The nation’s leading bicycle advocacy group, PeopleForBikes is implementing the second edition of their Green Lane Project. The program will provide financial, strategic, and technical assistance to build protected bike lanes in 6 new US cities; Atlanta, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Montague’s home town of Boston, MA.
The proposed bike lanes from the Green Lane Project are all separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars, or posts. The number of bike lanes in Boston has been steadily growing, but truly protected lanes are still few and far between. The project hopes to push these new plans forward in a timely manner, and create safer, more encouraging environment for riders of all skill levels.
This is another great step in the right direction for a city that is certainly making strides in providing better cycling infrastructure. Just a few days ago Boston hosted a meeting to discuss a planned network of bikes lanes that will loop around it’s many historic sites. Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement on Monday, “Over the next six years, I want to take Boston from one of the best bicycling cities in the country to one of the best in the world. Investing in protected bike lanes is a critical path to that success.”
Boston has added 82 miles of bike lanes and 1,500 bike racks since 2007. With one of the country’s first bike shares, Hubway poised to expand, and the Green Lane Project now assisting with new bike lanes, Boston is on the cusp of becoming a great cycling city. “Boston has ambitious goals and a strong vision supported by the elected officials and the community. They are poised to get projects on the ground quickly and will serve as an excellent example for other interested cities,” said Martha Roskowski, PeopleForBikes’ vice president of local innovation. We’re known for getting things done quickly around here (yes, my selective memory is ignoring the “Big Dig”), so I’m excited to see what happens next. Bicycle Utopia here we come.
