RMV Offers Motorcycle Rider Safety Programs

BOSTON — The Registry of Motor Vehicles has started the Massachusetts Rider Education Program's (MREP) spring motorcycle safety campaign, encouraging riders of all experience levels to enroll in professional training as the riding season gets underway across Massachusetts. 

This year's motorcycle safety and awareness season was kicked off with a proclamation from Gov. Maura Healey. 

The program's mission is to reduce motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities by expanding access to Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) approved training along with increasing safety awareness among both riders and drivers. The program supports a statewide network of nine certified training schools across 22 locations, with over 110 Rider Coaches who are MSF-certified.  

Motorcyclists can choose from a wide range of courses designed for new, returning, and experienced riders. Options include introductory sessions, license-waiver courses, advanced skill development, and specialized training such as on-street instruction and track-day coaching. 

Courses may include a mix of online learning, classroom sessions, and on-motorcycle exercises, and students must complete all required components including knowledge tests or riding evaluations to receive credit. 

Key offerings include:

• Introductory Motorcycle Experience 
• Basic Rider Course (License Waiver) 
• Basic Rider Course 2 (License Waiver) 
• Three-Wheel Basic Rider Course (License Waiver) 
• Advanced Rider Courses and Skills Practice 
• Ride Like a Pro 
• On-Street Motorcycle Training 
• Advanced Parking Lot Course 
• Individual Track Day Training 

Graduates of the Basic Rider Course, Basic Rider Course 2, or Three-Wheel Basic Rider Course, which are license waiver courses, may qualify for exemption from the RMV motorcycle road test and the associated $35 fee. Many insurance providers also offer a limited 10 percent discount on Massachusetts' motorcycle insurance for riders who complete an approved license waiver course. Students under 18 should contact their training school for details regarding course eligibility. 

In addition to the three license waiver courses, the certified motorcycle schools offer advanced training courses for motorcyclists to increase their knowledge and experience. Courses available include the Advanced Rider Course, First Ride (introductory course to see if motorcycling is for you), Sidecar and Trike Education Program, Ride Like a Pro, Riding In the Zone, Stayin Safe, and Dirt Bike Courses.  

Spring marks the return of many riders to the road and is one of the highest risk periods of the year. Drivers are adjusting to seeing motorcycles again, road surfaces may still be recovering from winter, and riders may be reacclimating to skills they haven't used for several months. 

To help reduce crashes, MREP encourages all drivers this season to: 

• Look twice before turning or changing lanes. 
• Check mirrors and blind spots carefully. 
• Give motorcycles extra space. 
• Avoid distractions and stay alert. 
• Remember that motorcycles may be closer—and moving faster—than they appear. 

A full list of motorcycle rider schools and training locations is available on the RMV's Massachusetts Rider Education Program webpage. 

Pittsfield Man Creates Device to Clear Lakes of Algae Blooms

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
08:07AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

Marc Bellora holds a jar of lake water, left, to compare to water cleaned by his Aqua Clarifier Water System.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Marc Bellora has high hopes for a device he's created to treat lakes from harmful algae blooms.

His patented water clarifier can physically remove captured material rather than letting the nutrient-rich material settle back into the lake, which occurs when herbicides are used.

"It's a long-term lake management tool that can be used to reduce legacy nutrients in lakes and ponds over time," he explained. "We built the prototype, this is a prototype. It does approximately 65 to 70 gallons per minute. It's very environmentally friendly. Can be used with air only, or we can use a low-dose potable polyaluminum chloride (PACL) or chemical on board that can help improve results."

The water clarifier barge is based on well-proven technology for water treatment, he said. "It's a self-contained, portable, mobile unit that removes algae blooms, nitrogen, phosphorus, and the associated nitrogen and phosphorus within lakes."

Bellora founded Clear Waterways Group with business partner Mark Simon. They built a prototype mobile unit and are still working out the kinks. It's taken Bellora about five years to bring the project to fruition as he is also a full-time Realtor.

He says the repurposed barge they use has a device that uses air to filter the water to separate harmful bacteria or uses a chemical at low doses. They are testing both to see how well each does at cleaning the water.

"They would do the same thing here, except they would spray it, and it blocks all that stuff together," Bellora said of the use of herbicides. "But then it drops to the bottom. So now all the nutrients that are attached in that plot go to the bottom and contribute to the legacy nutrients only to fuel next year's bloom. Ours removes it."

He said just using air alone has removed 70 to 90 percent of harmful algae where he has been operating on the south end of Pontoosuc Lake.

"Essentially, we take in the bad stuff, we take in the lake water. We separate the good stuff from the bad stuff. Clean water goes back into the lake, and the bad stuff can either be composted, or it can be taken to the wastewater treatment plant, which is what we're doing here," he said. 

Bellora explained that tiny air bubbles attach to particles in the water, making them buoyant so they rise and can be removed. The unit can operate with air alone, or with a low dose of potable polyaluminum chloride.

PACL helps through flocculation: it gathers small particles into larger clumps that are easier for air bubbles to capture. He said this can help remove dissolved nutrients that air alone may not capture as effectively. 

Bellora said he was inspired to build something like this after noticing the lakes he enjoys being shut down because of algae blooms. 

The city issued a health advisory for Pontoosuc in August, warning residents not to swim or come in contact with the lake water because of an algae bloom. The cyanobacteria can cause skin irritations, vomiting and diarrhea and nerve or liver problems. 

Bellora previously worked for a company that used traditional dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems to treat water. In that role, he traveled around the country to work at paper mills and food-processing plants.

That experience gave him a practical understanding of DAF, and while flying between jobs, he would see green ponds and wonder whether the technology could be adapted to treat lakes.