Cycling in Boston has been a popular activity since the late 19th century for both recreation and commuting, and it has grown in popularity in recent years, aided by improving cycling infrastructure. It is especially prevalent around the campuses of the numerous universities in the city. Different areas in Boston have varying degrees of bike friendliness.

History

At the end of the 19th century, cycling was especially popular in Boston, and '' Outing Magazine'' at the time described Boston as "the bicycling paradise of America". The city's cyclists were pivotal in the formation of the national organization

League of American Wheelmen The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), officially the League of American Wheelmen, is a membership organization that promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy and education. A Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ...

, and Massachusetts had the largest per capita membership in the league in the 1890s and the largest percentage of women members.Finison, Lorenz J.
Boston's Cycling Craze, 1880-1900
University of Massachusetts Press, May 2014, Access date: October 25, 2014

Bike sharing

Bluebikes, the city's

bicycle sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bo ...

was launched on July 28, 2011, originally named Hubway, with 610 bicycles and 60 stations in the

City of Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

. Later, the system was expended to Brookline,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, and Somerville. As of September 2016, the system has deployed 158 stations with a fleet of over 1,461 bikes. PBSC Urban Solutions, a company based in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, Canada, supplies bikes and docking stations. The system is operated by Motivate. As of October 2014, it had more than 12,500 annual members, and an over 2.5 million trips have been taken by Hubway riders since 2011 launch. From May 9, 2018, the system was rebranded Bluebikes following a marketing deal with

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) is a state licensed nonprofit private health insurance company under the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with headquarters in Boston. The Boston location located on 133 Federal Street is curren ...

. Bike sharing companies

Lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

and Spin won a contract from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to introduce dockless rentals to certain suburbs in summer 2018. Lime was already operating in Malden, and the MAPC system expands dockless rentals to Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Needham, Newton, Revere, Waltham, Watertown, and Winthrop. Dockless bikes are excluded from the Hubway operating area because that system has an exclusive contract with Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville.

References

External links

Bikes , City of Boston

Hubway

Bicycle New England
{{Cycling in different countries and cities Transportation in Boston

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...