall.

If it is feasible and we are truly confident that we can produce a successful event, the festival could become an annual event on Cape Cod. We were able to apply for and be granted a free, full page public service announcement that will appear in the Cape Cod Times in April, 2009.

This is a great opportunity to publicly launch the chapter and list our mission and goals for the upcoming year. Here on the Cape, we are still celebrating the passage of the Bicycle Safety Bill that was signed into law in January. The hard work of implementing the many provisions is still ahead of us and you can be confident your officers and members will be focused on this task. Thank you to all who have joined MassBike and thanks for your patience while the chapter evolves. Sincerely, Rob Miceli

For more information on MassBike’s Cape Cod and Islands chapter, please contact chapter President Rob Miceli at 508-776-9290.