Press Kit


April 2019

Provincetown celebrates national bike month

April 30, 2019

Provincetown, MA – With signs of spring all around, the Provincetown Bicycle Committee has lots in store this May for National Bike Month.

“Provincetown was awarded a coveted Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community Award last year,” said Rik Ahlberg, chair of the committee. “That’s quite an achievement. It speaks volumes to the commitment of our elected officials, town staff, and volunteers who are working to make bicycling safe and convenient for all kinds of trips in town.” The League of American Bicyclists evaluates communities nationwide through its Bicycle Friendly Community Program.

“We will find out how town did in the latest PeopleForBikes City Rating program on May 6 when they announce this year’s rankings. According to their Bicycle Network Analysis, Provincetown has the most well-connected bike network of any city or town in the US,” he added.

Many of the town’s bike shops offer early bird discounts on tune-ups and specials on both new and used bicycles, so it’s a great time to stop in and support local merchants before the summer season kicks in.

“There are lots of bike projects in the works,” said Ahlberg. “You’ll see new wayfinding along Bradford Street that directs people to destinations around town and some new bike racks this season. We’re looking forward to the construction of the bike lanes on the northern part of Conwell Street later this year and participating in the ongoing planning for bike lanes on Shank Painter Road and along Route 6.”

Here are some tips that will help you enjoy biking this season:
• Have your bike checked over by a local bike shop
• Always yield to people who are walking in the street
• Ride in the same direction as motor vehicles, except on Commercial St. where you can ride in both directions
• Pass others on the left and let them know you’re there
• Be friendly and courteous – a polite wave or “excuse me” helps keep everyone in a good mood.

Bike Month Events

More details on Bike Month events are on the Bike Provincetown web site at http://bikeprovincetown.org/bikemonth and http://facebook.com/bikeprovincetown

Art Exhibit: Bicycle Culture on the Outer Cape
In collaboration with the Provincetown Commons, a new exhibit featuring work by local artists will take place throughout the month. Curated by Pete Hocking and Rik Ahlberg.
Opening Reception: Sunday, May 5, 4 pm to 7 pm. Free and open to the public.
Where: The Commons, 46 Bradford Street, Provincetown
When: Exhibit hours are 9 am to 5 pm, Monday-Friday, from May 1 to May 31.

Children’s Bicycle Rodeo
Kids of all ages are welcome to participate in the annual Bike Rodeo! Bring your bike and explore the obstacle course, decorate your bike, get a bike check-up, and get a new helmet if you need one. The annual rodeo is a collaboration between Provincetown Schools, the Recreation Department, the Police Department, and the Bicycle Committee.
Where: Grace Hall Parking Lot (Capt. Bertie’s Way entrance).
When: Tuesday, May 7, 3 pm to 5 pm. Free.

Bike to Work Day Coffee
The Bicycle Committee encourages everyone to bike to work or try bicycling for fun, fitness, or transportation. On National Bike to Work Day, free coffee, fruit, and baked goods will be provided to all participants stopping by Town Hall on their way to work.
Where: Town Hall, 260 Commercial Street, Provincetown
When: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Free.

Bike Repair Clinic
The Bike Repair Clinic provides demos of basic bike repairs that you can do yourself using the tools available at the three new public bike repair stations in town.
Where: Town Hall, 260 Commercial St., Provincetown
When: Saturday, May 11, 12 pm to 1 pm. Free.

Blessing of the Bikes
Get your bike blessed by Rev. Roger Chauvette for safe travels this season.
Where: On the lawn at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse, 236 Commercial St., Provincetown.
When: Thursday, May 23, 5:30 pm. Free.

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About the Provincetown Bicycle Committee

The Provincetown Bicycle Committee was created in 2011 to advise the Board of Selectmen on planning and policy to improve conditions for riding bicycles in town. This includes recommendations for improvements to on- and off-road bicycle facilities, installation of bike racks and other bicycle-specific amenities, public safety education, and encouragement of riding bicycles for both recreation and active transportation. For more information, visit http://bikeprovincetown.org or http://fb.me/bikeprovincetown.

