PARK(ing) Day in Boston gets New Life
October 31, 2013
Each year, A Better City Transportation Management Association (ABC TMA) collaborates with MassCommute and MassRides to celebrate Massachusetts Car-Free Week. The event promotes transit, bicycling, walking, carpooling, vanpooling and teleworking as greener modes of transportation that provide environmental, financial, community and health benefits to the Commonwealth.
This year, ABC TMA partnered with TMA member State Street Corporation to support greener modes of transportation and sustainable lifestyles by transforming two parking spaces at 89 Bedford Street into a temporary parklet. The event was held on September 20th in conjunction with and inspired by PARK(ing) Day, an annual international event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into temporary public places. See how we used the space throughout the day!
The day started off with a free Bike Tune-up by Urban AdvenTours and a bike-light give-away to keep Boston's cyclists riding safely through autumn's shorter days.
At midday, visitors were treated to music by Berkeley student group El feeling del pueblo , while they were able to pick up information and maps from the MBTA.
For those still unsure about biking in the city, Hubway came out (with one of their bikes!) and distributed free 24-hour passes to everyone who stopped by. State Street Corporation also raffled off 6 annual Hubway memberships!
As the afternoon went on, Next Step Living came by and taught us how to save money on our utility bills by making our homes more energy efficient. Plus, for those who still own a car, the Environmental Insurance Agency answered questions about how to save money on auto insurance by driving less and making sustainable transportation choices a bigger part of our daily lives.
Finally, we wrapped up the day with a free yoga class by Sol Yoga and the announcement of our raffle winners for State Street Corporation's three 'Sustainability 101' baskets, which included faucet aerators, biking gear for beginners, a Car-Free in Boston book and more!
Thank you to everyone who came out and participated. You can see more pictures from our event on Facebook and check out our PARK(ing) Day Toolkit to learn how to participate throughout the Commonwealth.
We look forward to seeing you next year!
