Mayor Barrett dedicates new Bublr Bike station in inner city
New station is the first in new nationwide program
With the expansion of the Bublr Bike Share Partnership into low-income Milwaukee communities and discounted annual passes costing just $8, the event at the Lapham Place Senior Citizen Center on July 8, presided over by Mayor Tom Barrett, was a celebration of community building.
Mayor Barrett, representatives from Bublr Bikes and the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), along with about 50 local youth and adult residents, gathered at the corner of Reservoir and Sixth streets to learn how to use the new bike sharing station, one of the first in the inner city.
“Children have an inalienable right to bicycle riding,” Mayor Barrett said in his dedication remarks, adding that being able to travel around Milwaukee would give young people a better chance to expand their horizons and see all that the city has to offer.
By the end of the year the city aims to have 58 stations installed throughout the city. Bublr Bike Share users can return a bike to any station, and with baskets and chain guards the bikes are also useful for adults commuting or running errands, according to HCAM Communications Director Paul Williams.
HACM and Bublr Bikes recently were awarded a $64,000 grant from Better Bike Share Partnership to support the work of making the bike sharing stations available throughout the city. Williams said the city plans to install a total of 100 stations and 800 bikes. The Bublr Bikes system is a public private/partnership between the City of Milwaukee and Bublr Bikes, with additional support from many other public and private partners. HACM provides high-quality, affordable housing options to more than 10,000 Milwaukee families, senior citizens and disabled adults.