[caption id="attachment_21916" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Chicago's Dearborn Street cycle track: an example of the kind of protected bike infrastructure that could be coming soon to Boston. Photo: Steven Vance[/caption]

Here at MassBike, we were thrilled to hear the news yesterday that Boston was selected as one of PeopleForBikes' Green Lane Project cities. Under this intensive two-year program, Boston will be one of six US cities to receive "financial, strategic and technical assistance to create low-stress streets and increase vitality in urban centers through the installation of protected bike lanes." MassBike supported the City's application to the grant program, and looks forward to its implementation.

MassBike Executive Director David Watson was quoted in a post on the Boston Magazine blog:

“This is just what Boston needs to jumpstart the expansion of protected bike lanes here. We sent a letter of support for the city’s application to the Green Lane Project, and we are looking forward to seeing more people of all ages and abilities biking safely in Boston.”

With the announcement came a strong affirmation from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh that the city will continue to promote bicycling and expanding it's bike network:

"Over the next six years, I want to take Boston from one of the best bicycling cities in the country to one of the best in the world.  Investing in protected bike lanes is a critical path to that success."

This is indeed exciting news for Boston, and MassBike looks forward to continuing its work to promote better biking in cities and towns across Massachusetts through the Bikeable Communities Program and other exciting initiatives to accelerate the building of protected bike infrastructure in the coming year.