Convoy on the Esplanade in front of Arthur Fiedler
It’s a ton of fun and an especially good way to dip a toe into the waters of bike-commuting. Led by experienced bike commuters (your humble scribe usually rides sweep and takes pictures), joined by cyclists of all stripes and abilities, and proceeding at a crowd-friendly pace, the convoy goes from Newton City Hall, through Newtonville, to Watertown Square, along the Charles, and up Congress Street. The ride starts at City Hall (6:45), with stops at the corner of Walnut and Washington Park (a few minutes later) and the Laundry Brook footbridge near Watertown Square (7:00ish).
Convoys from all over the area converge at the festival at Boston City Hall, where there are refreshments, bike-related organizations, free bike repair, music, and general merriment and good will.
Personally, I’d rather see a hang up and drive campaign. My biggest danger riding my bike to work in Newton are the morons (often in luxury cars) with one hand on the wheel and one to their ear holding their (not so) smart phone.
BTW – to the guy in the Nissan Leaf that nearly took me out near Newtonville Ave last week, when I yelled, “Hang up and drive,” what I really meant was, “My bike is still greener than your car and PC bumper stickers.”
Didn’t you mean:
“Your silly Leaf increases demand on the grid, which ultimately means more demand for coal-fired plants. And, even if driving your car required no energy, there’s more embedded energy use in the manufacture of your car than in a life-time of driving an SUV (which, of course, has its own embedded energy use in manufacture). So, my bike is way green.”