Boston’s bike-share program has spread to Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline and Arlington. Boston was vying to be the first city in the nation with a wide, successful program, but has struggled with funding over the past two years.  Last July however, the federal government awarded $3 million to support Boston’s program, with the money earmarked for purchasing bicycles and docking stations.  The program would allow riders to borrow a bike from a docking station for a short, set period of time, afterwards returning the bike to a different docking station for another rider to use.  Minneapolis, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Montreal have launched similar programs and the Velib program in Paris, France has shown marked success with over 90,000 bikes currently in operation.

Nicole Freedman, Boston’s bike-share director, expects membership to reach 5,000 to 10,000 people in the first year of operation with fees ranging from $50 per year, to $10 per week, or, for the less frequent user, bikes could be borrowed by the hour for $5.  Trips shorter than a half-hour would be free for members.  With many U.S. urban centers looking to diversify their public transit portfolios, a robust bike-sharing program is key, particularly in a city like Cambridge where many bikers take to the streets on a regular basis.  That said, “It’s not [necessarily] about cyclists,’’ Freedman pointed out. “It’s about making cycling so inexpensive and convenient and attractive that it is the preferred form of transportation.’’