By Melissa Danzo

In 2006, “Bicycling Magazine” set off a chain of events when it named Boston one of the worst cities in America to cycle – for the third time. In the five years since, the disgraced city has picked itself up, dusted itself off and gotten back on the cycle.

Mayor Thomas Menino has made radical changes throughout the city that have not only gotten Boston off of the worst cities list, but also allowed it to enter the ranks of America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities by “Bicycling Magazine.” This year, Boston ranked number 26 on the list.

Part of what made biking in Boston so dangerous in the early 2000s was that bicyclists were expected to share the road with cars and trucks that can cause severe damage to the riders when collisions occurred. Recognizing this danger, Menino has indicated several busy streets throughout Boston that will add to the bike lanes. One such street is one that many Northeastern students are familiar with: Massachusetts Avenue.

“Mass. Ave. has the highest ridership,” said Nicole Freedman, former Olympic cyclist and director of Boston Bikes. “It’s part of the spine of the bike network.”

According to the City of Boston website, Massachusetts and Commonwealth Avenues have highest number of bicycle accidents in Boston. Bike lanes will ideally minimize the danger associated with riding in the city and encourage more Bostonians to opt out of driving or taking public transportation in favor of biking.

“Boston is notorious as an aggressive driving city,” Brogan Graham, Northeastern graduate and marketing manager of Hubway.

But this reputation has not deterred riders in the past few years. According to the City of Boston website, ridership went up 122 percent between 2007 and 2009 and is increasing every year. According to the 2010 Boston Bikes Annual Summary, 1,500 new bike parking spaces and 33 miles of bike lanes were added as of 2010.

This increase could be attributed to the installment of Boston Bikes, a initiative Menino began in 2006 to make Boston more biker-friendly. This entails “creating safe and inviting conditions for all residents and visitors,” according to the City of Boston website.

“The mayor’s doing a great job. We’re putting [bike lanes] in important corners, and Boston is one of the only cities in the country with a bike share system,” Freedman said.

Menino announced the launch of a bike share system in Boston on Earth Day and New Balance Hubway launched 16 weeks later. Starting with 600 bicycles and 60 stations throughout the city, Hubway logged more than 100,000 rides within its first 10 weeks.

“I think the city’s been safer,” Graham said. “It’s not one weird guy biking in spandex in the rain anymore. Guys who work downtown ride with their briefcases strapped to the handlebars.”

As cycling in the city becomes more mainstream, Mayor Menino and those at Boston Bikes see that more infrastructure has to be built to accommodate those riders. Freedman said the roads have become safer since 2006, and there are things riders can do to ensure their safety. Freedman encourages all riders to watch for opening car doors, wear bright clothes and reflectors at night and simply be aware of your surroundings while riding.

Unfortunately, the addition of a bike lane to Massachusetts Avenue does not benefit everyone. The addition means the removal of parking spaces that store owners say they depend on for business.

“We have problems now with not enough parking, especially because of the symphony,” Marina Rutman, owner of Rutman’s Violins located at 265 Massachusetts Ave., said. “Yeah, that’s going to kill us.”

Others were more optimistic.

“I don’t think bike lanes will impact business too much,” Wolf Ginandes, employee of Repair Center located at 163 Massachusetts Ave., said.

Ginandes believes that the city wouldn’t take parking away from both sides of the street, and said, “The revenue from meters is so much that I don’t think they’ll mess with it.”

Freedman is certain that the new lane will not be harmful to store owners. She said that any business lost in motorists will be gained in cyclists.

“We’ve worked with business owners to accommodate their needs,” Freedman said, citing the relocation of loading zones as one example of ways in which Boston Bikes is working with Massachusetts Avenue store owners.

With the addition of the 50th mile of bike lanes added to Boston last month, it appears the city is on the right track. And people are taking notice.

Graham, who has been cycling since moving here a decade ago, said, “Boston’s come a long way in ten years.”