City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Committee:  Street Smarts

Cost: $180,000

Location: High-need locations

Short Description: Install 3 new, Cambridge-owned, Bluebike Stations in neighborhoods that need more affordable and convenient access to bike sharing. This project will support economic inclusivity, helping everyone enjoy the many benefits of bike sharing.

Long Description:

Bluebikes is public transportation by bike, owned by the municipalities of Cambridge, Boston, Brookline, and Somerville. The Bluebikes public bike share system is fully integrated amongst the municipalities, so travel is seamless. With a steadily growing membership of over 15,000, Bluebikes users have taken over 6 million trips since the system launched in 2011. 

This project would combine data indicating high-need areas that was collected from city residents via the Bluebikes Web site for new station locations (“Suggest a Location” at: suggest.bluebikes.com/page/about), as well as other similar and reliable data sources, to purchase three new blue bike stations --  with the pre-requisite that the three new station locations will be in close proximity to affordable/public housing.

Bike sharing stations are placed throughout the city to enable people to readily reach their destinations. The stations are solar powered, and include a kiosk for purchases and a two-sided information panel with maps and instructions.

Cambridge has more than 60 bike share locations but there are still neighborhoods that could benefit from more Bluebike stations.  Bluebikes are a convenient and useful way to get around town, even for those who own their own bikes.