Boston’s bike-share company, Hubway, is making a bold plea to participants in this weekend’s World Naked Bike Ride: Please wear clothes! At least if you’re saddling up on one of Hubway’s rides.
“While there isn’t anything in the Hubway user agreement that explicitly prohibits riding naked, for safety and sanitary reasons we strongly encourage the wearing of clothing while riding,” said Hubway spokesman Benjy Kantor.
“For the love of all that is decent, please consider the other riders,” another rep told the Boston Globe.
According to Boston.com:
Fears that nude riders might take advantage of the convenient Hubway service are well founded. In 2013, photos of riders on Hubway bikes surfaced, giving Monday morning commuters a reason to wipe down their seats before cycling to work.
The naked bike ride will begin at 9 p.m. on Saturday. It’s meant to raise awareness of the dangers riders face daily and the importance of a more eco-friendly commute. As the Globe reports, nudity is not required to participate. Event organizers mirrored Hubway’s sentiments in their own statement: “Wear underwear, they are public bikes, after all.”
Jenn Stanley is a freelance journalist, essayist and independent producer living in Chicago. She has an M.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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