On July 23rd, MassBike was in East Boston helping out with putting on the Chelsea River Revel.  The annual event, organized by the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) and the Chelsea Creek Action Group (CCAG), builds community and supports a sense of place in East Boston through events like river kayaking, a soccer tournament, and bike rides.  MassBike was there with many other community groups providing bike valet parking, handing out educational materials in both Spanish and English, and even got to go on a bike ride with our partners at the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness.

The bike ride was the "Environmental Justice Tour," highlighting many of the hardships faced by residents in East Boston.  This includes the lack of supermarkets, industrial pollution and other brownfield sites, and, of course, Logan Airport.  MassBike was happy to provide assistance to NOAH and CCAG in tweaking the route, giving tips on proper signaling, considerations about length of the ride, and route map markings. Click on the picture above to view a high resolution copy of the map, sponsored by Communities Putting Prevention to Work.

Luckily, Executive Director David Watson was able to go along with our partners at the BCFF on the bike ride.  This ride and event, driven by the local youth in East Boston, was an impressive demonstration of how biking can form a fundamental part of a more livable, healthy, and cohesive community. MassBike was proud to be able to help.