Bicycle activists gather in Northampton to celebrate Bay State Bike Month

Date: 5/23/2023

NORTHAMPTON — During the morning of May 17, bicycle activists from all across the state gathered at Merrick Lane in Northampton for a community breakfast to celebrate Bay State Bike Month and to advocate for bike riding in all facets.

Representatives from local and statewide bicycle organizations were in attendance to offer information about their work including people from MassBike, the Friends of Northampton Trails, the Northampton Cycling Club, All Out Adventures and much more.

George Kohout, the president of FNT, told Reminder Publishing that the community bike breakfast is one of the many celebrations and events that occur throughout Bay State Bike Month, which is typically recognized in May.

“We’re about an 800-member organization that tries to encourage people to ride bicycles,” said Kohout, regarding FNT. “This breakfast is really just a social event to get people together and see each other who may be friends, and we have a lot of different advocacy groups that are here to promote the biking world.”

Kohout said the breakfast has been a part of downtown Northampton for about 15 years, as people from Amherst, Easthampton and other areas throughout the state offer pertinent information about bicycle and pedestrian safety and activism.

According to Kohout, Northampton is one of the leaders in the area when it comes to bike and pedestrian path availability. Under the vision of previous Planning Director Wayne Feiden, the city’s mileage of bike paths increased from 2.9 miles to 12.5, while the amount of open space has increased “sevenfold.”

The city has also recently conducted public meetings for its Picture Main Street project, which includes intersection improvements and the inclusion of separated bike lanes to keep cyclists out of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The plan is also to narrow the street so the width for crossing is reduced, as well.

“Northampton has really stepped up to the plate,” Kohout said. “It’s so important when it comes to climate change…we want to keep encouraging people to get out of their cars and onto bicycles, especially for shorter errands.”

Although Northampton is one of the leading communities in this movement, there are other places in Western Massachusetts where bicycling is becoming a little bit more ubiquitous, like Westfield, which just installed the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail a couple of years ago.

But there is still work to be done, as many organizations are continuing to push for more cycling in the area.

One such organization, the Northampton Cycling Club, is doing so by promoting fun, fitness and health through cycling with athletes of all ages and abilities in all areas of Western Mass.

“We have members from communities all up and down the Connecticut River Valley and beyond,” said Jonathan Brody, the co-president of the Northampton Cycling Club. “We have about 600 members”

According to Brody, the organization is hosting events like a cyclocross training program for children, where every Monday, children attend Look Park to learn more about bike safety skills.

“Youth programming is really a cornerstone of what we do,” Brody said. “We also have weekly club rides of varying abilities, from beginners to advanced.”

Over recent years, Brody said the organization has really focused on strengthening its community partnerships, as well as its partnership with the city. According to Brody, Northampton Cycling Club received an American Rescue Plan Act grant for a feasibility study for a bike pump track to hopefully be built in the future at Veteran’s Field.

“We want it downtown to have the greatest accessibility toward equal access for all,” said Brody, of the pump. “I think Northampton overall has done a great job of building safe bike infrastructure whenever they can.”

Other organizations present at the breakfast, like MassBike, are looking at bicycle safety through an even broader, statewide lens.

Jes Slavin, a Northampton resident and communications coordinator for MassBike, told Reminder Publishing that they simultaneously work on statewide policies to make life safer for bicyclists across the state while also supporting local activists in their pursuit of good bicycle advocacy in their communities.

Recently, MassBike was instrumental in helping pass “An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities,” which, after 10 years of advocacy, finally passed in January and officially was enacted in April.

“One of the coolest parts about [the bill] that we have been working on for a long time is the mandatory four-foot passing requirement,” said Slavin.

Under this new caveat, vehicles must pass pedestrians, bicyclists, road workers and other vulnerable road users at a minimum 4-foot distance with hopes of reducing many vehicular accidents.

“As of April 1 that is now law,” Slavin said. “MassBike is now working to help spread the word about the new law to ensure all motorists know.”

As a resident of Northampton, Slavin said she is also really excited about the Picture Main Street project, especially since it includes a connection between Main Street and the intricate trail network that surrounds downtown. “What they are doing should be emulated in every city,” Slavin said. “The fact that the city understands that we need to be connecting that trail network to on-street facilities because bikes are transportation, it’s really big.”

Readers may learn more about FNT, the Northampton Cycling Club and MassBike by visiting their websites.