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Hubway sets major expansion of bicycle-sharing system across Boston, neighbors
By adamg on Thu, 05/25/2017 - 5:28pm
Hubway will add more than 70 bike-rental stations over the next two years to the 127 it already operates in Boston, under a new contract with the city of Boston, Mayor Walsh's office said today.
Currently unserved areas in Roslindale, Dorchester and Mattapan will get new Hubway stations under the terms of a new contract negotiated by Boston with Motivate International, the system's parent company. Hubway will also add additional stations in existing service areas to better handle demand - and add new stations in Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline.
Work to come up with specific new locations will begin with public meetings this summer, the mayor's office said.
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
Glad to Hear It!
I've used Hubway for a couple years now as a fall-back means of transportation when it's nice out, when the T is snarled, etc. It's proven to be quite handy, easily worth the annual fee for me. Improvements are quite welcome, however, and, the addition of stations should please existing users and encourage new users as well. I'm definitely eager to see more coverage, and the restoration of coverage in places like the North End (which is temporarily missing a station) and North Station (which lost a major station this year).
Great news - bike lanes to go with those?
This is great news, but it begs the question about more bike lanes to go with them?
As all the debate the last few weeks has shown - we have very congested streets and everyone is vying for space. More Hubways is great, but we need to give people a safe place separate from drivers to ride them.
Need?
I'd love to have nice wide bike Lanes everywhere. But I suspect it's just not that easy.
Lanes
The hubway expansion is great news! Thanks Walsh. Maybe he's trying to make up for his stupid comments last week.
No, more bike lanes aren't needed for this to work. It would be great if the city added them, but bikes can and do already legally share the roads with cars. The more bikes on the road, the more people will become aware of them, and the safer everyone will be as a whole even without the dedicated lanes.
Compared with other cities Boston is a calmer place to bike simply because traffic is used to moving at a slower speed. (Unlike West coast and newer cities, there aren't many Boston roads were you can drive 45+ mph.)
Ride smart, ride defensively, and be aware. There are dangers and risks like traveling anywhere but they are manageable.
Cor-rect
This is correct. Bike lanes are not the answer. The answer is cyclists must always (be permitted to) use the full lane. This needs to be law on every street.
This needs to be law on every
It already is.
ICYDK
The city offers $5 memberships for low-income residents, plus a free helmet.
https://www.thehubway.com/pricing/boston-bikes-membership
https://www.boston.gov/departments/boston-bikes/5-hubway-memberships
$20 discount in May
For those who earn too much to be eligible for this great program, you can still save $20 off an annual membership in the month of May. Visit https://secure.thehubway.com/offers/bikemonth2017?code=bm to save.
Wonderful!
For my taste there can never be too many stations.
I have always thought it would be great to have them in the outer neighborhoods like Roslindale/Hyde Park/West Rox but then where would you go on those bikes? Unless you have multiple stations in a neighborhood, you can only use the bikes to travel into or out of that area. If there was a station in Adams Park (Roslindale) you could ride to work in the city, but you couldn't ride to a restaurant on Belgrade Ave because there isn't a station there.
With that said, I welcome any expansion, as it brings closer the day where you really can take a Hubway anywhere.
However
If there were a bike station on Belgrade Ave, say at the strip of stores by 7 Stars (by the way, all 3 bicycles I have owned were purchased in the strip) there would be another point of access. Conversely, those living up that way would have a quicker means of getting to the Square.
To chime in overall, as a Hubway subscriber (I do not use it enough, but it got me through the weekend Orange Line closures) I can say that they have been soliciting ideas for stations. Forest Hills is overdue, but I don't see that happening until construction is completed (probably 2020 or 2021 at the rate they are working.) Once Forest Hills is conquered, the Square and other parts south will open up, along with the Arboretum I am sure.
MBTA Needs Competition
Are there really not already huge stations at Roslindale Square and Forest Hills as a way for people in Roslindale to get to and from the MBTA? It would seem ideal ... since the commuter rail pricing there is ridiculous and the buses take so long to get to Forest Hills.
The closest station is
Green Street (or Centre Street in JP Center)
Done right, it's not competition. It's intermodality. Ride one way and bike the other. Get that last mile in.
What's next?
Great news, can't wait for more stations in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville. Hoping they don't wait too long to expand into other towns. Seems like Watertown and Arlington would be logical next additions.
