BOSTON – The popular Hubway bike-share program grew again Thursday, adding 15 stations in Boston neighborhoods to make it easier to take a ride without owning a bike.
The Boston Transportation Department said the new stations are in Brighton, the first for the New Balance-sponsored system, as well as Dorchester, Roxbury and Charlestown.
“Hubway is a healthy, affordable option for Boston residents to get to school or work, and I am thrilled that we are able to expand it to even more neighborhoods,” Mayor Marty Walsh said Thursday in a statement about the additions. “We will continue to work with our community partners so that all of our residents have access to a diverse range of transportation options.”
Boston began the bike-share system in 2011 with 60 stations and 600 bicycles. Including the expansion just announced, it has 106 stations and about 1,100 bikes. In its first year, riders took 142,3000 trips. As it has expanded into Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville, the number of rides taken has grown to almost 4 million to date, according to the Boston Transportation Department.
The bikes are essential in Brighton as the community continues to grow, said Anabela Gones, the zoning chair of the Brighton Allston Improvement Association. “It’s so important to have alternative means of transportation for our residents and visitors,” Gones said in the city statement. “Hubway is providing that kind of flexible alternative.”
As part of the program, Boston offers a subsidized membership for low-income residents which costs just $5 a year.
After riding from Brighton to Franklin Park, which the city estimated was the quickest way to get to the park from Brighton, Franklin Park Coalition Executive Director Anita Morson-Matra said her organization “is extremely excited about the opportunities for both improving access to bike share and for increasing utilization of green spaces in Roxbury.”
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia 
