On A Roll: Highlights from MassBike's Annual Meeting

On Saturday, January 24th, a bitterly cold day before a snowstorm, MassBike and partners gathered at Look Park in Florence MA and virtually for our annual meeting. We had a crowd of more than 50 members, advocates, and partners join for an afternoon of mingling, networking, and smiles; a few hardy souls even biked over on the Mass Central Rail Trail, including some of the Pedal People, a local Northampton hauling coop!

The MassBike team presented the work they had done over 2025, and we thanked sponsors, partners, and coalition members for helping us to do our work each year. We had a great time, and chatted with friends and neighbors, advocates and transportation professionals.

If you want to catch up or revisit the presentations, check out the MassBike YouTube channel for a recording of the meeting. Read on for some of the highlights, and thank you to everyone who attended, donated, and volunteered their time–your support helps MassBike make the roads safer for everyone.

Welcome to Florence & Look Park

Alexis, a MassBike team member who lives in Easthampton, welcomed everyone to the Connecticut River Valley. She described MassBike-related events that have happened in the Valley over the last couple of years, and called out to the Valley bikeshare, which became available again in 2024. Big thanks to our local partner-organizations who set up information tables to share their work: MassDCR and MassTrails, Friends of Northampton Trails, Larry Finison promoting the history of Kittie Knox with Plays in Place, ValleyBike, and the Mass Central Rail Trail. We were also joined by State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa and DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle, both local to Hampshire County and big supporters of better biking in the Valley – we’re grateful for their leadership!

2025 has been a combination of bike month tabling, bike valet events and road safety audits led by Alexis. At Acadia Folk Fest 2025, over 180 bikes were parked in our bike valet over just one day! With the coalitions that Alexis has been growing, and Valley organizations that MassBike partners with, we foresee a strong front of advocacy in 2026.

MassBike’s Mission & Vision

Doug Cornelius, our Board Chair, explained MassBike’s Mission Statement to attendees. This statement has grown out of over a year of strategic thinking, conversations, and planning–click here to read it. The mission statement underlines that MassBike is working to improve access to biking, and the experience of riding a bike, for everyone in Massachusetts.

Expanding Education

Galen took the stage to talk about the many kinds of education MassBike has been creating and supporting. We have hosted workshops, rides, and webinars about e-bikes year-round; check out our events calendar to sign up for one near you. MassBike collaborated with the RMV to make videos for new drivers, to help them understand how to safely drive around people on bicycles and other vulnerable road users. As of 2025, MassBike even has a fleet of bikes that we have rolled out for participants at Safe Routes to Schools events.

Legislation & Policies

In 2025, a law that reforms the State’s energy siting regulations included a small-yet-significant addition that will help advocates of rail trail acquire rights of way for the path network. New to this year, when utility companies are looking to acquire corridors, such as gas lines or electric lines, the companies can explicitly provide access to their linear corridors for recreation and access to nature as a distinct community benefit. This has real implications, for example the Northern Strand Trail that heads from Everett to Lynn is an example of a mixed-use path that lives above utility lines and adjacent to a long strand of telephone poles.

There has also been a great deal of concern about micromobility devices, like e-motos and scooters, and their lack of clarity of how they can be safely used on our streets, paths, and trails. In 2025, MassDOT convened a micromobility commission, on which MassBike has a seat, to discuss recommendations for thinking through sensible regulations, while focusing on innovation and expansion. The commission is coming out with a report at the end of January that recommends how to classify different kinds of devices, and how to regulate the varieties of emerging technologies that will usher in a new era of transportation in the commonwealth.

Opportunities for Engagement

Emma, MassBike’s admin coordinator and beyond, had the chance to tell the audience about all of the ways people were actively involved in MassBike’s work in 2025. Bike Month in May featured over 40 events, all across Massachusetts. Our State House Day of Action, last February, brought together 60+ advocates to the State House to lobby for legislation intended to protect vulnerable road users. Last year’s Lights Brigade gave away over 1,000 lights to riders who needed them. Thanks to Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, who sponsor the program, we held and supported 40+ events throughout the year (the firm also provided lunch for us at Look Park). And for the World Day of Remembrance, one of our most anticipated events each November, MassBike gave out grants to 8 different communities to help them hold WDoR events in honor of those who have been lost to traffic crashes.

E-Bike Pilot Program

As she wrapped up her section of the presentation, Emma introduced the next slide for the e-bike pilot program MassBike held in conjunction with CEC. We all watched a video featuring voucher recipients talking about how e-bikes have changed their mobility.

After a quick break, the attendees listened with rapt attention to a panel about e-bikes with Alex, our Worcester Program Manager, and Sara, MassBike’s Programs Manager. They swapped off answering questions about the CEC e-bike voucher program. Alex highlighted the environmental impacts of the participants using e-bikes. For instance, 49,869 lbs of C02 were NOT produced, and 2,545 gallons of gasoline were saved because the participants rode e-bikes instead of driving. Sara displayed the “E-Bike Program Toolkit” that she has been developing with help from partners and participants. Overall, during the pilot program, over 85% of what would have been car trips became e-bike trips instead.

New Resources

Alexis returned to the stage to present new tools and resources she has been building over the last year. First up, the brand-new Rail Trail Etiquette tool kit is now available on our website. Alexis has been talking to different rail trail groups about what information or education their trail users could benefit from. From these conversations, and with reference to guides in other parts of the country, she has built the etiquette tool kit to help municipalities and rail trail advocacy groups design signage that will go up on the trail itself. Check it out!

Alexis has also been working on a map of resources for people who bike. It includes bike shops, advocacy groups, and rail trails across the state, and it is intended to help people connect to orgs in their area. You can find the map here.

The Council of Advocates is a coalition that Alexis has built over 2025. It is continuing to expand, so if you are interested in becoming part of the Council, send an email to [email protected].

Thank you!

We are so happy with how the Annual Meeting went, and we’re excited to share it with those of you who weren’t able to attend. You can watch the video below to view the full presentation portion of the meeting (you will have to provide your own cookies).

We send out thanks to our Board, especially Megan Morin for making lunch appear, and to Look Park for hosting us in their wonderful Garden House. Thank you to the whole MassBike team, who made the show happen and kept it running, including Steve and Lorraine for helping the hybrid event.

If you want to help MassBike continue the work we’ve been doing, please consider making a donation today. Any donation of $150 or more is eligible for one of these incredible hand-printed, limited-edition posters by Carlos Villamil.

Watch the annual meeting: