Committee: Transportation, Streets, and Sidewalks
Cost: $300,000
Location: Citywide.
Short Description: This proposal will expand bike ownership for qualifying low-income residents. This two-year program will make bicycles available for purchase at discounted rates and provide reliable cycling transportation for residents in need.
Long Description: The goal of this program is to increase bicycle ownership for Cambridge residents who have low incomes. Increased bicycle ownership can decrease the use of carbon-emitting transportation, increase mobility, and provide transportation independence, all while driving less. Research also shows that riding a bike improves physical and mental health. Bluebikes are a fantastic asset to Cambridge, but they do not always offer the same opportunity for consistent, personalized, and reliable transportation as owning a bicycle. Bicycles can be restrictively expensive to purchase, so putting money toward bicycle purchases will increase access to bicycling. The City will partner with a local non-profit to administer the program, using appropriate and specific income eligibility guidelines.
Cambridge residents at a CDD bike repair workshop.