GreenDorchester (Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition)

December is bike cage month in DotBike land, as DEHC’s Pete Stidman and DotBike’s Vivian Girard have been gathering support for a bike cage at the JFK/UMass station near Columbia Point. The MBTA is building six to 10 bike cages within their transit and commuter rail system as part of a $4.8 million chunk of stimulus money specifically targeted to improving bike parking.

DEHC used the Freedom of Information Act to acquire a list of all the stations the T is considering for the new cages, as well as 50 bike shelters they intend to build. What we discovered is a strange bias toward suburban stations, and the likelihood that there would not be a bike cage in Dorchester, where bike theft is the number one deterrent to cycling!

As it turned out, the proximity of other stations worked against Dorchester and other urban neighborhoods in the T’s assessment of need for bike cages. They didn’t prioritize the positive effect on bike-ability neighborhood density has, nor the fact that cyclists might avoid other nearby stations due to theft risk. And most surprising-they didn’t compare or even look at rates of bike theft for any station! Continue Reading »

It is now certain, the $140 million proposal to install a faster bus line on Blue Hill Avenue is dead, and that TIGER grant will not be obtained from the federal government. The good news though is that there is now much wider support for bike lanes on the street.

State legislators along the corridor have proposed a longer, more community-based process, to take advantage of the hundreds of thousands the state has already invested in the project. There is a roll plan of the street now, complete with bus boardings, turning movements, and tons of other data. And after the lengthy 28x controversy, we feel it’s time to really determine what the neighborhood would like to see on Blue Hill. But this longer process is not ensured. It would require funding for the process itself.

It is also unclear which government agency would carry on this process. If there is no large transit element, it would not be a state, but rather a city project. And of course money is tight everywhere.

If you’re interested in seeing the process continue, contact Mayor Thomas Menino’s office, contact your City Councillors about it, and also let your state legislators, Governor Patrick and Secretary of Transportation Jeffrey Mullan know that you support a continued public process on Blue Hill Avenue.

And, while you’re at it, suggest expanding the Public Advisory Group to include representation for cyclists!

DEHC and St. Marks Area Main Streets met with Nicole Freedman and Nick Jackson of Toole Design (the city’s contractor for bike lane design) earlier this week, and the news is a 25 percent design is expected sometime in December. We’ll be letting you know how it looks shortly after the Boston Transportation Department reviews.

With your support, DEHC influenced the city to install a bike lane on Talbot from Peabody Square to Blue Hill Avenue when we learned the section near Franklin Field was scheduled to be repaved as part of the stimulus funding to the city. We are on the lookout for more opportunities, and your continued vocal support of bike facilities in the neighborhood is absolutely necessary for our continued success! Thank you!

Working with DotBike, DEHC is building support in the community for card-accessed bike cages at two Dorchester Stations on the Red Line. Recently, the MBTA installed a basic bike cage at Forest Hills that holds around 100 bikes, is accessed by a special Bike Charlie Card, and has four surveillance cameras!

In Dorchester, we are requesting one or two bike cages at JFK/UMass Station and one at Ashmont Station (which connects with our future Talbot Avenue bike lane!). DotBike and DEHC are researching different bike cage designs and exploring the two stations to determine where to put them and what they might look like.

The MBTA has received $4.8 million for bicycle improvements to their system, and we want to let them know that secure bike parking should be a priority, particular in Dorchester. We’ve all seen bike skeletons on their current bike racks! Get in touch with us if you’d like to help us with this initiative, and make sure your local civic associations and institutions are aware.

For months, DEHC has been building a coalition of groups that support the installation of a bike lane along Blue Hill Avenue as part Continue Reading »

The Dorchester Beach Festival takes place rain or shine on Saturday, August 8, from 11 to 4. The festival is a one-day free outdoor event designed to celebrate and promote one of Dorchester’s natural gems, the Savin Hill/Malibu Beach area. A wide range of fun activities will also provide environmental, conservation and health information to the community. The festival’s free activities, such as lifeguard demonstrations, canoeing and sailing, bike safety instruction, and sun damage screening, are meant to promote health and wellness in the outdoors, as well as how to  live sustainably through recycling and conservation.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay grants support this and other free events on Boston area beaches this summer. “We have great beaches. It’s important to have great things for people to do on them,” said Bruce Berman of Save the Harbor. “The grants help people to do that.” The grant came from donations by The Boston Foundation, Comcast and National Grid.
Volunteers are needed to make this year’s Dorchester Beach Festival experience as wonderful as last year’s, which saw around 5,000 attendees. Contact DEHC for details.

Not going to let a few drops stop us – starting tomorrow, Saturday June 20, there is lots to do locally to take our minds off the showers. In Mattapan, help green your house and improve indoor air quality at a House Plant Propagation workshop or walk with WalkBoston at the Boston Nature Center. In Grove Hall, visit an Urban Environmental Health Fair. Or check out Ashmont’s CommonBoston activities, as seen in a previous post.

Subscribe to the enviro events calendar to get updates as they happen.

Now the weather’s better, time to garden! Been noticing many neighbors out greening their space.  What if you don’t have a space? click here to find a Dorchester community garden near you!  Have a flat roof? Maybe a rooftop garden would work for you! Or check around your neighborhood, there might be a small park that needs some weeding help.

Join officers from Boston Police District C-11, Boston Fire Fighters and local volunteers for a Bike Rodeo and Fire Safety Day.

Saturday May 23, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the parking lot of I.B.E.W Local 103, 256 Freeport Street, Dorchester.

* This event is for children ages 4 – 10 and their parents.
* Bring your bike and helmet and get a complete safety check (as DotBiker Vivian G performed at the 2008 event) , take an agility test and participate in bike games.
* Helmets will be available for sale.
* The Boston Fire Departments Fire Safety Truck and the Vulcan Society Safety Town will be there too.

For more information call the C-11 Community Service Office at 617-343-4524.