Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

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Sunday, November 15th is the World Day of Remembrance for victims of traffic violence.

The Boston Cyclists Union will host a bicycle Ride of Remembrance, to honor and remember those whose lives have been lost as victims of traffic violence. All riders should gather at Copley Square starting at 1pm, in front of Trinity Church. The group will depart promptly at 1:30pm. There will be a slow, ~4 mile ride from Copley to the Statehouse. At the culmination of the ride, there will be a vigil, led by bike activist and Reverend Laura Everett. All are welcome to join the ride or meet us at the Statehouse at 2:30pm for the vigil. All are encouraged to bring yellow flowers to leave at the statehouse, and/or something to read if you are moved.

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We are holding a vigil at the MA State House to honor those who have been injured or killed by a road traffic crash. The vast majority of these crashes are preventable. In numbers, we can recognize our loved ones, and also demand change.

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Join us on May 18th, rain or shine, for the fourth annual Ride of Silence Boston. We pay tribute to our fellow riders killed in collisions with motor vehicles with a silent procession. We ride slow, less than 12 mph. The route will take us through the Back Bay starting from Government Center, where we will gather, and return. Total mileage is about 5. 

The Charles River Wheelmen (CRW.ORG) are sponsoring the event for the second year in a row and will supply some special yellow T's. Otherwise, wear white or yellow with black trim or armband if you've got it. Helmets please and blinkies appreciated. Gather at Boston City Hall South Plaza - Bill Russell Statue - at 6:45 pm for a 7:00 orientation, departure shortly thereafter.

This event makes a difference. Last year we received terrific support from so many in the city. Thanks to Mayor Walsh and his team who have continued and increased the work done by Mayor Menino to improve the city for bike riders. Others who were crucial to our success were Captain Danilecki, Lt. Ridge, Officer Donovan, Lisa Lamberti, everyone at Boston Bikes. And of course all the riders!

All in all this is a small event, but one with a big message. Cyclists are entitled to use the roads. We ask that motorists accept that we are here, pay attention to bike riders and share the road with us.

Greater Ashmont Main Street invites you to join your neighbors to learn about Vision Zero and give input on the best ways to make our neighborhood streets safer for all road users: pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.

What is Vision Zero?
In 2015, Mayor Marty Walsh made a commitment to Vision Zero Boston, an initiative that will direct city resources to proven strategies to reduce fatal and serious traffic crashes, with the goal of eliminating them from Boston by 2030.

Featured Speakers:
Learn about about city-wide and neighborhood initiatives. An interactive mapping exercise will enable participants to highlight specific street safety issues in our area.

Andrea Campbell, District 4, Boston City Council
Charlotte Fleetwood, Senior Transportation Planner, City of Boston Vision Task Force
Dave Queeley, Director of Eco-Innovation, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp.

Also part of the event:

*FREE SNACKS* || *DRAWING FOR PRIZE FROM ASHMONT CYCLES* || *ART ACTIVITY FOR YOUTH LED BY DOT ART*

For the event flyer, click here. For the Facebook event, click here. 

Greater Ashmont Main Street is part of the City of Boston Main Streets Program. We are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that brings together local businesses, residents, neighborhood organizations and community partners to strengthen the Greater Ashmont business district and the entire community. Visit us at www.greaterashmont.org.

Advocates have created a Facebook event to help get the word out. You can RSVP here.

Join Vision Zero Boston to discuss transportation safety improvements for Massachusetts Avenue at a community meeting on Wednesday, June 15.

Attend a community meeting to review proposed design improvements along Massachusetts Avenue in Boston from Beacon Street to Harrison Avenue. The improvements are intended to increase safety for everyone who uses the street.

Vision Zero Boston needs your feedback on the design. Our goal is to make Massachusetts Avenue safer this year.

Massachusetts Avenue safety improvements
Vision Zero Boston wants to hear from people who walk, bike, and drive along Massachusetts Avenue. The City of Boston has developed a plan to improve safety for people who are walking, biking, and driving on Massachusetts Avenue from Beacon Street to Harrison Avenue. The June 15 meeting is an opportunity to provide feedback on the plan.

PROJECT CONTACTS
Charlotte Fleetwood, Transportation Planner 
[email protected] 
617.635.2462

Jacob Wessel, Neighborhood Liaison
[email protected]
617.635.2679

Advocates have created a Facebook event to help get the word out. You can RSVP here.

Meet us at Boston City Hall Plaza on Thursday, September 29th at 6pm. Gather with friends and neighbors in solidarity with those who have been killed in traffic crashes to call for swifter action to prevent these tragedies in the future. 

Boston City Council President Michelle Wu will be kicking off the program promptly at 6pm! We encourage folks to start arriving around 5:30pm - Michelle will be present to talk with people before the program begins at 6pm.

Streets are For People Rally
Thursday, September 29, 2016, 6-7pm
@ City Hall Plaza, Boston

The status quo is not working. An estimated 179 people were killed in traffic crashes in Massachusetts during the first half of this year, including 13 pedestrians in the City of Boston.

Our leaders must prioritize safer options for people to walk, bike, and take transit. The Complete Streets program is an excellent start. Boston’s Vision Zero efforts are getting underway, but they need to be ramped up. We’ve extended an invitation to Mayor Walsh and Boston City Councilors to attend our rally. (We've included the invitations below.)

