Published November 16, 2018
MELROSE — Dockless bike share in the City of Melrose has officially launched, with Melrose joining a 15-community regional system in Boston’s inner suburbs. Coordinated by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the system also includes the communities of Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Milton, Newton, Needham, Revere, Waltham, Watertown and Winthrop.
By using your phone to easily find, unlock, and rent bikes for short-term use, dockless bike sharing represents a new sustainable transportation option for Melrose residents. Dockless bike share vendor, Lime, charges $1 per 30 minutes to ride, and they offer discounts for students, corporations, and low-income riders. Because this is a regional system, riders can pick up or drop off a Lime bike in Melrose or in any of the other participating communities.
“The City of Melrose is pleased to offer a bike sharing system for residents,” said Director and City Planner, Denise Gaffey. “Dockless bike sharing is a new transportation option that both encourages active living and reduces automobile trips.”
“This is an exciting time for Melrose,” said Melrose Mayor Gail Infurna. “We have always encouraged alternate ways of getting around our city and this is a great low-cost approach.”
Lime is the largest shared bike and scooter provider in the United States, operating in over 100 markets in the U.S. and across the globe. Lime recently hit 11.5 million bike and scooter rides.
“We are thrilled to officially launch Melrose as part of a larger, coordinated system in the region,” said Lime’s Director of Expansion, Scott Mullen. “Indeed the residents and visitors of Melrose have already embraced our bikes in neighboring cities and this launch reflects our deep commitment to sustainable, active and fun transportation in Melrose.”
Lime will station bikes in a handful of hot spots around the city, including downtown, around the three MBTA Commuter Rail stations, and on Washington Street near Oak Grove Station. When a user is done riding a bike, they simply park it at a bike rack or on the sidewalk next to the curb, making sure not to block pedestrian or wheelchair path access, driveways, crosswalks, or loading zones. Bikes will be redistributed on a regular basis by Lime to ensure that they are readily available and removed when a significant snow storm will render them impractical.
For more information about dockless bike share in Melrose, please visit: www.cityofmelrose.org/office-planning-and-community-development/pages/bike-share-program
