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T officials announce Boston's first bike cage

E-mail|Link|Comments () September 29, 2009 02:52 PM

By Globe Staff

Bikers who want to pedal to the Forest Hills MBTA station and then hop on the subway will be able to store their bikes safely in a new, state-of-the-art bike cage, Boston's first such facility, transportation officials said today.

And the installation of the cage and a previous one installed last year at Alewife station in Cambridge are just the beginning, the officials said. The MBTA plans to use $4.8 million in federal stimulus funds to build as many as 10 additional cages and as many as 50 covered bike racks at the transit system's stations.

The MBTA for too long has "underinvested" in transit and bicycle facilities, Transportation Secretary James A. Aloisi Jr. said in a statement.

Bicyclists can use the Forest Hills cage, which is designed to accommodate 100 bikes, by swiping a Bike CharlieCard.

Aloisi was joined by local officials and bicycling activists at the Orange Line's Forest Hills station for the unveiling of the cage today. Officials said the cage at Alewife on the Red Line has been popular.

"Putting bike cages at T stations is a great way to make using public transportation and being environmentally responsible easier," State Representative Liz Malia said in the statement.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the new bike cage was a "terrific idea."

The cage consists of an area enclosed by a chain link fence with a security gate and a canopy. The cage includes lighting, security cameras, and an emergency call box.