Zagster
These towns are considering Hubway's arch nemesis, Zagster. Zagster is better for longer trips and recreation whereas Hubway is specifically for short commutes. Zagster is also better suited for locations where people return to the same spot like apartment complexes and office parks.
The Zagster bike is far inferior to the newer Hubway bikes, IMHO.
The problem with Hubway is that it costs towns $60k per station and they need five stations to start so a $300k investment isn't trivial. As I recall Hubway (Boston) got a helping donating from the feds when starting the system but that offer might not apply to the suburbs.
$300k for transportation
infrastructure is pittance. Look at what a bus costs or what repaving a mile of roadway costs. Something like Hubway reduces the wear and tear on both of those things.
Good News!
How much will they be kicking in to help expand Infrastructure to support their business?
Hubway IS infrastructure
Hubway is like a mini MBTA. It allows people to move from one place to another to either make money (at work) or to spend money (shopping/eating/recreation). It is an economic engine.
How about the same as Uber and Lyft?
After all, those car share businesses so often benefit from double parking in bike lanes, bus stops and blocking travel lanes. Something something fair share right?
It would be wonderful if they
It would be wonderful if they would place stations to inter-connect the Green Line. I'm certain that plenty of people would appreciate a Longwood Green Line Hub station with another at St. Mary's or Kent for when the D-line is packed full of Sox fans during rush hour and they have to sit out embarking three fully-packed trains. Similarly, people could grab a bike to cross over to the B-line from Kent instead of riding back through Kenmore. Another good spot would be at the Washington Square stop. They're plenty of space to place stations there.
There's already a Hubway
There's already a Hubway station in Washington Square. Right along the tracks.
Check the Hubway map
https://secure.thehubway.com/map/
There are already stations at or near everywhere you've mentioned.
Hubway needs better pricing
It's great the system is expanding but 30 minutes isn't reasonable for the distant stations. You'd be hard pressed to ride from Hyde Park to Central Sq in that time. They need to switch to a model where the pricing is dependent upon distance traveled, not only time.
Pricing seems good to me
I can't say I agree. The first 30 minutes are free, and will get you quite far - at least 2-4 miles, probably more. If you need more time, the next 30 minutes are just $1.50 – still less than the T.
Further, if you really don't want to pay, you can dock midway through your ride and swap bikes. This starts a new ride, and a new free 30 minutes. I can't say I've ever found that to be worth it, over just paying a buck fifty, but it is an option if you're thrifty.
Simple answer
Hyde Park to Forest Hills (3ish miles)
Swap bikes, then go to Ruggles (another 3 or so miles)
Swap bikes, then to Central Square (less than 3 miles)
Nine mile ride without being charged.
Or, concede that a 9 mile trip is not what the Hubway is designed for.
Swapping
Last I checked, they made you wait five minutes after you turn in a bike before you can get another one. So swapping will introduce a bit of a delay.
I was discussing this with a
I was discussing this with a friend who sometimes commutes via Hubway the other day, and he said to go longer than 30 minutes he just docks the bike, then takes out the exact same one again. No mention of having to wait.
Just checked the Hubway site's FAQ and found this:
Yes please Mattapan!
The newly opened Neponset Greenway segment's Mattapan end has a painting of a Hubway station next to it, but no actual Hubway station. Let's hope the city fixes this soon.
This is alll good news.
I prefer riding my own bike and am fortunate enough to now live in a handicap accessible building so it's easy to bring it inside. But when I lived in an older building, bringing my bike in was a major effort but necessary because there are too many bike thieves in Boston nowadays.
Expanding Hubway will make cycling a practical choice for more of those for whom storage is a problem.
I do it both ways
I bike to work on my own bike, but then use Hubway for errands in the city (they are less likely to get grease or road spray on my clothes than my personal bike.)
Here's the genius of Hubway: Say you are going to a show at the Wang. Since parking around there is scarce/expensive, park your car at say Copley or near Ruggles and Hubway it in to the show. When you leave, no need to sit in post-concert traffic. Zip back to your car on your Hubway and off you go!
is parking at Copley cheaper than parking near the Wang?
Both of those strike me as difficult and expensive areas to park a car in. (Dudley might be a better place to try, still within reasonable Hubway distance.)
As long as there isn't a red
As long as there isn't a red sox game, parking by Copley is infinitely easier than near the Wang. That said, it isn't cheaper.
Glad to see the cycling
Glad to see the cycling community and hubway supporting neighborhoods which are economically and ethnically diverse. A step (pedal) in the right direction.