By Pete Stidman
News Editor

DotBike, a Dorchester bicycle-advocacy group, seems to be getting motherly attention from the Menino administration since it was born earlier this year. Not only is Dorchester likely to be the first neighborhood to get around 35 of the city's new bike racks, parts of Dorchester Avenue itself may be adorned with bike lanes someday soon, or at least some 'share the road' signage.

"We're all really delighted that this is happening so quickly and so smoothly," said one of the founders of DotBike, Rosanne Foley. "It was a good dovetail with the larger activities that were already in place."

Bicycle accommodation was a footnote in earlier versions of the Dot Ave. plan, a $12 million traffic-flow and street-furniture upgrade officially unveiled in March, but now it seems to be something of a priority.

"Bike lanes is definitely something we'll be looking at bringing to Dorchester Avenue," said Boston Redevelopment Authority spokeswoman Jessica Shumaker. "They're going to seek a consultant that has experience with bicycle accommodations."

Shumaker added that a continuous bike lane is unlikely, due to the narrowness of some stretches along the avenue, but further study would tell exactly how much could be covered, if any, and where.

"We're definitely striving to do anything we can to get people out of their cars along the avenue," she said.

In a meeting with the city's bicycle coordinator Nicole Freedman, DotBike delivered a wish list of streets the group would like to see bike lanes on. Talbot Avenue, River Street and Blue Hill Avenue topped the list, which also included Dudley Street, Neponset Avenue and Hancock Street. Columbia Road, also listed, is notable due to its history as the never-built final link in the Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace that would have connected Franklin Park to Carson Beach with a lush parkway.

Freedman also said she had just received a report from a consultant who assessed the viability of over 40 bike-rack requests from DotBike, Dorchester's Main Streets organizations and others. Around 35 looked doable, she said. With the greatest number of rack requests, Dorchester was the first neighborhood to be looked at, and is likely to be the first to receive them.

"I wish all neighborhoods had a group like this… It was so much enthusiasm from Dorchester," Freedman said. "They clearly wanted racks, so it's great to be able to deliver."

Freedman plans to look at the rack sites personally and then contract out the work. The racks will be of the Hitch Rack or "lollipop" variety made by Dero Bike Racks, essentially a short, parking-meter-style pole with a steel hoop on top to accommodate the popular u-locks from Kryptonite and other brands. Dero also makes the "Bike Bike Rack" which itself looks like a bike and is used in various spots in Brookline.

Freedman said Dot Ave. is the most used bikeway in the neighborhood, and as such, it will be the path for a crowded convoy of early-morning bike commuters on Friday, May 16 as part of Bay State Bike Week. Organizers are inviting Dot cyclists to gather at Peabody Square (Ashmont) for a 7 a.m. departure toward Downtown. The mass of riders will gather more compatriots at Fields Corner around 7:08 a.m., ride the length of the avenue, weave through downtown's nest of streets, and meet up with rides from Cambridge, Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Allston, and Charlestown for a free breakfast in front at Government Center that is open between 7 and 10 a.m.

DotBike will also join a more traditional parade down the avenue on Dorchester Day.

"We're heightening the awareness of the people who do bike in Dorchester," Foley said. "Every day it seems there are more and more on the street. Unfortunately the higher gas prices are helping - they're bad for those who need gas - but it's good for increasing cycling."

Other Bike Week events, as well as where and how to rent a bike, can be found at baystatebikeweek.org or massbike.org. DotBike's monthly commute home ride is on Wednesday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m. and will meet near Tremont Street on the Boston Common.

On a side note, enthusiasts or spectators can also check out the Blue Hills Classic, a 7-mile road race just over the border in Milton at the Blue Hills Reservation on May 4. See bluehillscycling.org for more info.