Somebody in East Boston figures out what to do about rogue rental bikes

By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:00pm

Rental bike in the water off East Boston

Or maybe LimeBike is offering underwater tours. In any case, Steve Holt noticed one of the rental bikes sleeping with the fishes in the water off the Harborwalk in East Boston near the East Pier development. Unlike Blue Bikes, these green-and-yellow bikes from north of town are "dockless," which means people are supposed to just leave them wherever they want.

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Is this the way to the Octopus Garden?

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:07pm.

We would be warm below the storm
In our little hideaway beneath the waves
Resting our head on the sea bed
In an octopus' garden near a cave
We would sing and dance around
Because we know we can't be found
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus' garden in the shade

Steve Holt!!!

By notsteveholt on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:20pm.

Steve Holt!!!

STEVE HOLT!

By GerhardM on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:38pm.

STEVE HOLT!!!

This shows that yuppys are

By East Boston resident on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:52pm.

This shows that yuppys are not wanted in East Boston, someone out there does not like the idea of neighborhood improvements or gentrification or turning Eastie into another Cambridge.

No it doesn't

By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 2:18pm.

The bikes aren't from Boston, they're from places like Malden, so it's more likely somebody just get fed up seeing them littering up the street. Or it could just be your run-of-the-mill doofus who saw a bike not locked to anything and felt like practicing his tossing.

Saw a bunch of the Lime Bikes

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 5:38pm.

Saw a bunch of the Lime Bikes in Winthrop today (apparently they launched there in June), which should explain why so many are showing up in Eastie.

Mass deployment in E Watertown

By uberellis on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 3:45pm.

About 10 days ago there was a mass deployment in Coolledge Sq on all 4 corners of the intersection of Mt Auburn St and Arlington St. And I did a data project on BlueBikes/Hubway, people do use them as a general conveyance with service peaks in the morning and evening-- the largest traffic coming from and going to South Station, so no, precious Eastie isn't being invaded by "yuppies".

False. It shows that

By baustin on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:25pm.

False. It shows that bikeshares are for yuppies AND guppies! (get it!? because it's in the water?!)

It doesn't need a dock when

By baustin on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:53pm.

It doesn't need a dock when it's its own anchor! That's a little boat-bike humor for you.

The bikes are terrorizing the suburbanites, too

By sco on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:15pm.

Belmont PD had to issue a statement telling residents not to call 911 to report the bikes:
https://twitter.com/BelmontPD/status/1017068624408956928

Awww

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:22pm.

I'm sure the poor oil executives and power plant investors are just horrified by them! After all, it isn't enough to use the town power and light company to completely prevent solar panels in the town's boundaries!

They already did enough for the environment when they were finally forced to agree to clean up all the shit they were dumping into Alewife Brook!

Belmont

By pmall on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:24pm.

Solar panels are not prohibited in Belmont.

It's not unmitigated evil

By Bob Leponge on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:25pm.

The town power and light company is municipally owned and has historically delivered a better rate structure in Belmont than national grid / keyspan / NStar / whatever has offered to the surrounding municipalities.

This is the first I've heard of the power company blocking solar in Belmont. Can you give me some more info?

Squelching by "adjusting" the rate structure

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:36pm.

Friend of the Koch Brothers took over the system and went right for their favored "rate plan" bullshit to screw existing users and squelch future ones:

Under Phase 3, Belmont Light would buy all solar power generated by customers at a wholesale rate, and would charge them for all power used — including electricity generated by their own panels — at the retail rate.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2014/08/09/solar-users-...

Yeah, that was bullshit

By Bob Leponge on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 2:42pm.

I was pretty astounded that they were able to propose that with a straight face; my understanding was that the ridiculous Phase 3 proposal got duly shot down, did it not?

As for buying at wholesale (the "phase 2 proposal", that seems perfectly reasonable. It's unsustainable for the town to be required to buy power I generate at the same price the utility sells it to my neighbors; under that scheme how would they pay for their capital plant or operations.

which is a proposal that

By anon on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 1:56pm.

which is a proposal that never went anywhere. Belmont's solar metering policy is still very favorable.

Dockless?

By MrZip on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:18pm.

I'll say, in fact they're pier-less!

