Sp kes

Newsletter of Bike to the Sea

Winner of the 2006 Freedom Foundation George Washington Medal

Working for Bike Safety and Safe Places to Ride
Promoting the development of The Northern Strand Community Trail
A bicycle and pedestrian trail through the communities of
Everett - Malden - Revere Saugus - Lynn

www.biketothesea.com March 2012











Saugus Board of Selectman Votes to Proceed with Trail
By Steve Winslow

The Town of Saugus Board of Selectmen voted
unanimously, 5 votes to none in favor of
proceeding with the 2.6 miles of the Northern
Strand Trail in Saugus. The vote came after a
public hearing in January attended by Jim
Tozza, Saugus Resident and President of Bike
to the Sea, Joe Hattrup of Iron Horse
Preservation Society, Clay Larsen, Bike to the
Sea Project Manager and many other Bike to
the Sea trail supporters.

The Town of Saugus will now sign the lease
agreement with the MBTA that will allow the
trail to proceed. Bike to the Sea and Iron
P v
S A 8C
undertake the wetlands permitting of the trail
and Iron Horse will then remove the tracks
and ties and construct the trail. Thanks so
much to Board of Selectmen members and all
those who came out to speak in favor of the
trail. If all goes smoothly with the wetlands
permitting the trail will be under construction
this summer with the objective of completing
this section by October 15, 2012.

B2C will need volunteers this spring for a trail
clean-up and also plans to hold a
neighborhood meeting to display the lay-out
of the trail for the community.

B2C board members continue to discuss the
development of the trail with the Cities of
Revere and Lynn.

B2C President: Jim Tozza
Board members: Gus Fish, Janet Green, Clay Larsen, Jennifer McAllister, Ginny
Mullen, Kathleen O'Brien, Gail Palladino, Karyl Stoia, Pete Sutton,Sandra
Tozza, Steve Winslow
Sp kes edited by Jennifer McAllister



Clean-ups Along the Trail Planned

Bike to Sea will be sponsoring three trail clean
ups in March and April. The first is planned
for Saturday March 24
th
from the 9am to
12pm and supports the Railroad Avenue
Community Garden being developed by the
City of Malden along the Northern Strand
Community Trail near Railroad Avenue and
Bryant Street in Ward 5.

When complete the garden will have multiple
individual garden plots, space for student
from Malden Schools to garden and learn
about science and horticulture, a large
common perennial border and a sitting and
gathering space.

Additional Clean-up dates:
- April 21st Everett: Rain Garden Planting
behind the Madeline English school.
- April 28th Malden: Clean up along Canal
Street

To join the clean-ups or for more information
Contact Clay Larson at claylars@gmail.com.
k 8 S
page for more information regarding trail
clean-ups.




Bike to the Sea President Jim Tozza named to the
Governors Bike & Pedestrian Advisory Board

C 8 S ! 1 C
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board that helps shape state policies and priorities for bicycle and
pedestrians at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.



SAVE THE DATE: June 3
rd
2012
Volunteer for our 20
th
Anniversary Bike to the Sea Ride / Celebration; June 3
rd


8 S
th
Anniversary ride on
Sunday June 3
rd
, 2012 will be the first to

under development. The ride this year will
begin on the newly completed Everett section
of the train near Thomas Rossetti Park off
Airport Road in Everett. The ribbon cutting
ceremony for the trail will start at 8:30 am
with the Bike to the Sea ride commencing
immediately after the ribbon cutting.

You may register at active.com. To celebrate
our 20
th
ing
commemorative bicycle bells for $50.00.
Proceeds will provide further funds for trail
improvements.

Volunteers are needed to help register and
safely marshall riders. For more information
please contact Jennifer McAllister at
jmcallister18@gmail.com.

1
Sunday May 20
th
at 9:00 am sharp from One
Air Force Road in Everett.




Three Spring Rides Planned
by Pete Sutton

Bike to the Sea will be leading three separate
rides this spring, offering up new routes and
different surroundings each time.

8 A l 8 S A
10 a.m. This water-themed ride will feature
three new trails, one recently completed - the
Alewife Brook Greenway Trail in Arlington,
and two in development - the Fitchburg Cut-
off Bikepath in Cambridge and the Watertown
Greenway. The ride begins at the Blessing of
the Bay Boathouse parking lot in Somerville
and continues along the Mystic River paths
through Medford Square en route to the
Alewife Brook Greenway. From the Fitchburg
Cutoff Bikepath, we'll travel along local streets
to the Watertown Greenway, eventually
making our way back along the Charles River
paths on Greenough Boulevard, Memorial
Drive and Vassar Street. Plan on two hours.
Steady rain cancels the event.

Ride # 2. Mystic River Herring Run & Paddle.
Sunday, May 20. 11 a.m. As part of the
Mystic River Watershed Association's annual
road and boat race, Bike to the Sea has been
invited to lead a ride as part of day's
festivities. The ride begins at the Blessing of
the Bay Boathouse parking lot in Somerville
and proceeds along both sides of the Mystic
River through Somerville and Medford. From
W M
River and head north exploring the recently
built Everett section of the Northern Strand
Community Trail. We'll then return to the
Boathouse via Route 28 and if time permits,
explore the trail system near Assembly Square
and Draw 7 Park. Plan on one and 1/2 hours.
Steady rain cancels the event.

