Funding for Boston bike sharing program

[karynnj]

The Regional Bike Share System is a multiple-city bike sharing system that makes thousands of bicycles available throughout the Boston metropolitan area with the swipe of a card. The Bike Share system was conceived as an extension and enhancement of the existing public transit system. More than 500 Bike Share stations will be located at or near MBTA bus and rail transit stations to encourage and facilitate the use of public transit. The system will create two million new bike trips per year.

“Scott Brown and I have spent our fair share of mornings biking through Massachusetts and Washington, and we can vouch that there’s no more refreshing break from traffic congestion, and hell, it takes cars off the road, improves air quality, and saves money, so everybody wins. This investment will help make Boston a world renowned bicycling city,” said Senator Kerry.

“We are thrilled to be one of the first cities in the United States to introduce bike share with the help of this funding. Bike Share is a key part of my vision to make Boston a sustainable, healthy city for all residents and I thank Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown and Congressmen Michael Capuano and Stephen Lynch for their dedicated hard work in bringing this crucial money to make such an important project possible,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Thursday’s announcement was part of a $290 million nationwide investment announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The investment will improve transit systems in cities and towns nationwide, and is part of the Obama Administration’s livability initiative to better coordinate transportation, housing and commercial development investments to serve the people living in those communities. The funding is part of two competitive grant programs, the Urban Circulator Grant Program and the Bus and Bus Livability Grant Program.

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