THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 12, 2019 Page 15 Lime switches to e-bikes By Barbara Taormina L ate last year, Scott Mullen of Lime Bikes visited the City Council to tout the bikesharing program’s popularity, its potential to ease traffi c on congested city roads and its contributions to public health and the environment. Mullen told City Councillors that Lime is a new business that continually reviewed operations to meet the needs and interests of the communities the company serves. As part of that ongoing review, Lime has now announced it is calling in all its traditional pedal-powered bikes and replacing them with e-bikes that are equipped with a small electric motor that gives riders a boost. Last December, Mullen told councillors that e-bikes are popular with riders for a variety of reasons, and the motorized bikes are expected to eventually make up 50 percent of Lime’s fl eet. “It helps someone who is in a suit that doesn’t want to ride because they may get sweaty on the way to the train or the offi ce,” he said. Mullen also described the benefi ts of e-bikes for seniors, especially those who want to ride and keep up with grandchildren as they travel along the Northern Strand Community Trail aka Bike to the Sea. That’s a small problem. As Ward 5 Councillor Barbara LEGAL NOTICE Murphy pointed out, the city ordinance that the council crafted several years ago to regulate the bike path bans motorized vehicles. “One of the conditions of the ordinance is that [bikes] always need to [go] under manual power,” Murphy told Mullen. “There can’t be any electronic or motorized vehicle used on the bike path.” “I’d love to see the ordinance,” said Mullen, who added that there are diff erent classes of e-bikes. Lime’s e-bikes are the lowest level of motorized bicycles, and they require continual peddling. Both Murphy and Mullen seemed sure the confl ict could be resolved. But Murphy stressed that councillors need to review e-bikes and the ordinance. Now there will be more for everyone to chew on during that review. To begin with, there will be a price bump. E-bikes will cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents for every minute of the ride. Traditional Lime bikes cost riders $1 for 30 minutes. Lime is also working toward launching a fl eet of e-scooters. This month, Brookline began an eight-month pilot program allowing 200 e-scooter rentals, 100 scooters from Lime, and 100 from Bird, a competing e-scooter company. Local media outlets were invited to the inaugural e-scooter ride that took off from LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION FOR SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION BID RFP NUMBER 04-30-001 Pioneer Charter School of Science is seeking a transportation company for a 5-year contract. PCSS is open 195 School days. PCSS needs Daily 12 Buses. Please send your sealed individual bids to Pioneer Charter School of Science 2023-2024. The bid will be awarded in accordance with Pioneer Charter School of Science Fiscal Policy. The contract will be awarded and informed by Wednesday, May 1, 2019, to the successful bidder. Pioneer Charter School of Science www.pioneercss.org 466 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 April 12, 2019 Brookline Town Hall around 9 a.m. on April 1. But according to Callum Borchers, who covered the ride for WBUR, several minutes later, Kim Smith, 62, was in an ambulance en route to the hospital with a bloodied head. Smith lost her balance while riding a Lime e-scooter. She received four stitches and was released. After the ride, Borchers interviewed Mullen, who said he wants to learn more about the circumstances of the accident. “I need more details,” Mullen told the reporter. “Was she hit by something? Was there a banana peel? We’ll fi gure it out. Let me get the facts, and we’ll fi gure it out.” Malden was also a Lime pilot program for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which developed a plan to bring dock-less bike-sharing programs to 15 greater Boston communities. And by nearly all accounts, it was a success. When Mullen met with the council, he brought some impressive statistics. Lime bikes debuted in Malden in late October 2017. Over the course of 14 months, the bikes were taken on 80,000 rides, racking up a total of about 70,000 miles. Councillors did raise some concerns about bikes being left in the middle of sidewalks and other spots that have caused headaches for residents. Although Mullen said he was sorry to hear about LEGAL NOTICE abandoned bikes, he insisted the perception was worse than the problem. Other councillors noted that the program wasn’t costing the city anything, and several praised Lime bikes. They were especially pleased that Lime has located its regional warehouse on Eastern Avenue and the company has generated more than two dozen new jobs, several of which have gone to Malden residents. Barbara Murphy Ward 5 Councillor ANGELO’S "Over 40 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2019 Regular Unleaded $2.499 Mid Unleaded $2.639 Super $2.699 Diesel Fuel $2.899 KERO $4.759 Diesel $2.699 FULL SERVE HEATING OIL 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! 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