When I lived in Austin about 10 years ago, a nonprofit started a yellow bike program that allowed folks to use a bike and leave for the next person — all for free — in the downtown area.
Now I see that Lexington, Kentucky, became one of the latest cities to adopt a yellow bicycle program earlier this year when Lexington Yellow Bikes set out 80 free rides for residents.
Being up north, the group is collecting the bikes for storage over the winter and looking back at the success of the program. In spite of the program being a total success, there were a few problems.
The Lexington Herald Leader reports that some people rode them out of the downtown area and hid them, so they wouldn't have to share. So far, 52 of the program's 80 bikes have been found.
Also, some people took the saddles off the bikes to prevent others from using them. Lexington Yellow Bikes solved that problem by attaching the saddles by cable. A few also received paint jobs in other than the color yellow.
Organizers say the program hit its three objectives: make bikes available for little or no cost, raise awareness of bicycling and provide some fun to the users.
The bike sharing program came about from $2,500 donations each from Phil Holoubek, the developer of Main & Rose Lofts and Nunn Building Lofts; BB&T; 500's on Main; Gray Construction; and South Hill Group. More money will probably be needed in the coming year.
I'm glad to see that Austin's yellow bike program is still going strong. Some other cities with yellow bike programs include Decatur, Illinois, Toronto, and Portland, among others.
Recent Comments