Published September 5, 2024
Just 30 minutes from the heart of Boston Mattapan has the unique gift of close access to beautiful blue and green spaces that serve as an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Favorite weekend destinations for residents include the Blue Hills and the Neponset River, where families walk, bike, and picnic together.
Residents require easy access to these locations, as well as to their jobs, stores, and neighboring communities. To address this need, The City of Boston is promoting multiple forms of transportation for residents. One of which includes yearly passes for Blue Bikes. In the warmer weather, biking is a great alternative to walking or driving but bikes are not easy to maintain, store, or purchase. This is where Blue Bike yearly passes come in handy. With membership passes that vary in price, this systems allows for residents all across Mattapan to have access to a bike without the worry of cost, maintenance, or storage.
The Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition has been working to alert residents to Blue Bike yearly passes. Program Manager Zee and Active Living and Environment Coordinator Kay have held multiple events in Mattapan, successfully raising awareness of the passes. Hear from them about how bike access is impacting Mattapan:
1. What are the perks of Blue Bikes? How are they accessible to residents?
Kay: "It is another form of exercise and transportation depending on where you are going. Blue Bikes can be accessible, but not to all residents who might not have the ability."
Zee: "Blue Bikes offer another form of exercise and transportation. Blue Bikes can be accessible, as there are 9 doc located in Mattapan and more all around the City of Boston. The City of Boston is also offering discounted membership passes for residents. For low-income Boston residents, they qualify for a $5/ year membership pass compared to the $133.50/year pass."
2. What did you learn about transportation/biking from speaking with residents? Is there a moment that stood out to you?
Kay: "Some love riding a bike and others feel that there are too many bike lanes considering where we live and how not everyone rides a bike all year round."
Zee: "Most of the people I have spoken to have brought up the issue with safety riding bikes in Mattapan on the road."
3. What efforts have been made in Mattapan to promote biking and how can residents take advantage of them?
Kay: "We have been doing alot of community outreach to let the Mattapan residents know about the benefits and the $5/year blue bike pass for low income residents."
Zee: "Blue Bikes Outreach pop-ups at farmers market throughout July and August, during the fall we are doing pop-up outreach at different events in and around Mattapan. This weekend we will be at the Bikes Not Bombs 37th Annual Bike-a-Thon 9/8 after party and the Mattapan Community Health Center: Care in the Square 9/7."
4. What advice would you give to someone in Mattapan who is considering using Blue Bikes for the first time?
Zee: "Try it out! I would suggest using Blue Bikes as an alternative form of transportation; however give yourself additional travel time to accommodate for the learning curve of how the Blue Bike system works across Boston. Plan your route ahead of time and use the app to see where a Blue Bike doc location is near to your destination. Make sure you're following all of the rules of the road!"
If you would like more information about Blue Bike yearly passes, please visit the City of Boston's Blue Bike page here.
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