Bay State aims to become the Bike State

On May 22, 2015, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

mayor_webBy Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Last November, we celebrated Somerville ranking first among northeast cities for bicycle commuting, a sign that our investments and commitment to making our community accommodating for all forms of travel were paying off. May is National Bike Month, and now we are celebrating a state-wide achievement. Massachusetts has jumped six spots in the League of American Bicyclists’ rankings of bike-friendly states and is now the fourth in the nation. This is a great achievement for the Commonwealth, and one that has a great impact on our community, because we know that creating vibrant and accessible neighborhoods is work that crosses municipal borders. The Greater Boston region and all of Massachusetts needs to work together to build those connections between neighborhoods that spur economic vitality and improve our residents’ quality of life.

Fortunately that regional focus is strong, in no small part thanks to our partners at the state level. In boosting the Bay State’s ranking, the League noted that the transportation bond bill that passed last year authorized more than $400 million over the next five years for biking and walking projects. Some of that funding directly benefits Somerville, such as $1.5 million for designing a rail trail along the Grand Junction railroad corridor through our city, Cambridge and Boston, and $75,000 for pedestrian safety improvements on Route 16 in the vicinity of Dilboy Stadium.

But funding for other projects benefits Somerville too. After all, it doesn’t do us much good if we’re traveling along a nice bike lane in one community but once we cross the city line, we’re on a poorly marked and deteriorating roadway. It becomes that much easier for Somervillians to bike to work, the store or other destinations when projects such as Arlington and Medford road improvements, a pedestrian bridge linking the Museum of Science to North Point Park, and the second phase of the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway are completed. Funding for all those projects is authorized in the bond bill.

Beyond our immediate neighbors, bicycle-friendly improvements in Mattapan, Springfield, Amesbury, Newburyport and other communities are also helping to create the vibrant and accessible neighborhoods that attract businesses and new development, bringing with it jobs and housing. That creates a strong economic foundation for the entire Commonwealth. No matter where projects are being built, we all reap the benefits of a sustainable Massachusetts economy and the revenue that allows us to invest in our schools, infrastructure and services.

And when we make it easier to bike, we take cars off the road. For bicycle-friendly projects in neighboring communities, that means less traffic congestion throughout the region, because a traffic problem in one city ripples out through the regional network. And for every project that makes it easier to bike, no matter where in Massachusetts, that means fewer carbon emissions, less pollution and better air quality for all of us. This is a core value of our community—a community where half of our residents live in environmental justice zones, located in a region that has the fourth highest disparity between non-white and white people inhaling air pollution. If we’re going to build a sustainable future for Massachusetts, we need a sustainable economy and a healthy environment. Bikes are a key part of that and Somerville is doing its part.

More than 25 miles of bike lanes and sharrows have been painted on City streets in the last three years alone. We have added over 200 new public bike parking spots and, through zoning determinations, required bike parking in private developments too. We’ve brought Hubway into Somerville through a successful regional collaboration, and we’re studying where we can expand that system. Thanks to the advocacy of Friends of the Community Path and to MassDOT, the Community Path Extension will be built alongside the Green Line Extension, providing a seamless pedestrian and bicycle ‘highway’ all the way to the Boston line. On top of those investments, we are doing the outreach and programming, from posters and a PSA campaign to biking education in schools, to make sure people are aware of the rules of the road. And our Police Department has stepped up its enforcement, too, so that as more cyclists take to our streets, we’re keeping the streets and sidewalks safe for all forms of travel.

As Somerville shifts more trips from cars to biking, walking and public transportation, our efforts are bolstered by the fact that we are in a region and a state that understands the importance of this shift. Our fellow communities are also seeking to build that infrastructure, and our partners at the state level have embraced the challenge. We know that the higher your bike score and walk score, the better it is for the local economy, for our residents’ personal health, and for the environment. I am proud that Massachusetts is now ranked the fourth most bike-friendly state in the nation—and we are going to keep working until we are number one.

 

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