Ride # 3. Bike to the Sea Day. Sunday, June 3.
9 a.m. This is our big annual event, featuring
10 and 18 mile rides from Everett to Nahant.
This year's ride will begin at the Madeline
English School in Everett and then continue
along completed sections of the Northern
Strand Community Trail in Everett and
Malden, finishing along roads that parallel the
future Bike to Sea shared-use path. Plan on 3
hours. Rain or shine.

For more info, contact Pete Sutton at
beausutt@hotmail.com.






Bike and Pedestrian Amendment to Federal
Transportation Bill Fails
By Jim Tozza

Unfortunately, by a vote of 27 to 29, the U.S.
House of Representatives Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee voted down the
bipartisan Petri/Johnson/Lipinski amendment
that would have fixed many of the deficiencies
in the House transportation bill, particularly as
they relate to the Transportation
Enhancements and Safe Routes to School
programs.

Top Six Problems the bill would have fixed:

1. Safe Routes to School is gone.
2. The Congestion Mitigation Air Quality
program (CMAQ) is less likely to support
pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements
because air quality is no longer the operative
measure....
3. States are no longer required to maintain
safe bridge access for bicycles.
4. Pedestrian and bicycle coordinators in state
DOTs are eliminated.
5. Eliminates the requirement that rumble

mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the

6. Eliminates language that specifically
includes traffic calming and improvements for
ped-bike safety as eligible HSIP projects.

But all is not lost. Those of you who have
contacted their representatives during the
past few days about this amendment, made a
strong and powerful statement that
Americans from all across the country want,
need, and deserve, more trails and walking
and bicycling opportunities.

Please know that this is just one step in the
legislative process and there are many steps
to go before any transportation bill could
become laweach of which provides
opportunities for us to restore funding for
walking, Safe Routes to School, and bicycling. I
will keep you informed about the ways in
which you can help advocate for these most
basic and healthy forms of transportation.

I have written to John Kerry and Senator Scott
Brown to see if they can reword the bill so all
is not lost. I had stated in my letter that If it
l pendent on the
insulin for diabetes and now I am only on one
pill a day and my blood count has been good
because of biking. If you have had any health
problems, and biking or exercise has helped
benefit you, please let your Congressmen
know so that they can see even more of the
benefits to be gained by rewording this
Transportation bill.






Local News:Bike Cages in Malden & Bike Study in Melrose

Bicycle Cages Coming to Malden and Oak
Grove MBTA Stations

The MBTA has begun construction of bicycle
cages for use of local residents bicycling to
Malden and Oak Grove MBTA stations.
Despite the large increase in the number of
bicycle racks at these station, bicycle thefts
occur at these stations along with vandalism
such as thefts of seats and wheels. The bicycle
cages will create more security against theft
by requiring those entering to have a Bicycle
Charlie Card and also include video cameras.
Bicycle cages at Alewife Station at the end of
the Minuteman Trail have been very popular.

Study calls for Bicycle Accommodations Along
Main Street in Melrose & Wakefield

The Metropoloitan Area Planning Council has
completed an 8 month study of the Main
Street corridor thru Melrose, Wakefield and
Reading that calls for more bicycle lanes and
sharrows and more parking along the route.
.




Upcoming Events

Saturday March 24, 2012: Clean up at Rail Road Avenue, Malden MA, 9am 12pm

Sunday April 1, 2012: April Fool's Ride, 10am

Saturday April 21, 2012: Rain Garden Planting behind the Madeline English school in Everett, MA.

Saturday April 28, 2012: Clean up along Canal Street in Malden, MA.

Sunday May 20, 2012: Marshall's Ride, 9am and Mystic River Herring Ride, 11am

Sunday June 3, 2012: 20
th
Annual Bike to Sea Day, 8:30am





Networking Notes

Mass Bike www.massbike.org
North shore Cyclists www.nscyc.org
Winthrop Greenway www.friendsofbelleislemarsh.org/greenway
Friends of the Community Paths www.pathfriends.org
Malden Rotary Club www.maldenrotary.org
Mystic River Watershed Association www.mysticriver.org
Friends of the Everett Waterfront
Saugus River Watershed Council www.saugusriver.org
Friends of the Middlesex Fells www.fells.org
Friends of the Lynn Woods www.flw.org
Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment www.saugus.org/SAVE/
Friends of Breakheart Reservation www.saugus.org/FOBR/
Rails to Trails http://www.railtrails.org/
Livable Streets http://www.livablestreets.info
JRA Cycles, Medford: http://www.jracycles.com/
Landry's Cycles, Boston: http://www.landrys.com
North Shore Cycle, Lynn: http://nscycles.com/index.cfm
Paramount Cycle, Somerville: http://www.paramountbicycle.com/home.html
Ace Wheelworks, Somerville: http://www.wheelworks.com/
Park Street Cycle, Somerville: http://www.parksales.com/
Broadway Bicycle School, Cambridge: http://broadwaybicycleschool.com/
City Cycle Incorporated, Stoneham (781) 438-0358

















Address Sticker Here



















Please give this to a friend or neighbor who might want to:
Join Bike to the Sea and Help support The Northern Strand Community Trail

_____ Individual ($25) _____Supporting ($50)
(receive a gift bike map)
_____ Family ($40) _____Contributing ($75)
(receive a gift t-shirt)
_____ Lifetime ($300)

Name(s)___________________________________________________________________

Address____________________________________________________________________

City_____________________________________State____________Zip________________

Phone________________________Email_________________________________________

Please make Checks payable to:
Bike to the Sea
c/o Gus Fish
57 Hammersmith Dr.
Saugus, MA 01906
BIKE TO THE SEA
83 Jacob Street
Malden, MA 02148