Hubway and Fenway Open For the Season Today

The Hubway bike share system’s official re-launch is today, coinciding with the Boston Red Sox home opener.

Coming off of a solid road start to the season, the Boston Red Sox play their first home game of the year today, the same day as Boston’s popular bike share system opens for the season. Mayor Thomas Menino announced Friday improvements for the Hubway bike share system, which officially reopens today citywide. Ninety-five of the 112 stations will be operational today. The remaining stations will go online mid-month. According to a press release, below are some new additions to Hubway this year:  Crews will ride the entirety of the Hubway system today handing out to Hubway members free Boston Red Sox T-shirts and, free Hubway day passes and one ticket to today’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at 2:05 p.m. The New Balance Hubway teamed up…

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Hubway to Reopen Three Stations on Beacon Hill

Despite the snow, the system should undergo a “full launch” the first or second week of April.

There’s still snow on the ground and it still feels like the dead of winter, but in anticipation of warmer days ahead, Hubway is starting to roll out its rental bikes across Boston and Cambridge.   Bicycles will be available throughout the Hubway bike sharing system the first or second week of April, according to Nicole Freedman, director of bicycle programs for the city of Boston. Three of these stations will be on Beacon Hill: at Charles Circle, by the T stop; on Cambridge Street in front of the Charles River Plaza Shopping Center; and just off the Esplanade at Beacon Street and Storrow Drive.  There will also be several stations near Beacon Hill, including spots at Government Center, the Boston Common (Tremont Street), the West End (…

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13 Percent of Hubway Rides Replace Cars

The Hubway bicycle share system has taken off in Boston in its first two seasons.

Boston’s popular three-season bicycle share system has done more than provide residents with a quick, cheap mode of transportation, it's taken a few cars off the road in the process. Nicole Freedman, director of bicycle programs for the city of Boston, said 13 percent of the 675,000 rides taken in the first two years of the Hubway system are “car replacement” rides, according to survey data collected by the city. In other words, those riders signaled that if not for their Hubway bike ride, they would be driving, Freedman said. That amounts to 87,750 rides that were taken on a bicycle as opposed to in a car. The Hubway system has been available to the public for about 240 days per year in its first two seasons, Freedman said. The system, …

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Freedman Back as Boston Bikes Director

Nicole Freedman was instrumental in several Boston-based bicycle initiatives, most notably the Hubway system.

After nine months away from the city, the Boston Bikes program has its director back. Nicole Freedman, director of Mayor Thomas Menino’s Boston Bikes program from 2007 to April 2012, will resume the role, according to a statement released Thursday. Freedman, well known in Jamaica Plain, left in April to become executive director of Maine Huts and Trails in Kingfield, Maine, according to the statement.  Kris Carter served as interim director in Freedman’s absence. “I’m so excited to be back in Boston, and grateful for the vision of the Mayor, and the work of Kris Carter and the team of people who have continued to lead Boston Bikes on a successful path,” Freedman said in the statement. “Over the past five years, the program has made …

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More Hubway Stations Close

The Hubway bike-sharing system is shutting down for the winter.

Thirteen more Hubway bike-sharing stations in and around Boston were taken offline Monday and Tuesday for the winter. Here’s the latest list, as provided by the Hubway’s website: Monday, November 26th: Ball Square Beacon St at Washington / Kirkland Wilson Square Lafayette Square at Mass Ave / Main St / Columbia St Lechmere Station at Cambridge St / First St Harvard University / SEAS Jefferson Laboratory at 15 Oxford Street Tuesday, November 27th: Boylston / Mass Ave Boylston at Fairfield Boylston St / Berkeley St Boylston St. at Arlington St. Newbury St / Hereford St Beacon St / Mass Ave Kenmore Sq / Comm Ave Last week 12 stations were taken down including the Plaza, Washington/Lenox, Washington/Waltham, Aggannis Arena, Allston Greenway …

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Hubway to Shut Down Beacon Hill Stations for Winter Soon

Boston’s bike co-op, The Hubway, operates from March to late November and has begun taking bikes in for the winter.

