Like daffodils, ramps, and skirts, bike shares emerge in the spring, a sign that the long winter is over and summer is coming soon. In Boston, for instance:
Forget about the trees budding, the snow melting, or the Red Sox playing in Fort Myers, once the Hubway stations are re-installed then you know the season is almost here. The beloved bike share program, entering its third year in the city, will be up and running by the first or second week of April, says Nicole Freedman, director of bicycle programs for the City of Boston. “The full launch will be the first or second week in April, they are waiting for the snow to clear,” she says.
There’s even a second program opening up there. The bikes are coming out in Montreal, too, and in chilly Minneapolis.
These are successful programs that have run a few seasons, in places where most bikers hibernate for the winter. But this spring, bike sharing is spreading, too, and new shoots are poking up in places like Salt Lake City and Greenville, S.C., which are trying out bike shares for the first time. These bikes may not beat out bluebells as a pretty symbol of spring, but we’re just as happy to see them.
