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Somebody in East Boston figures out what to do about rogue rental bikes

By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:00pm
Rental bike in the water off East Boston

Or maybe LimeBike is offering underwater tours. In any case, Steve Holt noticed one of the rental bikes sleeping with the fishes in the water off the Harborwalk in East Boston near the East Pier development. Unlike Blue Bikes, these green-and-yellow bikes from north of town are "dockless," which means people are supposed to just leave them wherever they want.

Neighborhoods: 
East Boston
Free tagging: 
LimeBike
Bicycling
Boston Harbor


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Comments

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:07pm.

We would be warm below the storm
In our little hideaway beneath the waves
Resting our head on the sea bed
In an octopus' garden near a cave
We would sing and dance around
Because we know we can't be found
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden in the shade

By notsteveholt on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:20pm.

Steve Holt!!!

By GerhardM on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:38pm.

STEVE HOLT!!!

By East Boston resident on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:52pm.

This shows that yuppys are not wanted in East Boston, someone out there does not like the idea of neighborhood improvements or gentrification or turning Eastie into another Cambridge.

By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 2:18pm.

The bikes aren't from Boston, they're from places like Malden, so it's more likely somebody just get fed up seeing them littering up the street. Or it could just be your run-of-the-mill doofus who saw a bike not locked to anything and felt like practicing his tossing.

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 5:38pm.

Saw a bunch of the Lime Bikes in Winthrop today (apparently they launched there in June), which should explain why so many are showing up in Eastie.

By uberellis on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 3:45pm.

About 10 days ago there was a mass deployment in Coolledge Sq on all 4 corners of the intersection of Mt Auburn St and Arlington St. And I did a data project on BlueBikes/Hubway, people do use them as a general conveyance with service peaks in the morning and evening-- the largest traffic coming from and going to South Station, so no, precious Eastie isn't being invaded by "yuppies".

By baustin on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:25pm.

False. It shows that bikeshares are for yuppies AND guppies! (get it!? because it's in the water?!)

By baustin on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:53pm.

It doesn't need a dock when it's its own anchor! That's a little boat-bike humor for you.

By sco on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:15pm.

Belmont PD had to issue a statement telling residents not to call 911 to report the bikes:
https://twitter.com/BelmontPD/status/1017068624408956928

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:22pm.

I'm sure the poor oil executives and power plant investors are just horrified by them! After all, it isn't enough to use the town power and light company to completely prevent solar panels in the town's boundaries!

They already did enough for the environment when they were finally forced to agree to clean up all the shit they were dumping into Alewife Brook!

By pmall on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:24pm.

Solar panels are not prohibited in Belmont.

By Bob Leponge on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:25pm.

The town power and light company is municipally owned and has historically delivered a better rate structure in Belmont than national grid / keyspan / NStar / whatever has offered to the surrounding municipalities.

This is the first I've heard of the power company blocking solar in Belmont. Can you give me some more info?

.

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:36pm.

Friend of the Koch Brothers took over the system and went right for their favored "rate plan" bullshit to screw existing users and squelch future ones:

Under Phase 3, Belmont Light would buy all solar power generated by customers at a wholesale rate, and would charge them for all power used — including electricity generated by their own panels — at the retail rate.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2014/08/09/solar-users-...

By Bob Leponge on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 2:42pm.

I was pretty astounded that they were able to propose that with a straight face; my understanding was that the ridiculous Phase 3 proposal got duly shot down, did it not?

As for buying at wholesale (the "phase 2 proposal", that seems perfectly reasonable. It's unsustainable for the town to be required to buy power I generate at the same price the utility sells it to my neighbors; under that scheme how would they pay for their capital plant or operations.

By anon on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 1:56pm.

which is a proposal that never went anywhere. Belmont's solar metering policy is still very favorable.

By MrZip on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:18pm.

I'll say, in fact they're pier-less!

By baustin on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:47pm.

Ah, that was way better than mine. Tip of the hat, sir.

By Grant Young on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:29pm.

Now the fishes have bicycles.

