Not That Boston: Bar-Going Guys Repair City Bike Rack

It seems like an unbelievable story: after a night out partying, four Boston guys spent considerable time and energy repairing, not destroying, a public bike rack. According to the BBC, the rack was damaged when a car backed into it several weeks earlier, and though it had been reported, officials hadn’t gotten around to fixing it. Cameras witnessed the men conspiring for a while before pushing and pulling on the bent bike loop to move it back into place. The footage quickly went viral, attracting several news write-ups. Amazing!

… Then you read more carefully and figure out that these men are from Boston, Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom.

Gawker commenters were among those who enjoyed finding creative (offensive?) ways of saying “Ohhhh, Boston, England. Because, yeah, that’d never happen in our Boston.”

But actually, it seems to have shocked the British Bostonians who viewed the footage, too. The BBC quotes a pleasantly surprised town official:

Councilor Stephen Woodliffe, from Boston Borough Council, said he had found it “remarkable” as he watched the men on the CCTV footage.

“Young people often get a bad press and this shows there are some who want to contribute to their society and do the right thing,” he said.

“It shows young people acting in a very positive and constructive manner and shows they have a good and responsible attitude to what’s happening in their town.

“Their actions were very public spirited and impressive.”

Hey, maybe this could become a thing on our side of the ocean. Just have bar-goers check Citizens Connect on their way home from the bars to see if anything needs doing.