Bike Safety Working Group

Buying a bike

There are a few routes you can go in buying a new bicycle when getting started:

• Buying a used bike from an individual: websites such as Craigslist have listing by individuals selling their bikes, particularly in the summer when a lot of people are leaving campus. There are several things to look out for: if an offer looks too good to be true, it might be a scam; if someone is selling many bikes for cheap the bikes might be stolen; always try the bike before buying it and try to make sure that all of its components are in good working state (brakes, tires, gears, etc.).
• Buying a used bike from a professional: some local stores sell used bikes which they tune up beforehand.
• Buying a new bike from a local bike store: we don’t recommend buying bikes from large retail chains as these are usually not built to last;
• Buying a used bike from the MIT auction: MIT police and MIT Parking and Transportation run a bike auction every fall, selling recovered bikes that were abandoned or recovered on campus. The bikes usually need some level of work, but you can make good finds and the prices are quite low!

Make sure you retain all receipts in case you want to claim the commuter or tax benefits on your purchases.

Bluebikes

An alternative or a complement to buying a bike is using Bluebikes. These are bikes you can rent from stations throughout the Boston metro area for periods typically around an hour, and drop off at any other station. As an MIT community member, you get a very good deal on the yearly subscription, which lets you take out bikes for up to 45min for free. You can find more info on the MIT bike benefits page.

Bike registration

Should you buy a bike, we recommend you register it with MIT Parking&Transportation. This means that if your bike is found or removed by campus services (for example if it’s been deemed abandoned, or found after a theft), they will have a way of contacting you directly. It also contributes to statistics about bike use on campus, helping MIT deliver more bike parking and infrastructure.

Registration is required for electric bikes (and other motorized personal wheels), and is required for commuting benefits. You can register your bike at this link.

Indispensable gear

We strongly recommend getting a helmet and a bike lock if you’re going to be riding regularly. A helmet is only useful if it fits you, find out how to fit a helmet here.

Regarding bike locks, there are two main types of locks: U-locks (a solid U-shaped lock) and chains (a loose chain). Bike locks are important in Cambridge and even on campus, as bike theft is relatively common. U-locks are generally regarded as a better deterrent to theft, as they require a portable circular saw. Some people like to use both types of locks as they require different tools to break. It is generally recommended to tie the bike frame (the big metal body of the bike) and the front or rear wheel to avoid wheel theft, and to ensure that the thing you tie your bike to is solid and well attached to the ground.

All in all, most locks will not prevent theft, but only delay or discourage it: even the most sturdy locks can be broken in under 20 minutes, so leaving your bike outside overnight always leaves a chance of theft. Avoiding your bike getting stolen is also a matter of not leaving it for too long outside (overnight in particular), and locking it in conspicuous places or near many other bikes.

If you commute year-round, we recommend getting wind-proof mittens for the coldest days and a poncho for rain. Road salt is frequently spread on Massachusetts roads in the winter and can corrode your bike parts easily, therefore we recommend you also purchase degreaser (preferably organic) and chain lube to keep your drivetrain in good shape. See the maintenance subsection for more information on drivetrain maintenance.

Sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays and wind are also recommended if you ride regularly or for long periods. If riding at night, a bright yellow vest and a front and rear light are strongly recommended or required.

Massachusetts bike laws

Here are some of the most important laws you have to be aware of in Massachusetts,

• You can take the full lane, on any (non-highway) road, even if there is a bike lane.
• Yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.
• From thirty minutes after sunset to thirty minutes before sunrise, you must have a front and rear light and reflectors, as well as either pedal or ankle reflectors.
• You can ride on sidewalks outside of designated business areas. These usually have a “no bike” symbol painted on the sidewalk, and typically are the main squares in Cambridge and Somerville.
• You have to indicate your turns by extending an arm, except when you feel it’s unsafe to take a hand off the handlebar.

It’s also important to know the laws that apply to cars to better navigate and to be informed in case of an accident,

• Almost all red lights in Cambridge have “no turn on red” signs, sometimes with an exception for cyclists.
• Cars can pass you even across a double yellow line, but only when doing so can be done safely (no oncoming traffic), and the driver must leave 4 feet between the car and the cyclist.

Tax and commuter benefits

If you are benefits-eligible with MIT, you can get a lot of financial assistance buying and maintaining your bike. Generally, graduate and undergraduate students are not benefits-eligible, whereas staff and faculty are. You can find all relevant information on MIT’s bike benefits webpage.

