As part of the monthly S2: Sustainability Lecture Series at Wynkoop Brewery in Downtown Denver, tonight’s speaker (Steve Sander from Denver’s Office of Economic Development) discussed how the city’s new bike sharing program addresses:
- Affordable transportation
- Lower carbon emissions
- Reduced obesity
According to the city of Denver’s website, Mayor John Hickenlooper and community partners announced “a citywide bike sharing program – Denver B-Cycle – that will make 500 bikes available to the public at 30 to 40 stations throughout the city beginning this summer. Denver will be one of the first cities nationwide to launch such a comprehensive, bike sharing program, which will be funded initially with a $1 million donation from the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.” During the convention, bikes were made available by Free Wheelin. A similar program will take its place next year in Denver.
The bike share program is slated to begin in Spring 2010, pushed back from a start this summer in order to “increase awesomeness“ . The bikes will be free for the first 30 minutes. As part of the program, “All your rides are tracked by the system. Data such as distance, duration, calories burned and carbon offset will be captured and uploaded to your personal page at Bcycle.com.”
There are a couple of ways to check out a bike. “B-cycle members can access the system using their B-connected card. Walk-up riders use a credit card. The card is debited for the minimum amount, as well as ensuring an available balance just in case the bike is not returned.”
The following video from bcycle.com provides a brief introduction to the B-cycle effect.
[image source B-Cycle]
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