With Mossland Street now a neighborway and the Elm-Beacon Connector largely complete, community groups are organizing a thank-you group ride to showcase the new Somerville infrastructure. Riders will also write thank-you notes to city staff and the City Council.
Riders will gather at Lou Ann David Park, Teele Square, at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 14 to ride down Elm Street as a group. The group will ride 1.5 miles to Cafe Rustica on Beacon Street for lunch, where organizers will have thank-you cards for riders to write messages thanking Somerville staff and councilors for bringing the project to fruition.
The ride is organized by the Boston Cafe Bikers, Boston Cyclists Union, Cambridge Bicycle Safety, Davis Square Neighborhood Council, Porter Square Neighbors Association and Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets.
“I love organizing these thank-you rides, because they bring joy in so many ways,” organizer Z Yaro said. “They of course have the fun of a group bike ride; they bring neighbors together; they introduce people to the new infrastructure and its benefits; they bring people to parks and local businesses; and they send thankful messages to the city officials who do the often thankless work of building these projects.
What’s New on Elm Street
The Elm-Beacon Connector project installed protected bike lanes and other safety improvements along parts of Elm Street, Somerville Avenue and Beacon Street. It links Davis Square and Somerville’s Community Path to Beacon Street, Inman Square and beyond.
One of the project’s largest changes was converting Mossland Street to a neighborway, a walk- and bike-friendly street designed to lower vehicle volumes and speeds while prioritizing the experience of local residents. Bikes, pedestrians and emergency vehicles can still enter Mossland Street from Elm Street, but cars must enter and exit via Somerville Avenue.
Somerville is upgrading traffic signal equipment and adjusting timings to accommodate the traffic pattern. Previously, the traffic light at Mossland and Somerville Avenue was the longest red light in the city.
Can’t make it to the Nov. 14 ride? People are invited to send thank-you notes via email to CityCouncil@SomervilleMA.gov and Transportation@SomervilleMA.gov.
Bike activities calendar
Boston Cafe Bikers (recurring). Boston Cafe Bikers rides at 10 a.m. Saturday from Coolidge Corner, Brookline, to Michette’s new second location at 305 Webster Ave., in Cambridge’s Wellington-Harrington neighborhood near Inman Square. Free.
Cafe Zing! Social Ride (recurring). Every Thursday, join friends and neighbors for a party-pace social ride. Meet at Cafe Zing, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge, at 6:30 p.m. to mingle before the 7 p.m. ride.
Elm-Beacon Connector Thank-You Ride. Starting at Lou Ann David Park, 1060 Broadway, near Teele Square, Somerville, at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 14, ride to Cafe Rustica, 356 Beacon St., Ward 2, Somerville, and write thank-you messages to city staff. Free. No RSVP required.
Critical Mass Ride (recurring). A free social activist ride meeting at 6:30 (and taking off at 7 p.m.) the last Friday of every month in Copley Square, Boston. No RSVP required.
Have a bike event to list? Send it to ecao.csindie@gmail.com. For more Boston bike events, see bostonbikeevents.net. (No affiliation with The Independent.)
