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Boston's Morning Newsletter
What to expect as Boston ramps up its Bluebikes station expansion
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Our streak of picture-perfect summer weather continues today (though you might notice the return of a little wildfire smoke from Canada).
To the news:
Let’s get rolling: It’s been nearly two years since Mayor Michelle Wu announced her vision of adding 100 new Bluebike stations in Boston — a 40% expansion of the city’s system. Now, those plans are about to shift into high gear. The city announced this week that the first major round of new stations will be installed this fall. But unlike some past expansions, this phase won’t focus on expanding to new communities; rather, the plan is to double down on the population-heavy and job-dense areas where Bluebikes are already in high demand.
- Why? Over the course of the city’s planning efforts, the primary concern officials heard was about the reliability of Bluebikes. “There are stations that just periodically are empty at peak travel times in the morning or full of bikes when people are trying to return them in the evening,” Kim Foltz, the director of Boston Bikes, told WBUR’s Sydney Ko. By adding more stations near those popular docks, they hope to reduce the number of people left out to dry by a lack of bikes (or docks).
- Where? Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Downtown, the North End, South End and West End will all get additional Bluebikes stations this fall. The final locations are still TBD, and the city is asking for public input this month on the proposed sites. You can view the map of over 40 proposed locations here. (There’s also a virtual open house scheduled tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
- By the numbers: More than a third of the nearly 2 million Bluebikes trips that occurred in Boston last year started either downtown or in the South End, according to city officials.
- What’s next: The city plans to finish the 100-station expansion next summer. The final stage will focus on expanding the system’s “outer reaches” in Boston’s southwestern neighborhoods. The big-picture goal is to ensure every resident is within a 10-minute walk of a Bluebike station. (Currently, the city is at 89%.)
Scoop: Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio is auditing the agency that oversees the state’s emergency family shelter system. As WBUR’s Simón Rios first reported, the audit of the Department of Housing and Livable Communities is part of a broader inquiry looking at housing authorities. But DiZolgio told Simón the audit is partly motivated by concerns around the shelter system. (Her office made the audit public just hours after the Boston Globe published a story yesterday — also featured on its front-page — about the lack of transparency around shelter system spending.)
- What’s next: DiZoglio says her office is just starting the audit and expects to finish its report within a year.
- Meanwhile: The Globe reports the number of families staying at overflow shelters who have been given eviction notices has doubled — from 57 last week to 128 as of Tuesday.
- ICYMI: Confused by the whirlwind of recent updates to the state’s shelter system? In this week’s Mass. Politics newsletter, Simón broke down the last two years of changes in this timeline.
Walz-ing through New England: Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz will be in Boston for a fundraiser today. The event details aren’t public, but State House New Service reports it’s at a Back Bay hotel, with tickets starting at $25,000. (Former Gov. Deval Patrick’s “ATM for politics” joke comes to mind.)
- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told Radio Boston yesterday that she plans to attend the fundraiser. While she hasn’t met Walz before, she said he seems like an “incredibly warm, dedicated leader.”
- Up next: Walz is also planning campaign stops Thursday in Newport, Rhode Island, and Southampton, New York.
Vineyard Wind has been cleared to resume some construction on its offshore wind farm, a month after a turbine broke and littered debris across local beaches. However, federal regulators still aren’t letting the company resume blade installation or send power back to the grid.
P.S.— The longtime Allston bar Silhouette Cocktail Lounge is offering a $100 gift card reward to anyone who returns “Left Guy” to their iconic sign. “Right Guy” looks so lonely without him!
