'Circle the City' Finale to Close Rose Kennedy Greenway Area to Traffic on Sunday

The 'Circle the City' series of summer street closures concludes Sunday, turning parts of State, Congress and the surface road along the Greenway into traffic-free pedestrian and bike havens.

The city's program of closing major streets off to traffic on summer Sundays comes to a close this weekend with the biggest event yet: Parts of State, Congress and the surface road along the Rose Kennedy Greenway will be car-free zones. The "Circle the City" initiative provides free outdoor fun, and is a collaboration between local organizations to connect people to parks and promote a healthy and active lifestyle. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Franklin Park Coalition, the City of Boston, Boston Bikes, the EPA and the Rose Kennedy Greenway launched the program on June 24, and the final event is Sunday. Sunday's event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. along the Rose …

• Documents (2)

Crime Map

Bike Stolen From Bikes Not Bombs

The following police blotter and arrest information was supplied by the Boston Police Department. Arrest does not indicate a conviction

The police blotter for Monday includes the following incidents: Want to take positive action about crime? Join or start a Neighborhood Watch on your street: Call police at 617-343-4345 or email meetinginfo.bpd@cityofboston.gov.

Hubway May Come to Jamaica Plain in Summer 2013

The city's interim bike czar — JP's Kris Carter — said his home neighborhood is "on the horizon" for a bike-sharing station. But he stressed he can't make any promises.

As the city's bike-sharing program, Hubway, keeps expanding, bike-crazy JP residents have one question. When are we getting it? The city's interim director of Boston Bikes, JP resident Kris Carter, says a neighborhood station for the popular service is "on the horizon." He can't make promises, but he said things look promising for JP to get a station in summer 2013. Carter says the idea of bringing the bike-sharing system to JP is getting strong support from our district city councilor, Matt O'Malley. Hubway grows from the inside out. That's because the further stations are from each other, the higher the chance there are no bikes available or nowhere to park your returning bike. The ideal distance between stations is a quarter mile. That …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (2)

Hubway Bike Sharing Service to Add 11 Boston Stations — None in Jamaica Plain

The growing network of shared bikes is adding 11 Boston stations soon. But Jamaica Plain still won't have any.

You've seen tourists and commuters pedaling along the city's streets on the unmistakeable "Hubway" shared bicycles. Or perhaps you're among the network's growing legion of users. Either way, expect more of the shared bikes soon, as the city opens 11 new Hubway stations. In this crop of new stations, none are in JP. However, planners do envision one day adding JP to the network. The expansion will add 400 bikes to the system, according to the Herald. Expansion continues outside Boston, too, as 30 more stations will soon be up and working in Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline. Hubway users pay a membership fee, plus charges for rides more than 30 minutes. The city's acting bike czar, Kris Carter, said the exact locations of Boston's 11 new …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Michael Halle

5:08 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012

Carole, There are basically three ways to approach the helmet issue. The first, and easiest to implement, is to make sure that many local retail outlets sell very inexpensive helmets (something like $7). This is the plan the city has implemented. The second approach is to provide on-site helmet sale or rental. Imagine a helmet vending machine. No such device exists commercially, but Boston Bikes …   more ›

Is Bicycling's Success in Boston a Danger to Pedestrians?

More bicyclists are on the streets of Boston. That's good for a lot of reasons. But will we start to see more bicyclists running into pedestrians?

Most of the recent news about bicycling in Boston is positive: More people are bicycling and the city is becoming an easier place to bike. But when you put more pedestrians and two-wheelers crossing the same streets and intersections, bad things could happen. Especially when one or both parties are flouting traffic rules. Boston pedestrians don't seem to pay much attention to whether the crossing light is red or green. And we've all seen bicyclists zoom through red lights. A recent infamous case comes out of San Francisco, where a bicyclist ran a red light and slammed into a pedestrian. The man fell and hit his head. He died a few days later. Atlantic Cities recently posted a round-up of cyclist-on-pedestrian incidents. They conclude it's …

•  34 Comments
• Videos (1)

Chris Helms

12:51 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012

Here's a very interesting, well-informed take on this debate, arguing that bikes running red lights is illegal but ethical. Bonus points because it uses the Categorical Imperative: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/if-kant-were-a-new-york-cyclist.html?_r=1   more ›

ADD YOUR OWN PHOTOS: Circle the City Connects Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond

The corridor from Franklin Park to Jamaica Pond was car-free on Sunday. If you have photos or video from the day's celebration, please add them here to share with your neighbors.