About the League of American Bicyclists

Founded in 1880 to advocate for better roads for bicycling, the League of American Bicyclists represents 57 million cyclists in its mission to lead the movement to create a bicycle-friendly America for everyone. For more information, please visit http://bikeleague.org

Bike-Month-Open-call-to-artists-bike-culture-on-the-outer-cape-Provincetown-Commons-exhibit-750w.jpg

Art Exhibit: Bicycle Culture on the Outer Cape Download: JPG (117K)

Provincetown-Bicycle-Committee-BFC_Silver_18-22.jpg

Provincetown recognized with a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community Award
Download: JPG (809K)


May 2018

Provincetown rates as the nation's best Bike Network in a small city

May 4, 2018

PROVINCETOWN – The tiny town at the tip of Cape Cod scored as the nation's top bike network in the small city category of the PlacesForBikes City Ratings released this week.

PlacesForBikes, a project of the bicycle industry advocacy group PeopleForBikes, announced its first-ever City Ratings at its annual conference this week in Indianapolis, IN.

In the overall scores, Provincetown was awarded 2.1 stars on a 5-star scale, with the overall top-rating city of of Fort Collins, CO scoring 3.5.

"It's great to have this fantastic feedback as we kick of our Bike Month events around town," said Rik Ahlberg, chair of the Provincetown Bicycle Committee. The committee's Bike Month event calendar is available online at https://BikeProvincetown.org/bikemonth.

Small City Network Ratings
1. Provincetown, MA
2. Crested Butte, CO
3. Davis, CA
4. Rexburg, ID
5. Jackson, WY

Source: PeopleForBikes City Ratings

“What gets measured gets done,” said PeopleForBikes Research Director Jennifer Boldry in a blog post on their web site. Boldry has spent three years developing the rating system. “I would love if this were a tool for cities to measure where they are and track their progress.”

The City Ratings are a data-driven approach to rating bicycling across cities and towns of all sizes. The overall ratings are based on five underlying categories:
- Ridership: Estimates how many and how often people are riding bikes.
- Safety: Includes injuries and fatalities from vehicular crashes to people walking, biking, and driving.
- Network: Rates how people are connected to their destinations using comfortable bike routes.
- Reach: Measures how consistently a community's bike network serves everyone in the community.
- Acceleration: Indicates how quickly a community is improving its biking infrastructure and getting people riding.

Provincetown topped the Network category ratings early on when the PeopleForBikes Bicycle Network Analysis tool was released in 2017. The Network Analysis is based on a level of stress system initially developed by Peter Furth at Northeastern University. The analysis looks at a wide variety of data sourced from OpenStreetMaps including road widths, speed limits, bike lanes and paths, and how well the low-stress network connects residents to everyday destinations. 

In the overall Network category nationwide, Provincetown scored 4.0, second behind Boulder, CO at 4.1.

"The analysis tool is incredibly helpful, since it generates a map we can use to identify the roads that need improvement," Ahlberg added. "It gives us data that we never had before to make roadway improvement recommendations to the town's Select Board."

The only other town on Cape Cod that was rated this year was Falmouth, which scored 1.1. The top five scores in Massachusetts were Boston (2.6), Cambridge (2.3), Melrose (2.2), Provincetown (2.1), and Somerville (1.7).

Massachusetts Overall City Ratings

City    Rating
Boston    2.6
Cambridge    2.3
Melrose    2.2
Provincetown    2.1
Somerville    1.7
Northampton    1.5
Lexington    1.4
Newburyport    1.1
Falmouth    1.1
Worcester    1.0
Lowell    0.9
Springfield    0.8
Bedford    0.6
Cochituate    0.4
Foxborough    0.4

Source: PeopleForBikes City Ratings

At their conference, PeopleForBikes provided guidance to cities on how to improve their scores and their web site includes details on how the scores were calculated. Next year's PlacesForBikes conference is schedule to take place in Atlanta, GA. 


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PeopleForBikes City Ratings Web Site:
http://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org

PeopleForBikes Bicycle Network Analysis Web Site:
https://bna.peopleforbikes.org

About the Provincetown Bicycle Committee
The Provincetown Bicycle Committee was created in 2011 to advise the Board of Selectmen on planning and policy to improve conditions for riding bicycles in town. This includes recommendations for improvements to on- and off-road bicycle facilities, installation of bike racks and other bicycle-specific amenities, public safety education, and encouragement of riding bicycles for both recreation and active transportation. For more information, visit http://bikeprovincetown.org or http://fb.me/bikeprovincetown.

