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Posts Tagged ‘bicycle’

Bike Helmet Vending Machine

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 11, 2012| 3 Comments »

Bike Share came to Boston last summer. I blogged about it here. I did wonder if people who used the Bike Share would be bringing their own helmets. It turns out that only 30 percent of Bike Share users do, compared with about 70 percent of those who have their own bikes.

MIT to the rescue! Thanks to a group of determined problem solvers, a bike helmet is in the works.

“The prototype of the product they call HelmetHub would dispense headgear to what until now have been the mostly helmetless riders of Hubway. …

“Much of Hubway’s allure is its immediacy,” writes Eric Moskowitz in the Boston Globe, “making even that side trip to the store — or the prospect of being saddled with a helmet after returning the bike — inconvenient for some users, said Nicole Freedman, who runs the city’s Boston Bikes program, which oversees Hubway.

“The HelmetHub prototype features a touch screen similar to those on Hubway rental kiosks, draws power from solar panels, and occupies half the space of a soda machine. And it works, dispensing helmets that adjust to fit most head sizes.” The prototype is almost ready to launch, and knowing the enterprising MIT mindset, it won’t take long. Read more.

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Bike Share Comes to Boston

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on August 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Nicole Freedman is a woman with a mission. A professional bike racer from 1994 to 2005 and a competitor in the 2000 Olympics, she was appointed by Boston Mayor Menino in 2007 to move the city from the bottom of the bikable-cities list to the top. In a few years, much has changed. Protected bike lanes have appeared all around the Greater Boston area, citywide biking events have enticed everyone from beginners to experts, and new bike maps are widely available.

Now Freedman and the New Balance company have brought bike sharing to the Hub. It’s not just for Europe anymore.

“New Balance Hubway is your Boston bike sharing system. Launched in Boston on July 28, 2011, with 61 stations and 600 bicycles, with an eye towards expanding into Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities, New Balance Hubway provides you with an accessible and green transit option. Rent a bike near your home or office and pedal your way to the next lunch meeting, errand or shopping trip, or to visit friends and family.”

Read more here. Learn how you can borrow bikes and where you can return them.

But BYO helmet because Boston drivers are still Boston drivers.

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Mysterious Sound in the Woods

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 9, 2011|

Last weekend my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson stayed in a cabin near Groton, New Hampshire, because John was going to be in a triathlon (swimming, biking, running) the next day. The cabin was in the woods near a lake. In the night, they heard a strange sound, and although she had never seen a moose, my daughter-in-law had a theory that it was a moose. When she got home, she did an Internet search, and sent me a little audio of the sound they heard in their cabin. Here it is.

If you e-mail me at suzannesmom@lunaandstella.com, I will use your comments in a post.

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The Bicycle Lady

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 28, 2011|

Some mornings when I take my walk, it is still dark out. There is not much going on. Few cars — maybe just the newspaper delivery van, the bakery truck, or town employees flushing out the holes in the sidewalk where the flags go for special events like Earth Day or United Nations Day.

Most often, the other walkers are three elderly gentleman. One walks a King Charles Spaniel. One used to check all the bins for recyclable cans and bottles but has retired from that pursuit. One was a slow jogger a couple years ago but is now just a fast walker.

Then there is the lady on the bicycle. The lady on bicycle has a helmet, a bell, and a bicycle light. Also, she bikes on the sidewalk.

One dark morning I was walking along when I heard the screech of bicycle brakes behind me and turned to find the lady on the bicycle glowering. “I nearly ran into you!” she exclaimed indignantly. “You should wear a reflector vest when you go out in the dark!”

Now I take my walk in the street. There are no bicycles in the street at 5:30 a.m.

 

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