By Caitlin Coyle

Boston’s bicyclists have geared up in anticipation of the citywide initiative to improve bike accessibility. The effort, unveiled last fall, is intended to encourage good health and discourage automobile emissions.

Now, five months after Mayor Thomas Menino announced his plans to improve Boston’s bike lanes, many local cyclists interviewed by The News still have high hopes for City Hall’s potential to assist streets into becoming “biker friendly” paths to ride on. Mayor Menino’s announcement called for the hiring of former Olympic cyclist Nicole Freedman as Boston’s “bike czar,” or bicycle coordinator. She joins the city with years of experience cycling both on and off roads.

The announcement included goals for the next two to three years: The addition of 250 bicycle racks throughout the city; the creation of an interactive online bike map system; and the construction of a bike path that would connect Roxbury, South Boston, the South End and Boston Harbor. In the latest newsletter from Boston Bikes, as the initiative was dubbed, Freedman announced the construction of a standard five-foot bike lane slated for this spring that will extend from Kenmore Square to the Boston University Bridge. She also advised that cyclists report any road dangers, like potholes, to an established city hotline: (617) 635-4000.

“Very soon we will be asking you to help us rate biking roads in Boston, identify existing rack locations, request new racks and point out unusual hazards for cyclists,” Freedman wrote. “This data will be compiled and used for several projects.”

The extent of progress toward these goals is unknown to The News. Freedman did not respond to several requests for an interview during the last three weeks.

For some of the bikers who ride on the streets of Boston every morning, a major concern is resistance from city drivers and scary street conditions. Malcolm Purinton, a Northeastern graduate student, has found his two-mile commute from Jamaica Plain to class to be dangerous and even, at times, life-threatening.

“I feel every time I get on my bike here I am risking my life,” he said. “You have to be on. There are no bike lanes on any roads and the drivers have no respect for bikers.”

Some Boston cyclists have responded positively to the new program coordinator, and are anxiously looking forward to the success of her plans to revamp the city into a bike friendly environment. Charles Dennison, a board member of the Livable Streets Alliance, a nonprofit organization that focuses on balancing transit, walking and biking with automobiles in the Boston area, said he supports Freedman’s nascent initiatives. “The fact that the mayor hired Nicole [Freedman] shows that he is making an effort and finally turning the city around,” he said. While the appointment of Freedman may be a push in the right direction, there is still much to be done in order to improve the conditions for cyclists across Boston, some bicyclists said.

Some bike lanes end randomly (one stops at the crowded intersection at Massachusetts and Huntington avenues). Weather conditions and concurrent construction projects also stand in the way. Dennison said these are only minor obstacles, and that although Boston has fallen behind in the past few years, the city still holds immense potential to act for the betterment of bicycling conditions. With such modifications, Boston can expect to see an increase in the amount of cyclists throughout the city, Dennison said. “In Portland, Ore., bikers have shown that as the city added more bike lanes and racks, the number of bikers increased exponentially,” he said.

Awareness among drivers and bikers may prove to be one of the most trying challenges for the city, some said. Greg Hoffman, a local cyclist of 35 years, said he believes sharing the road will require a greater consciousness.

“There could be one million bike racks and lanes in Boston, but unless there is education out there for commuters, their new initiatives will be useless,” Hoffman said. Some bike advocates have introduced “share the road” signs along streets, in an effort to increase understanding and awareness within the city. Others have found strength in numbers, claiming more bikers on the road would result in more respect from drivers. Arik Grier, a local biker since 1997 and office outreach coordinator for Bikes Not Bombs, a Jamaica Plain-based organization that promotes bicycle transportation, community service and philanthropy, said he hopes the city will expand routes off the already heavily traveled Southwest Corridor bike lane. Instead, Grier, along with other avid bikers, proposes the city rebuilds streets that can connect to a continued bike path. “When constructing new lanes, it is important that the city examine the areas in Boston that are most heavily traveled by bikers, rather than build solely on the opportunity to create an unconnected new lane,” Grier said. Phil Goff, a senior urban designer at Goody Clancy and board member of Livable Streets Alliance, has taken part in volunteer efforts to determine which inner city roads can hold the standard space necessary (5 feet) to create new bike lanes. Though Boston engages in a constant battle with traffic, Goff said, he believes installing a series of local bike paths is entirely feasible.

“In fact, there are a lot of streets in Boston, with the exception of the North End, that are wide enough for lanes,” he said. Goff said developers will then be able to begin drafting a new or continued corridor throughout the city. And, as the “green thinking” catches on, he said, alternatives to automobiles are in demand. “As long as this momentum for positive change stays, so will the political will to improve our city,” Goff said.