A French wire service reports that Paris may offer cheap bicycle rentals at 350 Paris metro stations. Some US cities, such as Austin (photo at left), are doing them one better by offering free bikes and bike rebuilding classes.
The Agence France-Presse says in the Paris plan the first 30 minutes would be free; after that, 50 cents to one euro an hour. The idea is to reduce car traffic in the French capital. In Lyon, where 1,000 bikes are available, a bike official said more than 10,000 rentals were made last month.
It's a great idea; but let's talk about free bikes in the US.
The best program I've seen is in Austin, home of the Austin Yellow Bike Project. Several other cities have similar programs, and DASANI is offering free bicycle rides at several community parks in the US.
Austin's Yellow Bike Project is very simple. You find a yellow bike, you ride it to where you need to go, you park it outside for the next person who needs a bike. No locks. A Yellow Bike Liberation Crew prowls around for “incarcerated” bicycles and liberates them.
Starting with just 24 bicycles in 1997, the Yellow Bike Project now has more than 600 bicycles in circulation around Austin. The program, run by the Yellow Bike Collective, has grown solely through donations — from bike shops but mainly through individuals. Volunteers repair the bikes to safe operating condition, paint them yellow, and put them on the street.
The Yellow Bike Project also offers bike repair workshops for adults (fixing up yellow bikes) and minors, where participants learn to tear down and totally rebuild their bicycle.
While the Yellow Bike Project in Austin is an all-volunteer effort, the DASANI bike program is a corporate sponsorship.
The Coca-Cola Co.'s flavored water brand has parked single-speed, cruiser-style Trek bicycles in lockers at eight trailheads in community parks across the US. The program offers the bikes free of charge to anyone with a card that's usually available at the park office.
The eight DASANI bike program locations are:
Gwynns Falls Trail, Balitmore;
Katy Trail, Dallas;
Silver Comet Trail, Rockmart, Ga.;
Three Rivers Heritage Trail, Pittsburg;
Provo-Jordan River Parkway Trail, Provo, Utah
Sammamish River Trail, Redmond, Wash.;
West Orange Trail, Apopka/Winter Garden, Fla.;
Illinois Prairie Path, Wheaton to Elgin, Villa Park, Ill.
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