Revere MBTA station to get bike racks as commuters are urged to ride

Ride your bicycle to work.REVERE – That’s what the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is advising commuters to do and the state agency wants to help the strategy along by installing bicycle racks at key subway and commuter rail stations on the T system, including those in Revere.MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas, joined by legislators and bicycle transportation advocacy groups, recently kicked off the program at Sullivan Station on the Orange Line, where the first bike racks were installed.”The MBTA is moving forward with an aggressive multi-faceted bicycle program, developed in conjunction wit the T’s Bikes and Transit Advisory Committee and the Livable Streets Alliance, to improve access to public transportation,” said MBTA spokesman Lydia Rivera.The so-called “Bikes on the T” consists of a communication outreach plan involving the posting of the T’s new bike policy at all subway stations, and the placement of 500 promotional car-cards throughout the bus system, Rivera said.Over 350 buses and various subway and commuter rail stations will be outfitted with bike racks.”Transit accessibility is key to maintaining our customers and attracting new ones, and that is a goal of mine,” said Grabauskas.Presently, 125 buses equ-ipped with bike racks serve 19 routes in various communities, including Revere, Chelsea, Malden, Medford and Everett.By summer, an additional 205 buses will be similarly equipped, which means 35 percent of all buses in the T system will be able to accommodate bicycles.Two newly-installed bike racks at Sullivan Station are the first of approximately 100 that will be installed throughout the system over the next six months, according to Rivera.David Watson, executive coordinator for MassBike, praised the program. “It has reached the point where cyclists can begin to rely on the availability of bicycle access to transit,” he said. “Multi-modal transit should be a key component of our transportation strategy.”Last Monday, Grabaukas and other officials gathered at Sullivan Station to announce the start of Bike-to-Work Week. The general manager reminded attendees that a Commuter Rail Bike Coach will be available on the Rockport Line on weekends beginning Memorial Day.