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Mon Feb 1 22:36:08 CST 2010

Hey, look: Denver has a bike-sharing program   
by Jonathan Hiskes

Courtesy B-cycleDenver today launches
the nation's largest bike-sharing program, distributing 500 bicycles at 50
stations around the city for citizens to use wherever they find them. The B-cycle program mirrors bike-sharing networks in Paris and Montreal, and it'll be
followed soon by networks in Boston and Minneapolis.
Oh, and Mexico City too, which is launching a 1,114-bike
program.

The hope is that people
can leave their car at home, take light rail or a bus into the city, and use
the bikes to zip around.

Participants can sign up at denver.bcycle.com, where they pay
membership and usage fees. A 24-hour membership is $5; seven-day is $20; 30-day
is $30; and an annual membership costs $65, with discounts for students and
seniors. Rides shorter than 30 minutes are free, and usage fees begin at $1.10
and run up to $65 for a full day (which seems a little stiff), according to The Denver Post.

A nifty feature: The network has a GPS tracking system that lets users see where and how far they
biked and also locate nearby bikes.

The
project doesn't use local tax dollars -- it'll run off user fees and a $210,000
federal stimulus grant.
My biggest regret about
reporting in Copenhagen last December was failing to find time to use
the city's
famed bike-sharing network. And my favorite social observation about
bike-sharing is a problem Rio de Janeiro encountered: people much
prefer riding
bikes downhill to riding up. I read somewhere that all the bikes ended
up at the bottom of hills and had to be trucked back up.  I bet the
right payment scheme could solve that problem: charge more for
cycling downhill, pay riders a little to return bikes to the uphill
stations.
Anyway, props to
Denver. Anyone there used B-cycle yet?

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<html><head><DEFANGED_style_0 <!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></DEFANGED_style></head><body><DEFANGED_div style="font-family:tahoma,new york,times,serif;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">

        <h1 class="headline"><font size="3"><DEFANGED_span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From - Grist Magazine at -</DEFANGED_span></font></h1><DEFANGED_span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-04-22-hey-look-denver-has-a-bike-sharing-program">http://www.grist.org/article/2010-04-22-hey-look-denver-has-a-bike-sharing-program</a></DEFANGED_span><br><br><h1 class="headline"><font size="3"><DEFANGED_span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></DEFANGED_span></font>Hey, look: Denver has a bike-sharing program 

        &nbsp;

		    <a href="http://www.grist.org/member/1448" title="go to profile page for Jonathan Hiskes" class="avatar">
			<img DEFANGED_src="http://www.grist.org/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=http://www.grist.org/i/avatars/uploads/avatar_1448.jpg&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;zc=C&amp;q=100" alt="avatar for Jonathan Hiskes" height="50" width="50"></a></h1>

        <DEFANGED_div id="article-meta">by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.grist.org/member/1448">Jonathan Hiskes</a><br><br></DEFANGED_div>

                <p><DEFANGED_span class="media mediaItem48622  media-right" style="width: 307px; float: right;"><img alt="bike station" DEFANGED_src="http://www.grist.org/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=http://www.grist.org/i/assets/2/Denver-bike-sharing-station-bcycle.jpg&amp;w=307"><DEFANGED_span class="credit">Courtesy B-cycle</DEFANGED_span></DEFANGED_span>Denver today <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/04/20/thursday-bike-sharing-launches-in-denver/">launches
the nation's largest bike-sharing program</a>, distributing 500 bicycles at 50
stations around the city for citizens to use wherever they find them. The
<a href="http://bcycle.com/">B-cycle</a> program mirrors bike-sharing networks in Paris and Montreal, and it'll be
followed soon by networks in <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/02/pm-bike-share/">Boston</a> and <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/sponsors-sold-on-health-economic-benefits-of-minneapolis-bike-share/">Minneapolis</a>.
Oh, and Mexico City too, which is launching a <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/22/92694/once-smoggy-mexico-city-makes.html">1,114-bike
program</a>.</p><p><br></p>
<p>The hope is that people
can leave their car at home, take light rail or a bus into the city, and use
the bikes to zip around.</p><p><br></p>
<p>Participants can sign up at
<a href="http://denver.bcycle.com/">denver.bcycle.com</a>, where they pay
membership and usage fees. A 24-hour membership is $5; seven-day is $20; 30-day
is $30; and an annual membership costs $65, with discounts for students and
seniors. Rides shorter than 30 minutes are free, and usage fees begin at $1.10
and run up to $65 for a full day (which seems a little stiff), <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/style/ci_14839372">according to <em>The Denver Post</em></a>.</p><p><br></p>
<p>A nifty feature: The network has a GPS tracking system that lets users see where and how far they
biked and also locate nearby bikes.</p><p><br></p>
<p>The
project doesn't use local tax dollars -- it'll run off user fees and a $210,000
federal stimulus grant.</p>
<p>My biggest regret about
reporting in Copenhagen last December was failing to find time to use
the city's
famed bike-sharing network. And my favorite social observation about
bike-sharing is a problem Rio de Janeiro encountered: people much
prefer riding
bikes downhill to riding up. I read somewhere that all the bikes ended
up at the bottom of hills and had to be trucked back up.&nbsp; I bet the
right payment scheme could solve that problem: charge more for
cycling downhill, pay riders a little to return bikes to the uphill
stations.</p>
<p>Anyway, props to
Denver. Anyone there used B-cycle yet?</p></DEFANGED_div><br>

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