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West Roxbury to get first Bluebikes bicycle-rental stations; Roslindale to get more
By adamg on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 12:18pm
The mayor's office today announced that the Bluebikes network, which expanded last year to Roslindale, will add three stations in West Roxbury - and four new stations in Roslindale.
The West Roxbury stations are planned to be installed this year on Centre Street at the post office and at the YMCA and on Spring Street at Powell Street.
New Roslindale stations will be added on Belgrade Avenue at Anawan Avenue, Washington Street at Denton Terrace (near Metropolitan Avenue), Cummins Highway at American Legion Highway and Hyde Park Avenue at Mt. Hope Street and at Harvard's Weld Research Center off Centre Street.
Two stations are also planned for the JP stretch of Hyde Park Avenue, at Walk Hill Street and at Northbourne Road. A station at the Forest Hills T stop opened earlier this year.
Nearly $1 million in funds used to support this expansion is gained from fees collected from Transportation Network Companies, such as Uber and Lyft, that operate in Boston.
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Comments
"Existing and planned
"Existing and planned Bluebikes locations.
Ugh
Thanks, fixed.
The larger the network, the better it works
People can now bike to Forest Hills instead of taking the bus. The bike ride is often faster than the bus. Hopefully these new stations are in place soon so people can take advantage of riding to work in Sept and Oct, the nicest months for bike commuting.
It will take time.....
But I'm betting the people who rent these in WR are going to be bored millennials looking for something to do on a Saturday. These people will then go around driving the bikes like jerks around Centre St.
So nice idea but my experience tells me that the people who bike to work or do errands on their bikes already own them. Since WR isn't going to have any tourists and it may be the most boring place to be in Massachusetts (people aren't going to ride to WR from anywhere else) the bikes won't be that valuable.
I could be wrong.
Not just for tourists
I see a ton of people riding blue bikes on the South West Corridor path, which doesn't exactly pass through high tourist zones. A lot of people are using them for first/last mile solutions. I'm less sure about using them for errands.
Not quite
As an owner of about 4 bikes between me and my SO, I can tell you the joy of just biking to Forest Hills and leaving a bike there without locking it and worrying about it. I know I will use this service a lot.
People drive cars like jerks
People drive cars like jerks too, you know.
More often so
in my own personal experience
MilLeNnIiAls rUiN eVeRytHiNg
But if West Roxbury is boring, why would bored millennials ride around West Roxbury?
I know Brighton isn't West Roxbury but you're telling me all the people using the stations in my area are tourists?
Also as someone that already owns a bike, I do use Bluebikes from time to time.
You might be wrong. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You have to have some observations don't you....?
Even in Brighton you see the clueless college kid with no helmet, and I'd say most cyclists who own bikes in Boston own helmets, while with the blue bike riders is about 50/50.
Brighton residents are a different story. A lot of them don't own cars and on days they don't want to take the bus or train, they can hop on a bike. I just don't see WR residents doing this to Forest Hills.
I'm a West Roxbury resident.
I'm a West Roxbury resident. I would ride a Blue Bike to Forest Hills.
I'm on the border between Gen X and Millennial though, so maybe I fall outside of your weird generational criteria.
I don't see what helmets have to do with anything
I mean, someone who doesn't own a bike probably isn't as likely to have a helmet, sure. But I don't see what someone wearing one or not has anything to do with the topic of whether people would ride BlueBikes to Forest Hills. (and given that helmets aren't required, I don't think whether someone wears one or not has anything to do with anything other than their own personal choices, but that's another topic)
People with helmets will ride more than once.
The ones that only ride it once (and most likely not have helmets) will the reason why bikes in West Roxbury won't get as much action as Brighton blue bikes.
Don't get me wrong, its a great idea I have zero against bikes (you can check my history here). I just don't think these racks in WR will get much usage and bike crashes will increase becuase of riders who are inexperienced and are using the bikes for reasons different than their Brighton counterparts.
Most BB riders have a membership
Downtown tourists will get a one-day membership for $10. People out in WR or Roslindale aren't likely to plunk down money just to tool around. If they really plan to use it, they'll get an annual membership and will probably wear a helmet too.