More interestingly, if you pay state income tax in Massachusetts, you can benefit from tax deductions on expenses towards purchasing a bicycle, its maintenance and equipment if you use it for commuting. This paragraph does not constitute tax or legal advice. In 2024, this works by filling line 15 of Schedule Y (found here), by following the worksheet found on page 22 of the Form 1 instructions. Then, this amount is added to line 19 of Schedule Y, which is reported into Form 1 line 15 or Form 1-NR/PY line 19. In most cases, this will lead to 5% of your money back on the amount you spent between 150$ and 750$ (meaning a tax deduction between 0$ and 30$). Make sure you retain all receipts in case you need to prove your purchases in the future.

Mailing list

The main mailing list is mitbike, where announcements relating to biking on campus are often shared.

The Bike Lab and maintenance

The bike lab is a place to get help maintaining your bike on campus, organized by MIT graduate students. They usually hold open office hours twice a week, where you can bring your bike and get help on tuning or fixing it. They also sell some parts you might need, such as brake cables or tubes. Learn more on the MIT Bike Lab website.

Other options for maintenance include local bike stores, MIT campus fix-it stations and local bike kitchens. Bike kitchens operate similarly to the bike lab, wherein you fix your own bike with help and equipment from volunteers, and they usually collect donations to support their operations. Examples include the Somerville bike kitchen and the Bike to the sea bike kitchen.

Routes to and from campus

Not all routes are equivalent from a bike safety perspective to get around campus. Some roads have fully separated bike lanes (off the road), others have a bike lane between parked cars and traffic, and others have no bike lanes at all.

The city of Cambridge maintains a relatively up to date map of bike paths by type you can use to find general paths. Beyond Cambridge, CyclOSM provides wider coverage. We recommend Brouter to help recommend you routes taking into account bike infrastructure.

MIT cycling club

The MIT cycling club organizes group rides through their mailing list, which you can find here. Moreover, they maintain a high-quality list of routes at all difficulty levels that are accessible from campus here.

Safety advice and course

Whilst this is not ideal, being safe in Cambridge also involves protecting yourself from dangerous drivers through defensive cycling. One very important thing to be aware of are right hooks: when a car passes you before an intersection, they could turn right at the intersection across your path. You therefore need to keep this in mind when approaching intersections, as drivers often neglect to check the bike lane for traffic.

We strongly recommend following MIT’s course on bike safety, which only takes 10 minutes. The course is available in Atlas at this link.

Here are some additional resources to learn more about bike safety,

• Traffic and Safety Tips video (spanish version)
• Signaling and Scanning
• Don’t get caught in the blind spot
• Be a courteous car passenger/driver
• Start Slow & Stop Slow
• Ride on the streets, not on the sidewalk
• Keep your distance from trucks. Stay back and well out of the way at intersections
• Slow down as you approach driveways and intersections

What to do in a crash

Should you be involved in a crash, or be witness to one, these are the most important things to do:

1. Get out of the way of danger, in particular if near heavy traffic.
2. Call 911, in particular if anyone is injured, there is property damage, or the road is blocked by the crash scene. On MIT campus you can also call MIT Police, although they do not have jurisdiction on most roads they will call EMS and Cambridge police as required.
3. If you require medical attention, request and ambulance and go to the hospital. In particular in an emergency, your health is more important than money or recovering your bike (MIT EMS ambulances are free, and in general your health insurance or the responsible party’s insurance should cover all immediate medical costs).
4. Once everyone is in a safe situation, talk with other involved parties. If there is any injury or property damage, take insurance information of all involved parties, as well as license plates and contact information. Sometimes, you might think you’re not injured because of the adrenaline, the pain can take one or two days to be felt. When police arrive at the scene they will usually collect this information, but ensure you have it as well.
5. If anyone has fled the scene of the accident, this might be a felony hit-and-run. Try and note down the plate, type and color of vehicle and any other infromation before forgetting.
6. If necessary, try to take down the information of any witnesses who volunteer it. Police will not always do this step for you.
7. Collect the police report information, as this will be useful in any insurance case afterwards.
8. If you were injured or had property damage caused by someone else, you will need to settle with their insurance. This does not constitute legal advice, but it is often recommended to contact a lawyer in you have non-trivial damages. It is also usually recommended not to settle directly with their insurance as they will often try to low-ball you. The sole fact of being injured (regardless of money disbursed) usually opens the door to personal injury settlements.
9. If you are at fault, you inversely might have to pay for property damage or injury caused to others. Usually, your renters insurance will cover such civil responsibility: if so, contact them.
10. Even if a police report was made, if there is injury or property damage in excess of $1000, make an RMV report. This is a legal requirement, and must be done within 5 days unless physically unable.

Get involved

We meet weekly to work on bike safety issues on campus, you can join us by contacting us!