Summer’s warmth is gone and along with it goes Boston’s bicycle share program. The city is in the process of shutting down the Hubway bicycle system station-by-station.  At the moment, the three Beacon Hill stations are still online, but citywide, 12 stations were taken offline last week, according to a schedule on the Hubway’s website. They include: Andrew Station,Brigham Circle, Charlestown - Main St/Austin St., South Bay Plaza, Washington/Lenox, Washington/Waltham, Aggannis Arena, Allston Green District, BU Central, Buswell/Park, Overland/Brookline, Yawkey Way/Boylston. Last year, the entire system was taken offline by Dec. 1. The site provides a map for Hubway stations currently active, out of service, planned and new. The bikes are …

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City Still Working on Hubway Helmet Solution

While city officials are still eager to partner with MIT helmet vendors HelmetHub, a fix to the lack of helmets on the Hubway is unclear.

Boston’s Hubway bicycle sharing system provided 650,000 trips in its first 12 months of operation, and while the program appears to be a success there’s been one glaring omission: helmets. Kris Carter, interim director of Boston Bikes, said at a Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association Meeting that a helmet system was supposed to be in place last fall but never came to pass.  “The mayor is aware of the need,” he said. Carter was at the meeting to pitch the idea of a Hubway station in Jamaica Plain, but a conversation on the system's lack of helmets erupted. He said Hubway officials are looking into teaming up with HelmetHub, an MIT-based company, which has created a helmet vending machine. Though the Hubway system has exceeded …

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Hubway Bike Sharing Service to Add 11 Boston Stations

The growing network of shared bikes is adding 11 Boston stations soon.

You've seen tourists and commuters pedaling along the city's streets on the unmistakeable "Hubway" shared bicycles. Or perhaps you're among the network's growing legion of users. Either way, expect more of the shared bikes soon, as the city opens 11 new Hubway stations. The expansion will add 400 bikes to the system, according to the Herald. Expansion continues outside Boston, too, as 30 more stations will soon be up and working in Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline. Hubway users pay a membership fee, plus charges for rides more than 30 minutes. The city's acting bike czar, Kris Carter, said the exact locations of Boston's 11 new Hubway stations are still being worked out. "We are looking at adding stations in Roxbury, Dorchester, …

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Mayor Menino Releases Annual Boston Bikes Report

The report includes data on Hubway's success and a list of awards the city has won for being bike- and pedestrian-friendly.

Article and info provided by Mayor Menino's Office: Mayor Menino released the annual Boston Bikes Annual Report yesterday, highlighting the success of Boston’s biking initiatives and previewing plans for its continued growth. Mayor Menino launched Boston Bikes in 2007 with the goal of making Boston a world class cycling city. Four years later, Boston has officially gained recognition as one of the great cities for cycling in the United States.  Highlights include the success of New Balance Hubway, the 50th mile of bike lane recently installed on Massachusetts Avenue, and Boston’s designation as a “silver” level bike-friendly city from the League of American Bicyclists. “Over the past four years, we have taken great strides toward making …

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Five Things

Five Things to Know Today, Nov. 29

Hubway closes for the season; holiday cards from Perkins School for the Blind; Copley Square tree lighting; the final season's of Boston Ballet's current The Nutcracker; and rain during the day.

1. The Hubway bicycle share system will remove its last bikes from stations today and tomorrow and shut down the system for the winter tomorrow at midnight. It will reopen in March.  2. This holiday season, Beacon Hill residents can purchase holiday cards created by students at the Perkins School for the Blind.The Watertown-based school is offering eight different cards created by youngsters who attend Perkins. All the student artists are blind, and some have other disabilities such as deafness. Packs of 10 are $10, and procceeds go to fund Perkins programs and services that help infants, children and adults who struggle with visual impairment. Click here to purchase. 3. The annual Copley Square Holiday Tree Lighting is from 5 - 6 p.m., …

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