Brookline plans 25 new Bluebikes stations, with rollout focused on North Brookline first

Brookline plans to add 25 new Bluebikes stations across the town over the next four years, the hosts said on the Brookline News podcast. Jessica Smizer described the expansion as slated to start this year and funded primarily through grants, limiting immediate costs to the town.

Sam Mintz said Brookline currently has 14 stations and cited reported ridership growth: roughly 33,000 rides from Brookline stations in 2015, 131,000 in 2020 and over 236,000 in 2025, signaling rising demand for bike share.

Both hosts emphasized geographic imbalance: a map published with reporting shows high station density in North Brookline and very few resources in South Brookline. Mintz said there are “currently no stations in what you would call South Brookline” and that the plan includes about seven to eight stations south of the reservoir over the next four years, though some will not arrive until 2029–2030.

Smizer and Mintz also discussed safety and the built environment. They said streets such as Clyde and Lee encourage higher speeds; Smizer recalled a recent crash there and referenced letters to the editor about drivers exceeding the posted 25 mph limit. Mintz quoted Brian Kane, chair of the town’s Transportation Board, saying physical changes to road design—narrowing lanes and other infrastructure changes—are more effective than signage alone at slowing traffic.

Hosts suggested that, beyond bike stations, Brookline may need additional bus or shuttle options to serve car‑dependent parts of town and to reduce long commutes for students traveling to Brookline High School from South Brookline.

Next steps: reporting will monitor where stations are placed, the timing of installations, and any town planning responses to safety concerns.