Budgeting Will Allow the City of Fort Collins to Prioritize Bicycle Safety

First published in the Coloradoan July 2, 2012

By Rick Price

How can we get more people to use their bicycle for transportation in Fort Collins?  Offer more classes in safe cycling skills?  Build more bike paths?  Hire a marketing firm to advertise the health benefits of bicycling?  Continue to offer a free bicycle lending program to encourage tourists to ride bicycles?  

Gimmicks are great to increase the visibility of bicycling.  But they don't teach bicycle safety.  The City needs a solid bicycle safety education program aimed at school children, their parents (who are also drivers of motor vehicles) and college students.  The current budget development cycle presents a perfect opportunity to prioritize bicycle safety education in City bicycle policy.

Last January I conducted a survey of interested citizens in order to provide input to City Council on these priorities.  Five hundred thirty-six people responded to the survey.  87% of respondents felt that the City's bike program contributes to their personal well-being and quality of life and 84% felt that our bicycle programs and culture constitute an economic driver, enticing businesses and residents to move here. 

When asked to rank programs, including law enforcement, the bike library, and education programs for children, college students and motorists, education for children came out on top, supported by 82% of respondents.  Second was educational outreach to motorists which attracted the support of 68% of respondents.  Third was support of the bike library (67%) with summer bike to work day close behind at 64%. 

Respondents in this survey were not asked to allocate funds in a hypothetical budget but they were asked a number of times to prioritize programs.  Bike safety programs for school children came out consistently at the top of the list with three quarters tagging this as “very important” and another 21% identifying it as “somewhat important.”

Two popular programs that give bicycling great visibility in Fort Collins came in near the top of this list of priorities.  They are the bike library and summer bike to work day.  But answers to additional questions made it clear that most people feel that these are programs that the City should continue to sponsor but not pay for entirely.  Only a quarter of respondents felt that the City should continue to fund the free bike library while a majority (66%) felt that the program should be self-supporting.   A similar sentiment was expressed with Bike to Work day.  32% encouraged the City to continue to sponsor this while 57% felt that local businesses or bicycle advocacy groups should assume more of a role in financing bike to work day.

Among the bicycle programs that had less support in this survey were the Bicycle Ambassador Program (only 25% of respondents supported it), the Bike Safety Town for school children and Winter Bike to Work Day, both with 43% support.  In my view the Bicycle Ambassador Program and Bike Safety Town, if properly launched and funded, could be the mainstay of an educational outreach program in the schools while winter Bike to Work day could easily be passed to the private sector.

As staff finalizes the 2013-2014 budget recommendation for City Council approval later this fall they should consider the results of the above survey.  The community is asking for more bicycle safety programs and fewer costly, headline-grabbing initiatives. 

Fort Collins Bike Library Proposal, 2010 - 2011

North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization

CMAQ Project

  

Scope of Work 2010 & 2011

Date:           November 11^th 2009

Project Title:  Fort Collins Bicycle Library

Sponsoring Agencies:  City of Fort Collins

Staff Contact: Dave “DK” Kemp

Title: FC Bikes Coordinator, City of Fort Collins

Prepared by: Dave “DK” Kemp

Email address:  dakemp@fcgov.com

Phone Number: (970) 416-2411

Fax number:  (970) 416-6239

Agency Name:  City of Fort Collins, Transportation Planning & Special Projects

Agency Address:  250 N. Mason, PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522

Background:

The FC Bike Library Program has been awarded Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant funding prior to the submittal of this scope of work for 2010 & 2011.  This scope of work is unique and includes the continual improvement, refinement, and expansion of the FC Bike Library program.  These activities includes improving marketing and operational practices.  Expansion includes adding more bicycles to the FC Bike Library fleet and incorporating more community partners in the way of schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations. 

The FC Bike Library is similar to a regular City library, but instead of checking out books, you check out a bike.  A customer interested in participating in the bicycle library can sign up at the bicycle library station.  To become a member of the bicycle library all you need is one form of identification, for instance, a driver’s license, state ID, passport, or green card.  A credit or check card is also necessary for deposit.  After the member’s information is recorded in the bicycle library database, they sign a one-time insurance. New members are then able to check out a bike for as short as an hour or for as long as five days at a time. 

