If BlueBikes ridership remains low, perhaps we could try some experiments to encourage riding., effectively establishing new short utility routes that don’t currently exist. Workers might not be the best bet, but maybe students? NNHS to Newtonville?
In order for Blue Bike ridership to increase in Newton needs to create a network of bike routes. Newton needs to fix the problem areas on the existing bike routes as well as add more. Our bike infrastructure starts and stops with no warning and doesn’t connect well to any destinations.
BlueBikes preceded most of Boston’s real improvements in bike infrastructure, which even today is relatively limited. For a decade people complained that many of Cambridge’s bike lanes only went one of two blocks, but Cambridge was playing the long game and putting in bike lanes every time there was an opportunity.
The perception of danger, several hazardous locations on major desire lines, general suburban diffuseness, and an existing dependence and availability of automobiles are Newton’s biggest challenges to bike sharing. If BlueBikes can be converted to e-bikes and the Mass laws changed to clearly permit it, then that will improve things as well.
Mike, pardon my question, but who exactly are we targeting potential for Blue Bikes use? We live very near BC Law School and see students biking or walking to or from school all the time… So you’re not trying to target people who walk or who already bike… The goal is to pull people away from driving, no? Re: NNHS to Newtonville… I see students walking on Walnut St between school and Newtonville all the time. My experience is that they like to walk in groups of 3 or 4, and this is part of their socializing after school (especially now when Covid has made it more difficult for these teens/young adults to learn together in person, see each other in person etc… As I see it, renting Blue Bikes when these students are already walking would not be a gain environmentally and it would deprive them of this group socialization. (I do however see groups of teens biking up and down the Carriage Lane) If you want to target NNHS students whose parents drop or pick them up, or who drive to school… how could you target such groups? Re: BC, their parents aren’t dropping or picking them up… BTW I’m not sure what the NNHS students do once they get to Newtonville. Just some thoughts of mine…
Traditionally, bike share has been useful for missing transportation segments. In Boston I used to use it to go between different subway lines or bus routes to avoid going into a central connecting station. I also used it for short errands I needed to do quickly, but were outside the range of walking.
For these intermediate segments, you wouldn’t necessarily have your own bike with you even if you have one (your home may be further away, for example). Same holds for visitors and tourists in Boston: you might be able to quickly traverse a part of the city.
That said, there’s lots of data, including in Newton, about where bikeshare is popular. The models I describe above don’t fit Newton as well as they do Boston, so there may be other patterns to look for.
Yes, right. thanks for that piece. I agree that the Newton models don’t necessarily fit the Boston or even Cambridge models for many reasons. If you’re going to target BC students, it seems to me you’d need to have one station at BC main and one station at BC law school, and you have to hope they’d rather bike than wait for and take that bus. With nice weather, that’s likely.
So what are the main patterns we here in Newton are targeting with these blue dockable bikes? I’d love to hear a report from Nicole…
jane
Colleges have traditionally been a bust for bike share, especially when compared to expectations. I would doubt that Newton would pay for BC bike share, though I’m sure Boston, Brookline, and Newton would welcome BC funding its own.
I would add that BC has traditionally been hostile to bikes in general,
asking, for example, that bike racks be hidden. I have to imagine they
wouldn’t be overly receptive to bike stations on campus, regardless of the
utility.
I’m wondering if, once NNHS is back in session, Blue Bikes could be a way
for students to extend their reach for lunch or even walking home (ride
part way, walk the rest). But I also think there are age limits in usage,
so I’m not sure how that would work.
BlueBikes terms of service seems ambiguous, but should allow high school kids to ride. High schools haven’t traditionally been great bikeshare locations. However, promotion inside the high school might make experimentation worthwhile.
You may not ride a Bicycle if You are under 16 years of age. A minor who is 16 years of age or older may only use the Services if the minor’s membership is subscribed for by, and the minor is under the responsibility of, the minor’s parent or legal guardian. By authorizing use of the Services by a minor, the parent or legal guardian (i) agrees that he or she is fully and completely responsible and liable for all injuries, damages, costs, and expenses arising from or related to the minor’s use of the Services, and (ii) represents, warrants, and agrees that he or she is the minor’s parent or legal guardian and that he or she and the minor have all accepted and agreed, as a Member, to all terms and conditions of this Rental Agreement. Massachusetts law requires that a bicycle helmet be worn by a person 16 years of age or under who is riding on a bicycle.
only trick with NNHS is students need to be 18+ to use the system, not sure what % of the pop is that old…(though again anybody with a valid credit card can “use” the system if they ignore the fine print)
thats my bad, maybe it was 18 at one point. 16 is fine for the schools
Okay, let’s say you COULD promote from within the school and let’s say students can rent. You’d have to have a docking station by the school? I’m not sure a Boston or Cambridge model works here. They’re going to save some time during lunch break? And then bike back to school? The closest docking station in Newtonville is on the other other side of the MassPike, so they lose the time you hoped they’d gain. I don’t know that it all works out to be a gain in the end for the effort. (You already have the bike racks here that Councilor Bowman has gotten, and the covered bike stations… and if I"m not mistaken it was not easy for her to get those addl bike racks there back by the Lowell entrance.)
Lime bikes were super popular for the Newton North crowd. But people were able to ride them all the way to their destination.
Right. And I think that makes al the difference. The green Lime bikes could be used one way. These have to be either returned to where they came from or returned to another docking station. In this scenario, that changes everything.
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Bullwinkle: Oh good, Rocky. I hate that artificial kind!
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