Arguments for blue bikes
Option 1- ride to FH on your own bike and then worry about it getting messed with, damaged or stolen while at work down the Orange Line
Option 2 - ride a Blue Bike, drop it off and don't worry about it for one second.
Another advantage would be if you wanted to ride your bike to the Orange Line but maybe take a Lyft home later after dinner/concert, etc... No need to maroon your property at the station.
That's what I do
I ride my personal bike to work. But if I go somewhere at lunch or after work, I take a Bluebike so that I don't have to bring a lock, find a safe place to lock the bike and then worry about whether all the parts will still be there later.
If you're thinking of quitting your day job
to become a demographer, I'd reconsider.
Oh this is a scofflaw cyclist rant huh?
Helmets aren't a legal requirement for adults Pete, come on you know this. But if you want to argue the merits for and against compulsory helmet wearing, I think its another losing battle.
Wait now you've shifted the goals posts from tourists to residents and car ownership levels?
I think you're putting a little too much stock in your perception of usage, its not even anecdotal, theres no usage data to compare to other than the success in multiple Boston-area neighborhoods.
Who knows, maybe it'll be a cycling boom in the area as people take advantage of it and start to demand better bike infra and further Bluebike expansion. Who knows, I just try to see the more positive outlook.
just observations and predictions spin.....
And yes, I predict the further out you go, the less usage you will get. More people have cars in WR and if you make them prioritize their transportation options its gonna be
1. Car
2. Bus/Train
(Big Gap)
3. Bike.
Brighton probably goes 2/3/1.
I'm not routing against it, I hope your right.
It's a chicken and egg thing
You're right that car-> train ->bike will still be the order in WR. Bike will never overtake people on the train. However, if there is easy access to local bikes, some people will begin to use them and usage will only grow with time.
I use Bluebike to fill gaps
I own my own bike and commute on it ~150 workdays a year.
But sometimes it was raining in the morning and not in the evening. I Bluebike home.
Sometimes it is clear in the morning but will rain in the evening. I Bluebike to work.
Sometimes my bike is in the shop. I Bluebike lots of places.
Sometimes I'm triangle tripping -- MBTA some legs, Bluebike others.
Sometimes I'm meeting my wife after work -- Bluebike to work, walk/T/lyft with wife home.
Sometimes a friend is around and wants to bike. I lend mine and ride a Bluebike along side.
Despite owning my own bike, I ride Bluebike 50-100 times a year. It's existence makes me being a commute-by-bike person easier and more reliable.
Getting there
Awesome! Now all we need are barrier protected bike lanes! American Legion Greenway: https://www.emeraldnetwork.info/greenway_partners
Hope they place the Denton Terrace station thoughtfully
Cars often park illegally at the southwestern corner of that intersection, blocking sight lines for both drivers and cyclists who are trying to turn onto Washington (and some people drive too fast along that stretch as it is).
So if they put the station at that corner, it'll have the added bonus of improving safety for everyone in the area - cars, cycles, and pedestrians.
(And selfishly, it's right in my neighborhood, and will make it a lot easier/faster to go do quick errands in the village, although I may just walk back up metropolitan hill on the return trip - my legs are not that ripped).
These bikes are so
blue da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
blue da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
Hyde Park?
Don’t see any plans for Hyde Park we have been requesting this for years to no avail. Who is making these decisions? The new bike path starts on Truman it would be a great place for Blue Bikes.
All a matter of time
This works out geographically. Everything started in downtown and went out from there, which means that Hyde Park and West Roxbury were always going to be the last neighborhoods to get them. From my reading of the Bulletin, Hyde Park is coming soon. They are already prepping the HPA stations in Roslindale (according to this article.)
Also, though I have nothing against recreational uses of these bikes, it's not their purpose. Cleary and Logan Squares would be the best locations to start, then perhaps the shopping centers around the area. The area around Bajko Rink would be another good spot, as would the train stations.
I am car-less in Wolcott and
I am car-less in Wolcott and really could use the Blue Bikes in Wolcott aka the rural hinterlands of Boston. I could take the bus to Cleary but I might as well stay on the bus to FH. The commuter rail from Readville is zone 2 (not fair!) so it is priced out for me.
Okay
Let’s assume the next blue bike station goes in at Wolcott Square and nowhere else in Hyde Park. Where do you bike it to? My guesstimate is that next station would be 3 miles away.