Belmont is currently considering installing parking-protected bicycle lanes on Concord Avenue. Your support is needed today to ensure these lanes can be installed with the planned repaving of Concord Avenue.

The bicycle lanes that currently exist discourage inexperienced riders from biking on Concord Avenue. They leave people on bikes between parked cars and the busy travel lane with buses. Right now, students who may be biking to school could experience blocked bike lanes, car doors opening into their bike lane, and other hazards as they are left unprotected. Parking protected bike lanes reduce the risk of dooring, eliminate the risk that vehicles can block the bike lane, prevent bicyclists from being passed too close, and invite riders of all ages and abilities to cycle. 

Progress on these plans was held back by neighbors concerned with the minimal parking loss these new lanes would create. The process is now starting again, but we need your support to make sure these lanes can be installed this year with the planned repaving of Concord Avenue. 

Take Action

• Attend the remote meeting on Monday April 25th at 7PM, to make sure that Belmont knows that there is strong support for these safer bike lanes. 
  • Learn more about the public meeting here: https://www.belmont-ma.gov/select-board/agenda/select-board-revised-24 
  • The zoom link for the public meeting is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84245176834
• Email the Select Board in support of this here: [email protected].
  • Write about how these separated bicycle lanes would improve your safety. A few personalized sentences can go a long way.

Cambridge is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world because of the Cycling Safety Ordinance. This ordinance, created by our advocacy partner, Cambridge Bike Safety, requires 2-4 miles of separated bicycle lanes to be built every year on Cambridge streets with quick build materials. The network is set to be finished by 2026, but certain streets have stricter deadlines, like Porter Square.

Porter Square is popular for bicycle commuting, but it’s also dangerous.

The bike lanes that currently exist along Massachusetts avenue discourage inexperienced riders from biking on Massachusetts Avenue. They leave people on bikes between parked cars and the busy travel lane with buses and trucks. This area has a history of vehicle-bicycle conflicts, one in 2016 sadly resulted in a fatality. It is crucial that the bicycle lanes in Porter Square become separated. 

The League of American Bicyclists announced that Massachusetts is #1 in their 2022 Bicycle-Friendly State Rankings! We’ve come a long way since being state #5 in the last rankings and we have advocates like you to thank for our new top spot. Thank you to all our coalition partners and advocates across the commonwealth, this ranking is in no small part thanks to all of your collective efforts. 

“We’re excited to see Massachusetts rewarded for the many bike-friendly initiatives that have made bicycling better across the state,” said Galen Mook, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition.  “Across the commonwealth, we are seeing improvements in communities from the Berkshires to Cape Cod due to statewide policies and programs such as MassTrails, Complete Streets, and the Shared Streets and Spaces grants, all focused by a robust Bicycle Transportation Plan. We’re grateful to have strong partners in our work, and MassBike looks forward to supporting the expansion of these policies and future initiatives that ensure equitable access to safe and enjoyable bicycling for everyone across Massachusetts.”

Our statewide policymakers and elected officials heavily contributed to our first-place ranking, implementing bike-friendly initiatives and policies that support communities across Massachusetts. Funding programs like Complete Streets, Shared Streets and Spaces, and MassTrails not only created safer spaces for bicyclists but made us a national leader in bike-friendly policy. You can learn more about the steps taken by the Baker-Polito Administration since 2015 to support and promote bicycling from the recent MassDOT Press Release about our new ranking.

Take a deep dive into the bike-friendly rankings with the 2022 Bicycle Friendly State National Report. You can also check out the Overall Ranking Report Card and the Massachusetts Report Card to learn more about why we earned the top spot.

Join us Monday, April 25th at noon for a National Bike Summit recap. We'll share what we learned during the summit, highlights from our Federal Lobby Day (like our meeting with Senator Markey's team shown above!), and more.

Tune in to learn about:

• The state of bicycling advocacy nationwide
• How Massachusetts ranks compared to other states
• Federal programs & funding to support better bicycling
• Lobby Day highlights

RSVP Today

Last year MassBike and our coalition partners worked to make Massachusetts a better place for every rider through education, advocacy, legislation, and community building. The MassBike team put together our 2021 Annual Report to give you a glimpse into that work and highlight some critical impacts we made last year.

