Hubway 'Rolling Launch Party' Scheduled for Wednesday

. It's doing the same thing in Cambridge and Brookline, and it's also expanding in Boston.

To celebrate the expansion of Hubway, Somerville, Boston, Brookline and Cambridge are having a "rolling launch party" on Aug. 8.

Celebrations in Somerville will be at 10 a.m. at .

Here's the annoncement from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a partner in Hubway:

Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Boston Celebrate Hubway Expansion

‘Rolling Launch Party’ on Wednesday to highlight new stations across Metro Boston Region

BOSTON – The Hubway Bicycle Share system is now expanding across the Boston region, with new stations coming online in Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, and new areas of Boston this week. All four communities will celebrate the expansion with a “Rolling Launch Party” on Wednesday, Aug. 8 starting at 9 a.m.

When the expansion is complete, Cambridge will have a total of 24 stations; Somerville will have 12; Brookline hopes to have four; and Boston will get an additional 11 stations, bringing its total count to 72. The entire Hubway system will include 111 stations and 1,100 bicycles by the end of the season.

“I am thrilled to support the expansion of the New Balance Hubway System in Boston and our neighboring communities,” said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. “The program has been a huge success in Boston, and with these new stations even more users will be able explore both sides of the Charles River by bike for the first time.”

“We couldn't be more pleased and excited to get Hubway rolling in Somerville,” said Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. “Bike-sharing is a great fit with our efforts to provide a range of transportation alternatives, and make the city as bike-friendly as possible, as well as walkable and drive-able. Hubway is a green transportation option that provides new links to public transit, and dovetails with our Shape Up Somerville initiative to promote healthy, active living.”

Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis said she hopes people will realize how easy it is to use Hubway to get around Cambridge. “Hubway is yet another way that residents and visitors to our city can explore and enjoy Cambridge with healthy, car-free transportation.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Hubway to Brookline,” said Brookline Selectwoman Jesse Mermell. “From cutting carbon and shrinking waistlines, to supporting our commercial centers, and providing residents and visitors with an alternative form of transportation, our community stands to benefit greatly from bringing regional bike sharing to town. We are excited and proud to be a part of this innovative program.”

The Hubway Regional Bike Share system is completely interoperable between municipalities. Users can pick up a bike at one station and return it to another one anywhere in the Hubway network.

“We are very excited that we’ve accomplished our goal of making Hubway into a regional system,” said Marc Draisen, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. “We hope and expect that Hubway will continue to be successful, and that the system will continue to expand by adding new stations and by stretching into additional cities and towns around Metro Boston soon.”

To celebrate the expansion, there will be a series of events on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, starting at Brookline Town Hall at 9 a.m. and moving to Somerville City Hall at 10 a.m., then Cambridge City Hall at 11 a.m., followed by a celebration in Harvard Square.

Boston Bikes will also be greeting riders at new stations in Chinatown and Dorchester.

In addition, a social media photo contest is encouraging Hubway members and fans to visit new stations throughout the region. Users are invited to take one photo of themselves at a Hubway station in each of the expansion cities – Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, and at any of the new Boston stations – and upload them to Facebook for a chance to win a free Hubway membership.

To enter the contest, photos must be posted on the Hubway Facebook wall at www.facebook.com/hubway or e-mailed to brogangraham@altabicycleshare.com by midnight on Wednesday, Aug. 8. Four winners will be selected at random, plus a fifth winner will be selected for the most creative photos; winners will receive a one-year Hubway membership.

WHAT: Hubway Expansion Rolling Launch Party

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE:

• ·         9 a.m. Brookline Town Hall – Ribbon Cutting with Selectwoman Jesse Mermell

• ·         10 a.m. Somerville City Hall – Ribbon Cutting with Mayor Joseph Curtatone

• ·         10:30 a.m. Riders depart from Hubway stations at Somerville City Hall and MIT en route to Cambridge City Hall

• ·         11 a.m. Cambridge City Hall – Remarks from Mayor Henrietta Davis and City Council members, State Senator Sal DiDemenico, FTA Regional Administrator Mary Beth Mello, MAPC Executive Director Marc Draisen, officials from MassDOT and FTA, and representatives of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Postmaster Katherine Lydon will also unveil a new bicycle stamp.

• ·         Noon Riders depart from Cambridge City Hall to Harvard Square for a lunch celebration sponsored by Harvard University and the Harvard Square Business Association.

• ·         Noon to 1p.m. Boston Bikes celebrates with “High Fives and Helmets” at a new station at Boylston and Washington streets, giving away free helmets to the first 25 people on bikes or with a Hubway key. 

• ·         4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Boston Bikes gives out more “High Fives and Helmets” at a newly-opened station at South Bay Plaza in Dorchester.

For more information, visit www.thehubway.com or e-mail media@thehubway.com. Or, contact MAPC Transportation Coordinator Jessica Robertson at jrobertston@mapc.org or (617) 451-2770 x2016.