Each year, when we get the photos from Tour de Streets, we look for it: the picture of a triumphant looking woman, one arm raised as she rides with her young daughter on the back of her bike. The daughter is growing up, but the pose never changes. Julia Wallerce’s enthusiasm for creating livable streets and communities is contagious, and in 2017 her team Viva la Vida Lynda was our top fundraiser. Continue reading

When Karen Mauney-Brodek joined the Tour de Streets walk in 2016, she had just begun her tenure as President of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. She was new to Boston, but familiar with old and complex cities, having previously spent time leading outreach, design, and engagement with the San Francisco and New York Parks Departments. Continue reading

Michelle Cook has her knees to thank for her love affair with bicycling. After she had to give up running due to a knee injury, a friend suggested she try riding a bike for exercise. Before long, Michelle was hooked and riding her bike everywhere she needed to go. Bicycling was an antidote to anxiety, boosting her mental health while also helping her lose weight. But she couldn’t help but notice -- where were all the other brown and black bikers in Boston? Continue reading

If it’s the second Friday of the month, you can be sure you’ll find Peter Cheung at Boston Bike Party. As a core member of the organizing team, Peter helps make sure that the hundreds of participants stay safe and have a blast every month. Peter says, “I always love it when people come up to me and say how they love coming to Boston Bike Party because they learn new routes and ways to get around town from our rides. Because of this we always plan our routes so we explore new neighborhoods and different party stop locations.” Many acquaintances claim they’ve actually never seen Peter in anything else but his Day-Glo bike outfit.  Continue reading

When Lisa Beatman found out that none of the children who lived along her street were allowed to play outside in front of their homes, she didn’t need to ask why. During a span of 18 months there had been three fatal crashes, 50 injuries, and over 200 traffic crashes on American Legion Highway near her home. Each day she witnessed the speeding, cut-through traffic that created a hostile and dangerous environment for anyone on the street. “We’d become resigned to it. Constantly complaining to each other wasn’t getting us anywhere. I knew we needed to take some action.” Continue reading

When Charlie Denison moved to Allston from Western MA in 2004, he was thrilled to find all of the different ways people could choose to get around in the city. But his budding romance with public transportation was not without complications. Says Charlie: “I really embraced not using my car for most trips, yet I was often frustrated at how unreliable or unsafe my other options were.” Continue reading

When Jeannie first began volunteering with LivableStreets, she didn’t see much of a connection between her years working in AIDS/HIV prevention in Dorchester and transportation advocacy. But her “AHA!” moment recognizing the link between public health, social justice and advocating for safer streets came about quickly. “I love being able to address this intersection through my volunteer work,” she says. “It’s exciting to see that many funders are beginning to recognize that transportation planning is connected to improving equity and public health outcomes.” Continue reading

As VP of Ambulatory Services at Dana-Farber, David Read knows hospitals never sleep. “Over one hundred and ten thousand people — commuters, visitors, and patients — travel to the Longwood Area every day.” Encouraged by seeing more people taking to bikes for their commutes, David started including biking in his morning routine in 2009.“My wife says I’m much less cranky on the days I bike to work!” Continue reading

In 2009, Bob Zeeb, a retired teacher from Newton, was training for the bike ride of a lifetime — a coast to coast tour of the U.S. For Bob, bicycling was not only a means of recreation and travel, but his primary mode of transportation. Unfortunately, the ride he took on that early November day would be his last. Bob was 71 years young when he died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash. Continue reading

The winter of 2015 was a pivotal moment for Vivian Ortiz. After the Mattapan High-Speed trolley was suspended and replaced by shuttle buses, she found herself trudging home through the thigh-high snow with her groceries. The MBTA shuttle drivers had been instructed not to stop or pick up riders at stops that were not part of the trolley line. Vivian says, “After one empty shuttle bus passed me I was upset. After four more empty shuttle buses passed me I knew I had to take action and speak up about transportation injustice.” Continue reading