Our 2021 Annual Report is a snapshot of what MassBike accomplished with our coalition partners, without whom none of this would be possible. We extend sincere thanks to our many supporters and partners for making bicycling better for every rider across Massachusetts. 

Click the button below to view the report in its entirety– we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it for you!

Read the MassBike 2021 Annual Report

We had so much fun with the "30 Days of Biking Challenge" last year we're bringing it back for 2022! We're happy to announce that our friends at Cleverhood are supporting our challenge again and giving you an extra incentive to bike every day this April.

All you have to do is ride every day in April, even if it’s just once around your block, and you'll have a chance to win a Rover Rain Cape from Cleverhood. The April 30 Days of Biking is a great way to kick off your riding season before Bay State Bike Month starts in May!

How to Join the 30 Days of Biking Challenge:

1. Join the MassBike Group on Love to Ride
2. If you use Strava, connect your Strava account in your Love to Ride profile to automatically log your rides
3. Start riding & log your miles on Love to Ride! (If you connected Strava, your rides will log automatically, just double-check after your first few rides to make sure they’re uploading properly.)
   
   

Everyone who logs a bike ride on Love to Ride every day in April will be entered to win a Rover Rain Cape. After biking through all those April showers you'll have earned it! Challenge winners will be able to select the size and color rain cape of their choice.

You should also join the larger 30 Days of Biking pledge at 30daysofbiking.com where you can join a worldwide community of cyclists who are pledging to ride every day this April. You can join the conversation by using #30DayofBiking on social media.

The best part? 30 Days of Biking will prepare you for Bay State Bike Month, where we'll be using Love to Ride to track our trips & earn prizes. We'll also be bringing back social media challenges and advocates across the state will be hosting bike-friendly events. Make sure you're on our mailing list and following MassBike on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter so you don't miss any of the Bay State Bike Month fun.

Want to help sponsor Bay State Bike Month? Reach out to [email protected] for more information.

On Sunday, June 5, 2022, MassBike and coalition partners will host a community bike ride around Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Waltham to feature Katherine “Kittie” Knox, a bi-racial woman cyclist and barrier-breaker in the 1890s. Riders will learn about Kittie as a bicycling pioneer and we’ll ride and reflect on issues we’re facing today in terms of racial and gender representation in bicycling and advocacy.

There will be 3 Route Options along the Kittie Knox Path, curated by NECCD (New England Cycling Coalition for Diversity):

• 16 miles starting at Copley Square
• 23 miles starting at Franklin Park
• 35 miles with Waltham route

The ride is free but participants must RVSP. More details will be coming soon, so stay tuned and RSVP today to save the date.

RSVP Today

Much-needed safety improvements on Route 16 in Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford need your support today. Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets, made us aware that an earmark of ~$750,000 for a traffic study is being discussed this week in the Ways and Means Committee that is necessary to move forward with critical safety improvements on Route 16.

Residents of Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Belmont and Watertown and anyone who travels through this dangerous corridor are encouraged to take action today! Reach out to your local legislators to share your personal stories about the significance of the safety improvements and how these improvements are important for the entire region. We need you to convey the impact these improvements will have on your travels along Rt 16 and voice support for increased safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.

Join us Monday, March 21st at noon to chat all things Bay State Bike Month! We'll cover all the Bike Month basics and help you prepare to get more folks out riding this May. Come to share your Bike Month tips & tricks with fellow advocates and get ready for the best Bay State Bike Month yet.

Tune in for:

• Tips on planning bike-friendly events
• An overview of our Bike Month Resources
• A Bay State Bike Month events calendar "how to"
• A preview of this year's ride challenges

RSVP Today

Already have dates set for your Bay State Bike Month Events? Add them to the calendar today! 

We're also seeking a talented graphic designer to create our 2022 Bay State Bike Month Logo. The logo will be featured on the Bay State Bike Month t-shirt, website, and print materials. This is a paid opportunity and a chance to use your artistic skills to encourage bicycling statewide. 

Learn More & Apply