Lexington Will Launch Bike-Sharing Program Next Week

LEXINGTON, MA -- Winter is coming, but that's not stopping Lexington from launching its bike sharing program next week. The town will have 14 bikes available for people to rent next to the Visitors Center, where the Commuter Bikeway crosses Meriam Street beginning October 27. The program will cost Lexington $27,000 per year, but the town expect to recoup some of that money through rental fees charged to riders.

To rent a bike, riders will need to download a smartphone app from Zagster, the bike sharing company that Lexington selected to manage the program. Costs will vary on length of ride and whether or not the user has a Zagster membership.

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On its Website, the town said it chose Zagster because bikes are lighter than bikes offered by some other companies', and they include a lock, so users don't have to bring their own to lock up the bike while they're using it.

As for the reason behind starting the program so late in the cycling season, the Website said "after a lot of planning and input from many segments of the community, the program was ready to start, and it seemed wise to work the kinks out now so it can be ready to go in the spring."

Photo by Zagster.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).