Pedestrians and cyclists ruled the road on Sunday in Jamaica Plain, as the Circle the City program made the corridor from Franklin Park to the Pond car-free. The event, created by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, aimed to showcase the city's parks — and to get people out of their homes and cars. Here are a few photos (and a quick video of a pick-up band playing "Charlie on the MTA"). If you have snaps or videos of the day's festivities, please add them for your neighbors to see.

• Photos (14)
• Videos (2)

Boston Cyclists Union Seeks New Board Members

Are you committed to helping improve life for bicyclists in Boston? The Boston Cyclists Union is looking for you.

Are you serious about bicycling? I mean more serious than just participating in the latest UHub flame war between bike riders and car drivers. The Boston Cyclists Union is looking to add new board members. They want committed bike advocates with experience with volunteering and fundraising. They'll want you to bring some specific expertise too, like accounting, graphic design or urban planning. Interested? The union has all the information you'll need.

• Photos (1)

ADD YOUR OWN PHOTOS: JP Spring Roll

If you were at Sunday's JP Bikes Spring Roll, or captured pics or video as it moved through the neighborhood, add them here for your neighbors to see.

It's the favorite JP event of the year for Forest Hills moms Casey and Michelle Carey-Brown — The JP Bikes Spring Roll. The event brings families out for a community bike ride, preceded by a session of bike-decorating. Other bike-related organizations like Bikes Not Bombs, the Boston Cyclists Union and Ferris Wheels Bike Shop were among the attendees. If you've got pics or video from this year's Spring Roll, please add them here to the ones Casey and Michelle Carey-Brown have already posted.

• Photos (16)

39 Bus Possibly Involved in Fatal Bike Wreck

Investigators say the 39 Bus may have struck a cyclist on Huntington near Forsyth, sending her into traffic where she suffered fatal injuries.

The 39 Bus may have been involved in a collision that led to the death of a cyclist, according to multiple news sources. A bike rider in her 20s died after being struck on Huntington Avenue and Forsyth at 10:20 p.m. Friday. While the wreck did not take place in Jamaica Plain, the 39 is the busiest route that serves JP. A bicycle advocacy group, JP Bikes, is urging people who were passengers on the bus to contact police at 617-343-4911. It isn't clear whether the bus struck the cyclist, according to the Boston Herald, but WBZ is reporting that there is evidence the bus did. The bus driver, a six-year veteran who is 45 years old, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. WBZ notes that the stretch of Huntington is notoriously dangerous for …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Matt

8:13 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012

I agree. There are also too many people in cars not using their turn signal or driving too aggressively when near cyclists.   more ›

Chef Didi Emmons, Doored in Jamaica Plain, Is Making Her Recovery

Chef and author Didi Emmons, who was doored while riding her bike in Jamaica Plain and then nearly run over by a bus, suffered a concussion.

Chef and author Didi Emmons is thanking an alert bus driver for saving her life after she was doored and thrown into the street. The Boston Globe's "Names Blog" has Emmons recounting that she was biking in JP on Thursday when a woman getting out of her car "doored" her. That sent Emmons sprawling into the path of the 39 Bus at Centre and Moraine. “I quick swerved to miss her and wiped out in street only to have a huge MBTA bus stop THREE FEET short of hitting me,” Emmons wrote in a Facebook post. “Luckily the driver was not distracted but was very aware and acted quickly -- I would not have lived otherwise." MQ, whom you can follow on Twitter via @MistaKwigz got a photo of the immediate aftermatch of the incident. Emmons' books include "…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)