WBPC to Receive Richard Mastrangelo Memorial Award for Historic Preservation

The Watertown Historical Commission has awarded its 2008 Richard Mastrangelo Memorial Award for historic preservation to the WBPC jointly with the Watertown Historical Society. The award is given in recognition of the 2007 Bicycle Tour of Historic Watertown.

The WBPC is proud and honored to receive this award. We extend our thanks to the Watertown Community Foundation, whose grant provided the funds that made the tour possible, and to all those who participated in the ride.

The award ceremony is at the Commander's Mansion in Arsenal Park at 7 PM on June 5, 2008, and the public is invited to attend.

Watertown Police Department Offers Bike Helmets

An entry in a WPD blog reports that the Police Department has a limited number of bike helmets to offer to residents, both adults and children. The helmets are made available through a grant from the Executive Office of Safety and Security.

The WPBC thanks the Police Department for this action, and encourages residents to take advantage of it. Despite the efforts of countless cycling advocates to promote helmet usage, there are still too many people who are biking without one. Cyclists who wear helmets correctly suffer head injury only under rare or extreme conditions, while those do not wear helmets account for the overwhelming majority of serious head injury cases.

WBPC Sponsors Bike Commuting Workshop

The WBPC held a workshop at the Watertown Free Public Library on May 8, 2008. Presenter and WBPC member Sheila Fay described some of her experiences as a bike commuter, and discussed topics such as proper gear and clothing, traffic issues, and practical issues surrounding getting to and from work on a bike.

The slides from this presentation are available here. Sheila also made available a handy resource sheet for bicycle commuters.

DPW and Town Council Plan Bacon Street Parking Area and Multi-use Path

The Town Council and the DPW are developing plans to build a parking area along Bacon Street (off Main St.), and the plan includes a new walking/biking path that runs along an easement owned by the Cambridge Water Department. Read more here.