BOSTON
- Thursday, August 20, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Environment
Department, the Office of Women's Advancement, the Streets Cabinet, and the
Office of New Urban Mechanics today announced the dedication of the City's
first electric-assist cargo tricycle. In a virtual naming ceremony, the
tricycle was named after Katherine "Kittie" Knox, a Black West
End resident in the 1880s who confronted racial and gender stereotypes in
Boston's bicycling community. The new tricycle also supports Boston's work
to reduce emissions from municipal sources, a critical goal of the 2019
Climate Action Plan Update.
"This
new tricycle is an innovative new program as Boston continues its work
towards achieving carbon neutrality in our city," said Mayor Walsh.
"I'm proud this tricycle is named after Ms. Knox, an early leader who
championed equity in the bicycle community. In Boston, we have also
proclaimed August 20 as Kittie Knox Day."
In
October 2019, Mayor Walsh released an updated Climate Action Plan to
further strengthen the City's ongoing initiatives to mitigate and adapt to
climate change, including immediate steps to significantly reduce Boston's
carbon emissions and strengthen the strategies needed to achieve the City's
long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This new tricycle
also builds on Boston's reputation for being one of the most
energy-efficient cities in the United States, and complements existing
programs such as Renew Boston Trust, Community Choice Energy, the Electric
Vehicle Parking program, and Boston's long-standing building energy
benchmarking program. The trike is intended to support City staff
performing their daily tasks.
The
trike also supports Go
Boston 2030, the City of Boston's long-range, equitable transportation
plan, aims to encourage mode shift away from single-occupancy vehicle trips
toward low-emission modes of walking, biking, and public transit. To do
this, the plan calls for better bike lanes, bus priority corridors,
walk-friendly street design, and easy access to transit, bike share, and
carshare.
"This
innovative electric cargo tricycle pilot, aptly named for the pioneering Kittie
Knox, reflects Boston's leadership in creating more sustainable ways for
people to get around. It is always heartening to witness an American Cities
Climate Challenge city turn a vision into reality - and even more so when
it honors the life of a woman who fought valiantly for racial and gender
equity. The 'Knox' marks an important milestone in Boston's commitment to
fully decarbonize its transportation system and will serve as a reminder of
the enduring legacy of Boston's trailblazing women," said Amanda
Eaken, Director of the American Cities Climate Challenge.
In
partnership with the Office of Women's Advancement, the City is naming the
cargo tricycle in memory of Katherine "Kittie'' Knox as part of its
centennial commemoration of the 19th Amendment's ratification, which
expanded voting rights to women.
"As
we honor and reflect on the one hundred years of women at the ballot, we
must recognize the trailblazers who wanted an equitable part in America's
growth," said Tania Del Rio, Executive Director of the Office of
Women's Advancement. "While Kittie Knox was breaking racial and gender
barriers in the white male-dominated sport of cycling, suffragist leader
Lucy Stone was inspiring women in Boston to organize for the right to vote.
This dedication pays homage to the bravery and innovation of Boston's women
from Knox's time to now."
Ms.
Knox was a member of Riverside Cycle Club in Cambridge, the prominent Black
bicycling club in the greater Boston area in the 1890s, and joined the
League of American Wheelmen in 1893, before the national association
adopted a "white only" membership policy in 1894. When Ms. Knox
went to a competition hosted by the League in New Jersey in 1895, some
members tried to bar her entry, though she showed proof of membership in
the League.
"Kittie's
life deserves recognition and it is gratifying that the bicycling community
is making space to learn from Kittie and its past treatment of her and
people who looked like her," said Larry Finison, author of Boston's
Cycling Craze, 1880-1900. "Kittie Knox is indeed an exemplar of
equity, diversity, and inclusion."
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