What you can do:

1. Invite 5 friends to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1590398451256994/

2. Wear yellow to the rally. Yellow is a color of solidarity for those killed or seriously injured in crashes. 

3. Spread the word via social media before and during the rally using #visionzero and #crashnotaccident 

By participating in this rally you can show your continued support for Vision Zero efforts and making Boston's streets safer to navigate -- no matter how people get around.

We know that Vision Zero can save lives. We hope to see you at Boston City Hall Plaza on Sept. 29th!

Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition 

PS: Do you know a group that should be featured as a co-host? Email [email protected]!

Dear Boston City Council, 

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition invited Mayor Walsh to speak at a Vision Zero rally taking place on September 29th at 6pm at City Hall Plaza. (We've included the invite below). We would like to invite City Council President Wu to speak at the rally, and invite all of you to be there to show your continued support for Vision Zero efforts and making Boston's streets safer to navigate -- no matter how people are getting around. 

Sincerely,

Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

WalkBoston, T4MA, TransitMatters, USPIRG, Safe Roads Alliance, MassBike, LivableStreets Alliance, DotBike, Boston Cyclists Union, StreetsPAC Boston

September 14, 2016

Mayor Martin J. Walsh 
1 City Hall Square, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02201-2013

Dear Mayor Walsh, 

On behalf of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition we would like to invite you to speak at a rally onSeptember 29th at 6pm at City Hall Plaza, where we will gather with our friends and neighbors in solidarity with those who have been killed in traffic crashes to call for swifter action to prevent these tragedies in the future. 

Specifically, we hope you will recommit to Vision Zero, the pledge to eliminate fatal and serious traffic crashes in the city by 2030, and share what actions the City will take before the end of the year to achieve the goals it set forth in the Vision Zero Action Plan released in December of 2015. Additionally, we hope that you will commit more financial resources for additional staff and capital projects to ensure that the Transportation Department has the support it needs to reach these important goals. 

Committing to Vision Zero was an important first step in improving safety on our streets. Unfortunately, in the wake of a series of tragic and preventable crashes, injuries, and fatalities, including 13 pedestrians who have died so far this year in the City of Boston, it is more important than ever to focus the priority of transportation policies and projects on safety. 

The status quo is not working. We desperately need to invest in the infrastructure of Boston’s streets and sidewalks — and we need your leadership to show it is the mandate of city government to prioritize safer options for people to walk, bike, take transit and drive. 

Thank you for considering this invitation. We hope to see you on September 29th and look forward to working with you to accelerate progress toward achieving Vision Zero in the City of Boston. 

Sincerely,

Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

WalkBoston, T4MA, TransitMatters, USPIRG, Safe Roads Alliance, MassBike, LivableStreets Alliance, DotBike, Boston Cyclists Union, StreetsPAC Boston

The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition advocates for the implementation of Vision Zero in Boston and for the adoption of Vision Zero throughout the metro area and state of Massachusetts. The growing coalition includes community-based organizations, nonprofits, businesses, civic groups and individuals representing communities across the state.

Celebrate your commute by stopping for free ice-cream and to learn more about Bicycle Benefits Bingo! Don't forget to check-in here: checkinapp-greenstreets.rhcloud.com for your chance to win one of these awesome prizes

• Kryptonite bicycle lock
• 4 Hubway passes (2)
• Patagonia Jacket
• Plates from Joie de Vivre 

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/BicycleBenefitsBoston/

See you there! 

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We gather so we do not grieve alone. On Tuesday, October 11, 2016 at 7:30pm, we'll gather to dedicate the ghostbike for Joe Lavins. 

Joe Lavins was killed riding his bicycle in Cambridge on Wednesday. Read more about him here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/10/06/lexington-man-killed-cycling-crash-recalled-kind-generous-spirit/ZaixCoeDl0Yj5IEuE7OhTI/story.html 

We gather to dedicate a ghost bike, a visible sign of an invisible reality- that we are fragile humans, only here for a little while. 

We gather to make visible sign of a dawning awareness- that we must peacefully coexist on these shared roads for all of us to stay alive. 

We gather to honor Joe's life, to pray for all who grieve his death, to rededicate ourselves to the day when there are zero fatalities on our city’s roads, a peaceable city, not paved with gold but with protected cycletracks. 

We know a wide circle of people have been affectived by this trauma. Please come to share your grief, anger, and hope for a day when there are no more road fatalities. Cyclists, motorists, pedestrians welcome. Please share widely. 

Please meet on Mass Ave, across the street from the Porter T Station, in a small plaza along Mass Ave between the Dunkin Donuts and the CVS. The Ghost Bike is locked to a pole on the edge of the plaza along Mass Ave. See Facebook comments for a map of the location

Join us in celebrating the last Walk/Ride day of the 2016 Corporate Challenge. Checking in at checkin.gogreenstreets.org unlocks 100's of discounts, rewards and free goodies in and around Boston, and adds your voice to advocate for safer streets for all.

Sign up now for the 2017 Walk/Ride Day Corporate challenge at 2016 rates, now.