On February 11, 2025, we had an amazing time at the State House building relationships with our elected officials! Advocates came from across Massachusetts to meet with their Senators and Representatives to advocate for safer roadways and better bicycling issues. Over six hours our crew of over 70 advocates talked to approximately 25% of the legislature and received lots of positive feedback.

Senator Brownsberger and his team hosted us at the State House for the second year. We appreciate his bike-friendly support in the legislature year after year. Throughout the day legislators and staffers stopped by to chat with advocates, including Senate President Spilka.

The in-person lobby day participants included a broad coalition of better bicycling advocates. We were joined by Western Mass high school students, long-time Boston advocates, first-time lobby day participants, college students from Northeastern and MIT, and more. The diverse group worked together in their meetings to share a variety of experiences, from mothers who use a cargo bike to bring their kids to daycare to older adults who use bikes for transportation and recreation.

Those who couldn’t make it into Boston held in-district meetings with their elected officials. MassBike’s Worcester Program Manager, Alex had a positive meeting with Senator Moore, who also recently attended our Annual Meeting at the Major Taylor Meeting.

Thank you to everyone who participated at the State House or your district. Building relationships with our elected officials makes a big difference in creating a future where people of all ages and abilities can bike safely. 

If you didn’t join our lobby day, learn more about MassBike’s legislative priorities for the 194th session below. We encourage you to contact your state elected officials to build relationships and momentum toward safer roadways this year.

 “It was wonderful to see so many members of the cycling community come out to make their voices heard.” - George Lester, MassBike Board Member

Priority Bills for 194th Legislative Session

MassBike’s priority areas this session are: road safety, path and trails, electric bicyclists and mode shift. Below, we’ve provided an overview of our priority bills for the session, including why we think they’re important. 

Road Safety

The Governor’s Transportation Budget: An Act financing long-term improvements to municipal roads and bridges

• H.53

What does this bill do?

• Includes a 50% increase to “Chapter 90” funds, which are used by municipalities to repave and maintain their roads

Our ask

• We’re asking this increase be tied to safety measures, such as speed management, and creating infrastructure for people on foot, on bike, and with accessibility needs 

Why is this important?

• Tax dollars and general funding for road maintenance should incentivize modernizing our roads to make them safe for all residents to move about their neighborhoods without requiring driving.

An Act relative to traffic regulation using road safety cameras 

• Filed by: Senator Brownsberger; Representative Cruz and Representative Owens
• Docket Numbers: SD1495 and HD3053

What does this bill do?

• Allows municipalities to set up cameras specific for enforcing speeding, red light running, and “blocking the box”
• Not government overreach: Only captures license plate images, not drivers’ or passengers’, similar to automatic tolling already in place
• Not a win for big tech: Data is protected and prohibitions are set against selling data or using it for other purposes
• Not a money grab: Fines start at $25 and revenue goes into the MA Transportation Trust Fund, not the municipality itself or the collection companies

Why is this bill important?

• It will provide accountability for unsafe driving without requiring resources from police officers, reducing the danger inherent in traffic stops

An Act Expanding Truck Safety Requirements

• Filed by: Senator Brownsberger; Representative Decker and Representative Owens
• Docket Numbers: SD801 and HD3225

What does this bill do?

• Requires side guards, convex mirrors, and backup cameras on large trucks owned by or under contract with municipalities, utility companies and other “instrumentalities” of the Commonwealth

Why is this bill important?

• Right now, MA law requires only large trucks “owned” or “leased” by the Commonwealth to have these safety standards, this bill expands the reach to more trucks within the State’s jurisdiction
• This will save lives by preventing the dreaded “right hook” when drivers turn right and strike people on foot and bike

An Act relative to roadway safety 

• Filed by: Representative Vitolo
• Docket Number: HD1812

What does this bill do:

• Redefines crosswalks as “marked crossings” and expands protections to vulnerable users

Why is this bill important:

• We defined “vulnerable user” in 2023, this bill is an extension of that work to align the principles of our traffic laws with the new definitions
• Ensures all vulnerable users have legal protections at crossings that require drivers to yield, including people on bikes, in wheelchairs, riding horses, on farm equipment, as well as on foot

An Act to promote safe bicycle-yielding 

• Filed by: Rep Armini
• Docket Number: HD2737

What does this bill do?

