NBPTF

The Newton Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force is an independent citizen activist group that works with the city and local organizations to secure safe, practical and convenient bicycle and pedestrian access in Newton, MA.

News and updates:

• Our next meeting will be on January 23rd 2018 at 7:45pm. Meeting agendas are posted a few days before each meeting.

• The Bike Friday commuter convoy rides to Boston were changed by the City of Boston to be only a single Bike to Work day last year (May 19, 2017).

We invite you to get involved and attend our monthly meetings on the fourth Tuesday of the month (usually) from 7:45pm-10pm in the cafeteria on the lower level of Newton City Hall.

Please join our email list or email newtonbikeped@gmail.com to learn more and get involved.

Stay informed effortlessly when new announcements are posted here by subscribing to email notifications. Simply click the Sign In link on the bottom left of any of these pages. Then, on the Announcements page, click the "More" button and then select "Subscribe to site changes".

Our biggest project right now is the development of the Upper Falls Greenway, converting an inactive railroad line into a walking and biking trail. Construction started the week of October 21, 2013 and is essentially complete. The city has a signed lease for the land and permission from the MBTA to remove the rails. There's a Friends of the Greenway group with a website and Facebook page. When completed the city's Parks & Recreation Department will oversee the one mile long linear park. Sign up on the group's email list to stay informed and even get involved.

One area of great concern is the effect of the Route 128 Add-a-lane project on the ability to safely bicycle between Newton and Needham. All of the actual construction is being done in Needham, but the impact on Newton and other area bikers will be substantial, and possibly extremely dangerous -- imagine Kendrick St becoming another Highland Ave!

We've made some great progress lately -- check out the striping and parking changes on Beacon St., Walnut St., and Commonwealth Ave. The citywide sidewalk snow clearing ordinance passed, thanks in part to concerted efforts by task force members. There are numerous new bike racks all around the city. The Massachusetts DCR recently officially opened the gorgeous Newton Lower Falls bridge over the Charles River. We also advocated for changes to the city's laws about bicycles on sidewalks outside of business districts, enabling schoolchildren to safely bike to school. Be sure to check out (and even contribute to) our crowd-sourced low traffic bike routes map.

If you're looking for support to get out more often by foot or bike, consider joining in on either the Bike Friday commuter convoy to Boston or the Green Streets Initiative's Bike/Walk retailer discount program. Both kick off on the last Friday of the month.