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<H1 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Boston, MA:
The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), the statewide advocacy group
dedicated to making Massachusetts a better and safer place to bicycle, today
lauded the MBTA and its new General Manager, Daniel Grabauskas, for its plan to
put more than 250 new bike racks on buses.</FONT></H1>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">“We
are extremely pleased that General Manager Grabauskas and the MBTA have taken
this important step toward making transit accessible for all users,” said
MassBike Executive Director Dorie Clark. “Bicycle access on buses has long been
a priority for MassBike and the tens of thousands of bicyclists in Greater
Boston, and we look forward to working with the T to build on this
success.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>The rack-equipped buses, housed out of the MBTA’s Charlestown garage,
will be serving dozens of routes in Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, Everett,
Medford, Malden, Revere, Charlestown, Burlington, Lexington, Bedford, Belmont,
Arlington, Waltham, Watertown, Allston, Brighton, Woburn, and
Winchester.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>“Welcome, bike owners, to the MBTA,” said Grabauskas.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“By giving people yet another reason to
choose public transportation, we continue our efforts to attract more customers
by making the system easier to use and a lot more convenient.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is what quality customer service is
all about.”</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">In
all, the MBTA plans to purchase close to 300 bike racks (some will be kept as
spares) at an estimated cost of $255,000.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Federal grant monies distributed by the Boston MPO are funding the
program.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Installation is scheduled
to begin in the spring of next year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>MBTA Bus Operations staff will closely monitor the bike rack program, and
then make recommendations on whether to expand the program to other bus garages
and routes. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">MassBike
has a history of working with the MBTA to improve conditions for bicyclists. In
1985, MassBike won the right for cyclists to bring their bikes on the T at
certain times. In 2000, MassBike successfully encouraged the T to eliminate the
“special pass” requirement in order to carry one’s bike on the subway, and in
2004, the MBTA worked with MassBike to dramatically expand cyclists’ hours of
access on the subway. MassBike has more than 1600 dues-paying members across the
Commonwealth, and represents the 750,000 Bay State residents who bicycle
regularly. </SPAN></P>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dorie Clark</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Executive Director</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>MassBike</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>617-542-2453</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>bikexec@massbike.org</FONT></DIV>
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