MassBike is proud to present a brand new resource to help advocates around Massachusetts make their communities' roads better for biking. This guide, Shifting Gears: An Introduction to Better Biking for your Community, is designed to open the door for people who want to make things better for bicyclists, but don't know how to start. This document is the product of 35 years of advocacy experience, and we hope that the collective wisdom of our staff, board, and active members will help others learn from past lessons.

Shifting Gears begins by giving an overview of the different layers of government and, more specifically, who it is that you should contact to address your issues or concerns. The document goes on to explain best practices and helpful tips for maintaining a good relationship with public officials and other advocates. In the final section, the guide gives an introduction to the specific kinds of policies, programs and infrastructure projects that can help to overcome barriers to bicycling. Together, these three sections provide the tools to begin a conversation with municipal staff or elected officials, and gives guidance on how best to achieve a meaningful solution.

Shifting Gears is the companion document to our Bikeable Communities Training, which is being offered through the Department of Public Health's program Mass in Motion. The Bikeable Communities Training is a two-part training, each section taking three hours. The training augments the guide by providing case studies from around Massachusetts on successful bicycle initiatives, and includes discussion and exercises to brainstorm strategies for specific bicycle initiatives in the host community.

Paper copies are currently only available through the Bikeable Communities Training, but the digital copy can be found by clicking here. If you have any questions about the guide or would like to learn more information about the Bikeable Communities Training, please email [email protected], or call (617) 542-2453.