• Allows cyclists to legally treat stop signs as “yield”
• Aligns the law to the practical use on our roads, it does not negate bicyclist’s responsibility and does not impact behavior at signalized intersections

Why is this bill important?

• Eight states in the U.S. currently have this law, and studies show safety increases are due to facilitating a continuous flow and momentum, which is crucial to balance, and the ability for people biking to pass clear through the conflicting path of travel of motor vehicles

Paths and Trails

An Act expanding access to trails for people of all abilities

• Filed by: Senator Comerford and Representative Ciccolo
• Docket Numbers: SD1524 and HD2928

What does this bill do?

• Creates a working group to analyze our state’s trail networks and make recommendations for improving access for people with disabilities

Why is this bill important?

• Our natural resources and shared-use path corridors are an asset that needs to be shared by all people in Massachusetts
• More people out on our trails will bring more stewards of our land, increasing the demand for the development and growth of our trail network

Electric Assist Bicycles and Transportation “Mode Shift”

An Act relative to Class 3 electric bicycle 

• Filed by: Senator DiDomenico and Representative Owens
• Docket Numbers: SD1799 and HD3371 

What does this bill do?

• Adds a definition for Class-3 e-bikes to state law and cleans up the e-bike bill from past sessions
• Allows jurisdictions to have more say in where e-bikes are allowed and prohibited, specifically for shared-use paths, sidewalks, and natural surface trails

Why is this bill important?

• Right now, there’s no clear definition or regulations related to Class-3 e-bikes even though they are bought, sold, and ridden throughout the commonwealth

An Act expanding community access to electric bicycles 

• Filed by: Representative Blais
• Docket Number: HD2731

What does this bill do?

• Establishes a grant program to fund e-bikes and bike share for municipalities, non-profits, and businesses

Why is this bill important?

• Secure funding is key for establishing bike share systems, expanding incentive programs, and scaling up the successful point-of-sale rebate pilot program as a real tool to expand access, lower the costs, and provide options for e-bikes as daily trips for people across the state

An Act Aligning Commonwealth’s Transportation plans with its mandates and goals for reducing emissions and Vehicle miles traveled

• Filed by: Senator Creem
• Docket Number: SD1327 

What does this bill do?

• Ensures that all transportation plans passed by the Regional Planning Organizations and the MassDOT must meet our State’s climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and vehicle miles traveled (VMT)

Why is this bill important?

• 40% of our State’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, and vehicle traffic being the single largest source of pollution and a root cause of climate change, this bill recognizes that our current transportation plans only drive us further into this crisis

Take Action

Keeping track of legislation is tough! Stay in the loop on our priorities by MassBike’s Mailing List and take action by building relationships with your elected officials and providing testimony in support of bike-friendly bills.

Build Relationships with your Elected Officials

We encourage you to set up a 30-minute in-district meeting to start building relationships with your legislators. During these meetings, share why bicycling is important to you and your community. 

We hope you share MassBike’s priority bills, but you don’t have to! Building relationships is the key.

Example Outreach Email

Hi [Representative (Name) / Senator (Name)/ Name of Scheduler],

I’m one of your constituents from [town/city], and I’d like to set up an in-district meeting to talk to  [Representative (Name) / Senator (Name)] or the appropriate aide in the office about bike-friendly issues. I’m interested in discussing safer roadways and more bikeable communities, along with some bills that would make Massachusetts better for bicyclists of all ages and abilities.

We are looking for 30 minutes of your time, please let me know what day/time would be preferable in the next two weeks.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Your Name

Your City/Town

Track the Bills!

The Massachusetts Platform for Legislative Engagement (MAPLE) is a free tool to track bills and provide testimony! Sign up for an account to get started, MassBike will be making an account so you can keep tabs on our priority bills. The 194th session bills will be imported to MAPLE soon!