Provincetown low-stress bicycle network PeopleForBikes 2018.png

Provincetown's low-stress bike network as evaluated by the PeopleForBikes Bicycle Network Analysis too. Red shows streets that need improvement. 
Download: JPG (650k)

Provincetown Massachusetts PeopleforBikes City Rating vs Bicycle Friendly Community.png

Massachusetts cities ranked by PeopleForBikes compared to their Bicycle Friendly Community award levels. Top Bike League Bicycle Friendly Community awards are highlighted in green.
Download: JPG (112k)

PlacesForBikes City Rating Small City Network Provincetown.jpg

Provincetown's bike network ranked #1 among small cities in the nation.
Download: JPG (342k)


April 2018

Provincetown Celebrates Bike Month

April 20, 2018

Provincetown, MA – With spring in the air, the Provincetown Bicycle Committee, MassBike, and the League of American Bicyclists announce that May is National Bike Month, May 12-20 is Bay State Bike Week, and Friday, May 18 is Bike to Work Day.

The Bicycle Committee encourages everyone to bike to work or try bicycling for fun, fitness, or transportation. On Bike to Work Day, free coffee, fruit, and baked goods will be provided to all participants stopping by Town Hall on from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Bill Nesper, Interim Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists, said, “Biking to work is an efficient and fun way to get the exercise you need, without having to find extra time to work out.”

Additional events include a Bike Repair Clinic on May 12 at 12 PM in front of Town Hall; the Ride to the Runway with Provincetown Fashion Weekend on May 12 at 7 PM starting in front of the Boatslip; the Blessing of the Bikes on May 24, 5:30 PM at the UU Meetinghouse; and a display of bike-related books on view throughout the month at the Provincetown Public Library.

Many of the town’s bike shops offer pre-season discounts on tune-ups and specials on both new and used bicycles, so it’s a great time to stop in and support local merchants before the summer season kicks in.

“It’s really a joy to ride around town in May before the crowds show up for the summer,” said Rik Ahlberg, chair of the Bicycle Committee. “And the new bike lane that is going in on Bradford Street will help reduce congestion and improve safety year-round and in the summer when there are more visitors, buses, and trucks on the road.” The bicycle climbing lane was approved by the Board of Selectmen as part of a Department of Public Works repaving project and will be painted on Bradford Street up the hill from Central Street to Carver Street. A ceremonial ribbon cutting and inaugural ride will take place after the paving and line painting are completed.

Here are some tips that will help you enjoy biking this season:
• Have your bike checked over by a local bike shop
• Always yield to people who are walking in the street
• Ride in the same direction as motor vehicles, except on Commercial St. where you can ride in both directions
• Pass others on the left and let them know you’re there
• Be friendly and courteous – a polite wave or “excuse me” helps keep everyone in a good mood.

###

About the Provincetown Bicycle Committee
The Provincetown Bicycle Committee was created in 2011 to advise the Board of Selectmen on planning and policy to improve conditions for riding bicycles in town. This includes recommendations for improvements to on- and off-road bicycle facilities, installation of bike racks and other bicycle-specific amenities, public safety education, and encouragement of riding bicycles for both recreation and active transportation. For more information, visit http://bikeprovincetown.org or http://fb.me/bikeprovincetown.

About MassBike
The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) promotes a bicycle-friendly environment and encourages bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation. MassBike is the presenter of Bay State Bike week for 2018. For more information, visit http://massbike.org or http://baystatebikeweek.org

About the League of American Bicyclists
Founded in 1880 to advocate for better roads for bicycling, the League of American Bicyclists represents 57 million cyclists in its mission to lead the movement to create a bicycle-friendly America for everyone. For more information, please visit http://bikeleague.org

Bike Month Flyer. Download: PDF, JPG

2018 Provincetown Bike Month Flyer (updated 4/25)
Download: PDF (2.7MB)JPG (905K)

Spring Bike Ride on Commercial Street - Provincetown Bicycle Committee - April 2018.JPG

Spring bike ride on Commercial Street
Download:  JPG (4MB)

Hanging the bike month banners at Town Hall in Provincetown.jpg

Bicycle Committee member Max Cliggott-Perlt hangs Bike Month banners in Portuguese Square next to Provincetown Town Hall.
Download: JPG (3MB)

rusty bike sunny April day Provincetown.jpg

A rusty bike on a sunny spring day in Provincetown.
Download: JPG (3MB)