Devoted member, past president, and correspondent Ken Carlson reports that his current hometown, Somerville, Massachusetts, has doubled the number of street-miles marked with bike lanes. An article in boston.com quotes a May 2010 study finding 5,000 bicyclists over a three-day period at 35 locations around Somerville. Counts will again be done this month to see if the added bike lanes lead to an increase in bicycle usage.
As well, an additional 100 bike racks have been installed around Somerville and the city plans to extend an off-road, paved multi-use path. Somerville’s mayor told boston.com that this is in part a public-safety issue: making sure that cyclists aren’t in danger as they bike through town.
Ken, thanks for sending us this inspiring report! Way to go, Somerville, MA!
Thanks for the shout out WWBPA! I use bike lanes every day to bike to work that others advocated for in past years. Thanks to those who worked hard before I got here! To do my part, I have joined the Somerville Bicycle Advisory Committee to help in their mission to make Somerville even more bike-ped friendly. I’m also getting involved in Massbikes, a regional bicycle advocacy organization. The WWBPA was an inspiring organization to work with, and I continue to track your successes. So proud to have been a part of the WWBPA!