Thanks Trump!

By The Ghost of John Harvard on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:12pm.

Now it's really Slime Lime.

By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:44pm.

Two of Quincy's dockless bikes pulled from bay.

By tofu on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 4:03pm.

Nice one, only a matter of time.

“Within a short period of time, it was scanned and ridden away by a local youth,” the post said.

Only to be eaten by a hawk dumped in another body of water moments later

By u-hub-fan on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 4:35pm.

(n/t)

By Lunchbox on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 4:56pm.

Every bike off the road is a victory for pedestrians everywhere.

By UHub-fan on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 5:55pm.

(n/t)

By spin_o_rama on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:15pm.

No automobiles on the road, only street cars and pedestrians!

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:41pm.

Bingo!

By Oscar Worthy on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:44pm.

(plus some guys who knew a little too much.)

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 7:33pm.

Every CAR off the road.

Every year in this area, drivers of cars KILL several pedestrians. Meanwhile, you have to look through years and years of data to find any equivalent number of pedestrian deaths from bikes.

Let's stick with facts when planning cities and making statements like yours, toots.

By Lunchbox on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 9:33pm.

You mean every BIKE off the road.

Sure, some motorists will kill ya, but that's rare. Most motorists are law-abiding, and some are even courteous.

Whereas all cyclists are self-entitled and self-centered, with no regard for laws or other people. Never been hit by a car; have been hit by a bike.

By frobot on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 8:21am.

n/t

By lbb on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 11:08am.

have been hit by a bike

I got bit by a dog once. I think I'll kill them all.

By SwirlyGrrl on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 1:43pm.

If you had been hit by a car, you probably wouldn't be here.

Please cite statistics demonstrating the harms that you claim exist, or stfu.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/02/16/mass-car-crash-deaths-surge...

Also, citations are also needed for your assumptions that "drivers follow laws but cyclists don't", as every actual citation and study that I've seen acknowledges that they offend at equal rates (but one group kills a lot more people).

https://www.outsideonline.com/2273001/cyclists-comply-traffic-laws-more-...

Get cracking!

By UHub-fan on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 10:42pm.

1) The person you responded to may or may not be an idiot, but they have certainly offered an idiotic comment.

2) Today I was on foot in the Back Bay. At the corner of Commonwealth, I waited for the pedestrian light to go on so I could cross Mass. Ave. After the pedestrian light came on and I was attempting to cross, no fewer than three cyclists ran through the red light across my path at full speed. Then, once I had managed to make it across the street, I was nearly clobbered by a delivery cyclist riding on the sidewalk.

Four close calls in less than 30 seconds.

Let's stop pretending that just because cars cause more damage than bicycles that means cyclists are saints. Boston streets are a three-way war of carelessness and cluelessness, and I'm sick of people picking teams.

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 5:01pm.

I'm not convinced the entire concept of these bikes is a workable one. Or a desirable one, for that matter. Using one and then leaving it strewn just anywhere. It seems rather random.

By A Gnon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:01pm.

...until the sidewalk was clogged by dockless here.

[mayor] Is this true?

[venkman] Yes, sir, it’s true. This bike has no dock.

—

Unrelatedly, I now find myself imagining tiny divers exploring limebikewrecks.

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 7:35pm.

My husband spotted one during a super low tide in the Gillette end of the channel - the amount of crustacean encrustation indicated that it had been missing for some time.

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 9:51pm.

Why would someone go that far to be evil? To be so angry at nothing and throw something that is not yours into the water is sick.

By anon on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 9:37am.

Every time I scroll past this photo it gives me a chuckle! On a side note, the colors and the soft focus make for an oddly beautiful photo.

By poster on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 11:00am.

why cities who have been innundated overnight by these various dockless vehicles don't drive around impounding them, and then tell the company they have to pay all the fees to get them out.

So the city makes money off the impound fees or the sale of the vehicles at police auction, but they get the stupid dockless vehicles out of the way.

By Michael Fahey on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 7:48pm.

Give me a break. Bicycles parked on sidewalks, big deal.