Ah, that was way better than

By baustin on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:47pm.

Ah, that was way better than mine. Tip of the hat, sir.

Excellent parking spot

By Grant Young on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 1:29pm.

Now the fishes have bicycles.

Thanks Trump!

Slime Lime

By The Ghost of John Harvard on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:12pm.

Now it's really Slime Lime.

Meanwhile, in Quincy ...

By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 3:44pm.

Two of Quincy's dockless bikes pulled from bay.

Nice one, only a matter of

By tofu on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 4:03pm.

Nice one, only a matter of time.

“Within a short period of time, it was scanned and ridden away by a local youth,” the post said.

Only to be ~~eaten by a hawk~~ dumped in another body of water moments later

"He bikes with the fishes."

By u-hub-fan on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 4:35pm.

(n/t)

For the common good

By Lunchbox on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 4:56pm.

Every bike off the road is a victory for pedestrians everywhere.

WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE SWIMMERS?

By UHub-fan on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 5:55pm.

(n/t)

Lets double down on that

By spin_o_rama on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:15pm.

No automobiles on the road, only street cars and pedestrians!

Bingo!

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:41pm.

Bingo!

Oh, I'm Sure There's A Few Cars In The Harbor Too

By Oscar Worthy on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:44pm.

(plus some guys who knew a little too much.)

You mean

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 7:33pm.

Every CAR off the road.

Every year in this area, drivers of cars KILL several pedestrians. Meanwhile, you have to look through years and years of data to find any equivalent number of pedestrian deaths from bikes.

Let's stick with facts when planning cities and making statements like yours, toots.

Nope

By Lunchbox on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 9:33pm.

You mean every BIKE off the road.

Sure, some motorists will kill ya, but that's rare. Most motorists are law-abiding, and some are even courteous.

Whereas all cyclists are self-entitled and self-centered, with no regard for laws or other people. Never been hit by a car; have been hit by a bike.

LOL

By frobot on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 8:21am.

n/t

So that's the cause of the damage

By lbb on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 11:08am.

have been hit by a bike

I got bit by a dog once. I think I'll kill them all.

Statistics, Please

By SwirlyGrrl on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 1:43pm.

If you had been hit by a car, you probably wouldn't be here.

Please cite statistics demonstrating the harms that you claim exist, or stfu.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/02/16/mass-car-crash-deaths-surge...

Also, citations are also needed for your assumptions that "drivers follow laws but cyclists don't", as every actual citation and study that I've seen acknowledges that they offend at equal rates (but one group kills a lot more people).

https://www.outsideonline.com/2273001/cyclists-comply-traffic-laws-more-...

Get cracking!

Can I just say two things here?

By UHub-fan on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 10:42pm.

1) The person you responded to may or may not be an idiot, but they have certainly offered an idiotic comment.

2) Today I was on foot in the Back Bay. At the corner of Commonwealth, I waited for the pedestrian light to go on so I could cross Mass. Ave. After the pedestrian light came on and I was attempting to cross, no fewer than three cyclists ran through the red light across my path at full speed. Then, once I had managed to make it across the street, I was nearly clobbered by a delivery cyclist riding on the sidewalk.

Four close calls in less than 30 seconds.

Let's stop pretending that just because cars cause more damage than bicycles that means cyclists are saints. Boston streets are a three-way war of carelessness and cluelessness, and I'm sick of people picking teams.

Concept

By anon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 5:01pm.

I'm not convinced the entire concept of these bikes is a workable one. Or a desirable one, for that matter. Using one and then leaving it strewn just anywhere. It seems rather random.

[venkman] Everything was fine...

By A Gnon on Thu, 07/12/2018 - 6:01pm.

...until the sidewalk was clogged by dockless here.

[mayor] Is this true?

[venkman] Yes, sir, it’s true. This bike has no dock.

—

Unrelatedly, I now find myself imagining tiny divers exploring limebikewrecks.

So the city makes money off the impound fees or the sale of the vehicles at police auction, but they get the stupid dockless vehicles out of the way.

Inundated?

By Michael Fahey on Fri, 07/13/2018 - 7:48pm.

Give me a break. Bicycles parked on sidewalks, big deal.

Somebody in East Boston figures out what to do about rogue rental bikes

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