Newsletter Archive
Email Newsletter 03/08/99
From james@velo.phast.umass.edu Mon Mar 8 17:22:21 1999
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1999 17:21:06 -0500 (EST)
From: "James D. Lowenthal" <james@velo.phast.umass.edu>
To: Pioneer Valley MassBike
Subject: March update
Contents:
* Feb. 10 meeting
* Next meeting: Mar. 10
* Coolidge Bridge
* Critical Mass
* Route 9 in Williamsburg
* Local racing in Hatfield with NCC
Dear Pioneer Valley Cyclists,
1) Feb. Meeting (2/10/99)
-------------------------
The February meeting was very well attended by folks from Northampton and,
some time after it began, by folks from Amherst. Not represented were
other towns around, including Springfield, Belchertown, Williamsburg,
Agawam, etc. Was this because of the weather? The location? The topics
covered? Please advise if you feel that MB/PV should be focussing on
topics of more general interest to the whole Valley, functioning in a
different style or mode, or there are specific issues to address that
would facilitate your involvement. The best place to provide input is at
the next meeting!
Topics discussed at the Feb. 10 meeting included:
* Northampton Vision 2020, the public visioning processs now under
way; non-auto transportation was WIDELY embraced.
* Northampton bike/ped committee
* Millenium Trails 2000 -- Amherst group tries to gain
special national status for the Norwottuck RT
* Amherst Give Your Car a Break Week, 18-24 April: Plans progress
* Coolidge Bridge: update on latest exchanges with MHD, Rosenberg
* MassBike Tour '99: Will focus on the Bridges of the Pioneer
Valley, including of course the Coolidge Bridge!
* Critical Mass: the inaugural ride on 2/26 was announced.
As always, notes are posted on the web (www.massbike.org/groups/mbpv)
2) Next meeting:
---------------
Wed., Mar. 10, 7:00 PM
Room 304, Seelye Hall, Smith College, Northampton
Preliminary agenda:
* Bridge updates
* Critical Mass
* Parking Garages
* Amherst Give-Your-Car-A-Break Week (Kaynor?)
* Bike/Ped Committees
* Route 9 in Williamsburg (Boas?)
* ??? email James with any additional items
--> All future meetings will be
--> held at 7:00 PM on the 2nd Wednesday
--> of each month
3) Coolidge Bridge
------------------
Lots going on here! Kaynor, Kusner, Lowenthal, and Salwen met with Sen.
Stan Rosenberg and officials John Hoey and Dick Barber from MassHighway
District 2 to discuss bike accommodation on the bridge. The meeting was
mutually respectful and (potentially) productive, with lots of information
and options presented and discussed. A major topic of discussion during
the one-hour meeting was the relative merits of on-road bike
lanes/shoulders vs. off-road bike paths/Rail Trails. Briefly, MassHighway
has promised to (a) clear the reconstructed bridge of snow/ice/crud
curb-to-curb after the reconstruction; (b) clear the sidewalk; (c) clear
the RailTrail bridge DURING reconstruction; (d) LIGHT the RailTrail bridge
during reconstruction; (e) consider our request for (among other things)
narrower travel lanes and wider shoulders/bike lanes and respond
officially within the next month. Note that a, b, c, and d were not
requested by us.
Kirston Andelman at the Gazette has been following and writing about these
developments, including....
4) Critical Mass Arrives to the Pioneer Valley!
----------------------------------------------
At 5:15 on Friday, Feb. 26, fifty cyclists gathered on the Town Common in
Amherst, did a warmup lap around the Common, and then, exercizing their
legal right to the road, set off in a long line down Route 9, following
the setting Sun and Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury. A little after
6:30, the riders arrived at the soon-to-be-rebuilt Calvin Coolidge
Memorial Bridge over the Connecticut River, where they were met by news
photographers from the Daily Hampshire Gazette. They rode single-file
across the bridge, then "massed up" before rolling into downtown
Northampton, collecting at Pulaski Park, and handing out literature and
mock parking tickets advertising the cost to society of our automobile
addiction.
Critical Mass rides will take place on the last Friday of every Month.
Meet on the Amherst Town Common at 5:15, ride at 5:30.
See the MassBike/Pioneer Valley WWW page for links to the Gazette
articles.
5) Route 9 in Williamsburg
--------------------------
MassHighway plans a major rebuild of Route 9 through Williamsburg. At
issue are 12-foot vs. 11-foot travel lanes and 4-foot bike lanes vs.
3-foot shoulders; both pro-Rail Trail folks (Kim Boas and the Burgy
Bikers) and anti-Rail Trail folks (Richard Goldberg and his group of
videotape-happy property-rights advocates) agree that 4-foot bike lanes
are preferred. Can the rebuild happen without jeopardizing the
liveability and lovely feel of the town, while actually enhancing
pedestrian and bicycle access? We think so! Please help make it happen.
6) Local racing series
----------------------
On Fri, 19 Feb 1999, John Frey wrote:
>
> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 15:20:11 -0500
> From: John Frey <jfrey@nohodpw.org>
> To: "'James D. Lowenthal'" <james@velo.phast.umass.edu>
> Subject: RE: PV happenings
>
> James,
>
> Could you do me a favor and post a message to your email list of cycling
> friends, or if there is a way to use your email list I could do it? Our
> training series is in need of paid road marshals and pace car drivers. The
> races are each Saturday in March in Hatfield at 11am. We will pay $20 to
> marshal a corner or drive lead/follow. This is a good way for non-racing
> cyclists to watch the action and get paid. We will need people from 10:30am
> to 1:30 at the latest. I figured you have the best list of cycling people
> in the area so please post this if you will. Also, our race flyer is on our
> website at www.noho.com/ncc/. The noho.com people are hosting us for free,
> this may also be desirable for Pioneer Valley MassBike.
>
> Thanks, John
================
Thanks for reading! Hope to see you on Wednesday.
-- James Lowenthal