Mayor Menino Kicks Off Bike Week with "250,000 Mile Pledge"
Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined Boston Bikes director and former Olympian Nicole Freedman to kick off the second annual Bay State Bike Week by announcing the “250,000 Mile Pledge”. The pledge challenges Bay Staters to collectively ride 250,000 miles during Bike Week starting today and ending on Sunday. Before the announcement about 100 local bike enthusiasts took to the streets in a half-mile bike ride from City Hall Plaza to Christopher Columbus Park.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Mayor announces the release of Boston’s first-ever bike map completed with the help of area cyclists
Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined Boston Bikes director and former Olympian Nicole Freedman to kick off the second annual Bay State Bike Week by announcing the “250,000 Mile Pledge”. The pledge challenges Bay Staters to collectively ride 250,000 miles during Bike Week starting today and ending on Sunday. Before the announcement about 100 local bike enthusiasts took to the streets in a half-mile bike ride from City Hall Plaza to Christopher Columbus Park.
“A little over a year ago we launched the Boston Bikes program to make Boston a world-class cycling city and because we have achieved our first year milestones, including the installation of several miles of bike lanes throughout the city, I am confident that together we can reach 249,999 miles,” said Mayor Menino, after pledging to ride at least one-mile himself. “This pledge shows how far Boston has come toward accomplishing our goal in such a short period of time.”
Mayor Menino also said his administration will continue to add many more miles of bike lanes where feasible around Boston. Possible locations include the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Massachusetts Avenue.
Currently, 2,380 riders throughout the Boston area have pledged to help reach the 250,000 mile mark and many more are expected to join. Aside from the pledge a series of events will take place throughout Bike Week including Mayor Menino’s Bike Week Festival at 7:00 a.m. on Friday in City Hall Plaza. The festival will feature convoys of bicyclists commuting to work from throughout Boston, Arlington, Newton and Cambridge, all escorted by Boston Police. The convoys will finish at City Hall Plaza where free food, fun and music will greet the participants. Bike Week will also feature the Mass Commuter Challenge – a friendly competition among Massachusetts businesses to see what company can bike the most.
“If we can reach the 250,000 mile mark, that really says something about how much progress Boston has made,” said Boston Bikes director Nicole Freedman. “We have installed 250 bike racks and several miles of bike lanes throughout Boston but still we have more to do and I’m excited about the future.”
The future of cycling in Boston continues this week when 40,000 copies of the city’s first ever bike map will be distributed. The map makes it easier for riders to navigate Boston’s unique landscape of narrow one-way streets. Also, the city’s plan for a Bike Share program takes another step as the deadline for proposals ends. The program will allow riders to pick a bike up in one location and drop it in another after using it for a certain period of time.
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