Thurs., July 28: Boston Rolls Out Hubway Bikeshare

Boston Rolls Out Hubway Bike Share

Mayor Menino had his say, and Boston gets its Hubway.

Today marks the citywide rollout of the Hubway bike system. Residents, tourists, bicycle lovers, and bicycle haters alike now have the chance to pay up and cycle around town on the new, sleek bicycles docked at kiosks throughout the city.

Bicycles have taken a lot of heat in the press lately, with city cops cracking down on flagrant law breakers, sending a message prior to Hubway's start. In a city where cattle plowed the first roadways, where traffic gridlocks for hours a day, where roads narrow and twist without warning, and any biker that braves cobblestone streets, potholes and rotaries is taking life into her own hands, Hubway may raise the profile of two-wheelers and create some sort of traffic harmony.

For today's announcement, Olympic cyclist and Boston "bike czarina" Nicole Freedman joins us to talk about the ribbon-cutting. We're also joined by MIT professor, inventor, and biker, David Gordon Wilson; Boston Cyclist Union's Pete Stidman, and East Arlington Concerned Citizens' Committee chair, Eric Berger.

We want to hear from you this hour: Are you excited to use the Hubway? Or does this program spell disaster for bicyclers and drivers alike? Leave a comment on our Facebook page.