Charlie Komanoff will be Keynote Speaker at MassBike Boot Camp Feb. 10

Re-Founder of Transportation Alternatives Speaks on 21s Century Activism

The keynote speaker for the Second Annual MassBike Boot Camp will be longtime transportation advocate Charles Komanoff of New York City.

“Charlie’s work - in cycling, energy and transportation - has been nothing short of profound. Rarely do we find people who have such cache as both an academic and an activist,” said Richard Fries, executive director of MassBike. “I’ve followed his work for decade and completely understand why mayors and governors respect this person.”

Komanoff will be the lunchtime speaker during the Advocacy Boot Camp, being held Saturday, Feb. 10, in Davis Square, Somerville. The event provides a daylong intensive conference and workshop designed to engage and educate local advocates.  

Komanoff is widely known for his work as an energy-policy analyst, transport economist and environmental activist in New York City. He “re-founded” NYC’s bike-advocacy group Transportation Alternatives in the 1980s, co-founded the pedestrian-rights group Right Of Way in the 1990s, and wrote or edited the landmark reports Subsidies for Traffic, The Bicycle Blueprint, and Killed By Automobile. Earlier, Komanoff gained prominence for deconstructing the disastrous economics of nuclear power in the United States as author-researcher and expert witness for states and municipalities across the U.S. He wrote his visionary oil-saving report,Ending The Oil Age, after witnessing at close range the traumatic events of 9/11.

Komanoff's current work includes modeling and advocacy for rational traffic pricing and expanded public transit investment in New York City, in tune with the practical vision of the late renowned civic activist Ted Kheel. He also directs the Carbon Tax Center, a clearinghouse for information, research and advocacy on behalf of revenue-neutral carbon taxes to address the climate crisis. A math-and-economics graduate of Harvard, Komanoff lives with his wife and two sons in lower Manhattan.

For more information on MassBike’s Advocacy Boot Camp or to purchase tickets, click here.