New Bike Plan Calls For 350 Miles of Cycling Infrastructure

She should be in a bike lane. Cyclist in Boston image via Shutterstock.

Mayor Tom Menino announced the Boston Bike Network Plan on Friday which would create a comprehensive network of bike routes throughout the city, including 75 new miles of bike routes within the next five years. The overall plan calls for the city to reach 356 miles of new bike routes over the course of 30 years.

“The Boston Bike Network Plan will improve the quality of life for every Bostonian by improving our health and reducing congestion on our streets,” Mayor Menino said in a press release. “Boston is fast becoming one of the top biking cities in the country, and under this plan, we will continue to move forward.”

The 30 year vision also includes tracks for less experienced riders and children, called “low stress, protected facilities” which are multi-use paths and cycletracks. These bike paths provide a physical separation between cyclists and moving vehicles on the road.  At full build-out, nearly one-third of the bike network will be on these protected facilities, which is great news if you’ve ever tried commuting during rush hour via bicycle. Cars, buses, and trucks can be a scary deterrent. If there are more protected bike lanes, there will be more commuters using bicycles to get to work, which is great for the health of the city.

According to the press release:

“This plan is about getting all the people who have not biked in Boston to be comfortable and confident riding in the City,” said Nicole Freedman, the City of Boston’s Bike Director. “Separating cyclists from moving vehicles, as this plan does, will do just that.”

The plan is part of Mayor Menino’s plan to transform Boston into a world-class bicycling city, and helps support Greenovate Boston, the Mayor’s sustainability initiative.  The plan is also linked to the Mayor’s Climate Action Plan goal of seeing 10 percent of trips made by bike by 2020.