Boston Bike Share Program

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Boston Bike czar Nicole Freedman recently issued a press release regarding the bike share program which is planned for Boston. According to the press release, the plan is to create a “green mass transportation system” by creating a “dense network of over 150 stations, making 1500 bicycles readily available through the swipe of a card”. The City of Boston’s goal is to expand the reach of this program to neighboring municipalities to make metro-Boston a safe and inviting place for Boston bicyclists.

According to the City of Boston, the bike share plan will result in a 300% increase in the number of bike trips. At bostonbikelaw.com we find this statistic to be important because we think that having more bicycles on the road will actually lower the likelihood of Boston bicycle accidents. Drivers will become accustomed to bicycle traffic, and a greater share of Boston drivers will come to identify themselves as bicyclists as well.

Also, according to the City of Boston, the program can lead to the elimination of 315,000 car trips annually, a reduction of 750 tons of greenhouse gasses and the creation of 50 new green jobs. Bike sharing programs have worked well in the crowded cities of Europe, many of which are laid out similarly to Boston, and there is no reason to think we cannot find success with such a program as well. This is a great concept and we wanted to acknowledge the efforts of Mayor Menino and Ms. Freedman!