Cambridge Police Celebrate Bay State Bike Week with Events, Helmet Giveaways and Theft Prevention

Bay State Bike Week is occurring this week and the Cambridge Police and Community Development Department are leading or participating in a wide variety of initiatives and events intended to increase the safety of all people who walk, bicycle, or drive.

For the fourth year in a row, Breakstone, White & Gluck, a Boston personal injury law firm, has made a generous donation to the Cambridge Police Department with a goal of protecting children on bikes. As part of its Project KidSafe campaign, Breakstone, White & Gluck donated 200 bicycle helmets for officers to give away to families at a mix of community events, including those being hosted this week. The donations will provide families with an opportunity to receive new helmets, have them fitted by Cambridge Police Officers, and ask officers questions about bike laws and safe cycling in the city. Bicycle helmets are an important tool for cyclists, reducing the chance of head injury by 50 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

As part of Bay State Bike Week, the Cambridge Police Department will be providing safety information and helmets at five events this week, four of which include a complimentary breakfast sponsored by the Charles River TMA, Alewife TMA and Harvard Commuter Choice:

• MONDAY, May 13 from 7:30-9:30A
  University Park Bike Breakfast: 300 Mass Ave.
• TUESDAY, May 14 from 7:30-9:30A
  Alewife Bike Breakfast: Minuteman Bikeway behind the Alewife T Station.
• THURSDAY, May 16 from 7:30-9:30A
  Kendall Square Bike Breakfast: 155 Broadway.
• THURSDAY, May 16 from 7:30-9:30A
  Harvard University Bike Breakfast: Dudley House, Harvard Yard.
• SATURDAY, May 18 beginning at 9A
  Coast the City Ride: Main Library, 449 Broadway. Join our Officers and the Cambridge Bicycle Committee as we escort riders for a 13-mile ride.

For a complete list of free bicycle workshops held in May and throughout the year by the City of Cambridge, visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Transportation/bikesincambridge/bicycleworkshops.aspx.

Bicycle Patrol & Bike Theft Prevention
With the warmer weather, the Cambridge Police Department once again has a full staff of bicycle patrol officers riding around city streets and neighborhoods to provide increased visibility and safety. These officers not only help provide residents with a greater sense of safety around the city, but they will also be promoting safe driving, riding and walking, as well as enforcing traffic laws in the Commonwealth, including aggressively seeking to keep bicycle lanes clear from illegally parked vehicles.

One area of emphasis will be mitigating bicycle theft. With the more moderate temperatures in the first four months of 2019 when compared to 2018, bike thefts are up 39 incidents in 2019. Cambridgeport and North Cambridge have seen the highest volume of bike theft in 2019 with 13 thefts in each neighborhood. If you do own a bicycle, safeguard it by using a heavy-duty locking device and securing your bicycle through both wheels and around the frame to an immovable object. Cables and chains can be easily defeated. Make sure you don’t leave your bike unlocked and unattended even just for a minute while you run into a class, store, office or meeting. If possible, use designated racks or bike cages.

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