"What do you want your streets to look like?" League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke asked over 200 advocates at the New England Bike-Walk Summit in Providence, RI on Friday, October 4th. If we want our streets used primarily by cars, with a few fearless cyclists (if any bicyclists at all) riding with the traffic, then we don't need to do anything differently. But if we want streets with a diverse group of bicyclists, ranging from grandmothers to small children, we need to drastically change our roadways. Separated pathways, cycle-tracks, or buffered bike lanes are good starting places. This "Advocacy 3.0" must focus on attracting new users of the system, and we've known now for a long time that most people want separation from motor vehicles.

MassBike staff joined others from around New England for the conference. Organized by Eric Weiss of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the Summit featured over 15 breakout sessions and multiple plenary addresses by the likes of Providence's Mayor, Angel Taveras and Keith Laughlin (President of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy). The Summit was well-organized and a wonderful opportunity to  hear about all of the great work that our peers throughout New England have accomplished!

MassBike's mission is to get more people on bikes throughout the Commonwealth, and one of our flagship efforts is the Bikeable Communities Program (BCP). Programs Director Price Armstrong presented our work with the BCP to Summit participants. As more decision-making is devolved from the federal government to the states and localities, building the local capacity of advocates in our communities is crucial to projects being built right. We accomplish this through multiple specific services, including bicycle education and training offerings, bikeability assessments, bike network planning, research, mapping projects, and public outreach assistance. For more information, contact [email protected].