Program lets Boston commuters drive some, cycle the rest

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

GRA

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Messages
14,018
Location
East side of San Francisco Bay
AP via the San Francisco Chronicle's website, sfgate: http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Program-lets-Boston-commuters-drive-some-cycle-8325658.php

BOSTON (AP) — Traffic is crawling bumper to bumper on Soldiers Field Road, a major artery leading to Cambridge and downtown Boston, as Mark Rabinsky parks his car near the Charles River, takes out his bike and prepares to cycle the rest of the way to his job at Harvard University.

"My ride is all along the river. It's such a beautiful ride every morning," said Rabinsky, one of a small but growing number of commuters who avoids the last few miles of rush hour gridlock by utilizing Park & Pedal. Launched last year and recently expanded, the program offers free parking at 19 strategically located lots near major employment centers and an opportunity for people to easily complete their commute on two wheels instead of four.

The initiative is attracting attention from other U.S. and world cities, according to Dave Montague, the founder of a company that makes folding bikes and who first approached Massachusetts officials with the idea. Representatives from as far away as Copenhagen, Denmark, and Christchurch, New Zealand, have contacted him for information, he said. . . .

Boston, like other urban areas, has strived in recent years to become more pedal friendly, designating bike lanes on major streets and rolling out Hubway, a popular bike-sharing program. Still, bicycle commuting is often seen as a viable option for those who live in or near the city, far less so for the typical suburbanite.

"Your average American lives 12 miles from work, but we did a survey and your average Bostonian does not want to ride a bicycle 12 miles. It's too far for them in the morning to get to work," Montague said. . . .
 
Back
Top