MBTA General Manager Davey and Bike Advocacy Groups Celebrate Bike Week

The MBTA is in the midst of an important program to improve and expand bicycle parking facilities at various stations throughout the system. This initiative is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In celebration of Bike Week, May 17 through 21 - the expansion of bicycle parking facilities is underway –made possible through the injection of $4.8 million dollars of stimulus funding. Construction of up to 8 bicycle cages is a key component of the program. As the T’s first bike cages at Alewife and Forest Hills Stations continue to get more and more use, the MBTA is ready to open another bike cage at South Station. The South Station bike cage is under construction and slated to be complete end of summer. Increasingly popular among bicyclists looking to keep their bikes in a secured facility, the camera-monitored bike cages can only be accessed with special Bike CharlieCards. More bike facilities will open over the next 12 months.

The Bike Cage built to accommodate up to 100 bikes consists of a chain link fence enclosure with a security gate and a canopy. Features include lighting, security cameras and an emergency call box. The secured bike cages, accessible with a swipe of a Bike CharlieCard, will provide a higher level of security with the camera surveillance system.

The benefit of a cage program is significant. Providing sufficient bike parking will provide customers with an alternative to driving their car to the station. The option to cycle will help to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollution, and there will be health benefits to the rider. The MBTA is one of the first transit agencies in the U.S. to construct this type of bike cage. With the success and popularity of the bike cage, the MBTA initiated a contest providing the public with an opportunity to rename the bike cage. The week long contest gained approximately 560 entries with Pedal & Park as the winning entry. Three finalists, Tom Blazej, Jessica Wiegand, and Steven Ucher (not present) provided similar entries and were honored at the event. Their names were placed in a hat with Jessica Wiegand winning the grand prize of a folding bicycle courtesy of Back Bay Cycles. All three recipients received a month Link Pass and an MBTA T shirt. Also, the winning name will be prominently displayed at all existing and future bike parking facilities system-wide.