The bicycle comes fully equipped with bike lights, a lock, basket, and snap on fenders, in the event of inclement weather.  Should the bicycle encounter any mechanical difficulties beyond a flat tire, an emergency phone number will be provided to assist the bicycle library member.

Since the inception of the FC Bike Library (FCBL) in 2008, the program has received vast local, regional, and national media attention pertaining to the success of the program and its benefit to the Fort Collins community.  This program has demonstrated its initial success by attracting nearly 4091 library members and generating over 44,840 vehicle miles traveled as of September 2009.

2008 & 2009 Accomplishments

• 150 bikes currently operational in Bike Library fleet – 200 bicycles by December 31^st 2009. 
• 4091 bike members signed up with bike library as of September 2009
• 30 volunteers are signed up to assist with FCBL operations
• State of the art website created to track bicycles, members, vehicle miles traveled and evaluation process.
• City owned space donated to Bike Library in order to conduct fleet maintenance, storage, and check-out.  This constitutes part of the local ‘in kind’ match.
• Downtown check out station (Café Bicyclette) donated by Downtown Development Authority.  This constitutes part of the local ‘in kind’ match.
• Three check-out stations to date:  1) Old Town Square 2) 222 LaPorte Road.

3) Colorado State University Campus (Lory Student Center)

• Close coordination with local participating stakeholders to ensure success of program (Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Development Authority, Colorado State university, and local businesses)

2010 & 2011 Goals

• Create sustainable financial plan to continue on-going program operations after 2011. 
• Expand the program to at least two additional check-out stations in south Fort Collins, utilizing local partners such as bike shops and other local businesses. 
• Incorporate the partnership between Bike Library with the City’s Safe Routes to School program and the Poudre School District.
• Develop two self service pilot check-out stations at two local hotels in Fort Collins (north and south areas).
• Develop web-based program and logistics protocol regarding reservation and group lending program.
• Encourage at least three major employers (100 employees or more) to carry small fleets of bike library bikes to be used by employees for errands. 
• Expand and develop CSU campus check out station. 
• Close coordination with local participating stakeholders to ensure success of program (CVB, DDA, CSU, and local businesses).
• Expand fleet of total bicycles to 350 bicycles City-wide by end of 2011. 
• Seven total check-out stations, including self-service and staffed, City-wide (not including major employer fleets). 
• Promotion of bicycle safety education materials to all FCBL members and participating partners. 

2010 & 2011 Scope of Work:

I.                   2010 1^st Quarter – January- March

a.       Work with City Bike Coordinator (FC Bikes program) on public pelations campaign for 2010 & 2011.

b.      Seek customer feedback and community input on FCBL service and operations improvements.

c.       (January – February) Prepare for re-opening two stations downtown and Colorado State University. 

d.      Grand season opening March 2009 with 200 bicycles in fleet ready to roll. 

e.       Begin developing plan to expand bike library program into to local business, hotels, and additional stations in south Fort Collins. 

f.       Begin developing long-term sustainable financial plan. 

g.      Begin development of reservation and group ride lending program.

II.                2010 2^nd Quarter – April – June

a.       Two hotels identified to take part in pilot self-service check out program (details, logistics, contracts in place by end of June). 

b.      At least three major businesses identified to carry small bike library fleet.

c.       Enact reservation and group ride lending program

c.   Two additional check-out station locations identified (details, logistics, & contracts in place by end of June).

d.   Determine estimation of additional bicycles needed to fulfill future check-out station locations. 

III.             2010  3^3rd  Quarter – July – September

a.       Continue working with CSU to assess their need for bikes and expand fleet. 

b.      Purchase additional bicycles as needed to fulfill future stations and expansion.

c.       Implement two new check-out station in south Fort Collins (August)

d.      Implement two self service check-out stations at two hotels. (August)

e.       Concentrate efforts on new station management and process.

f.       Determine Safe Routes to School fleet needs (safety education/training opportunities)

IV.              2010  4^th  Quarter – October – December

a.       Close for 2010 season first week in November

b.      Review online registration & data base for tracking bikes

c.       Move out of old town Kiosk for winter to allow ice skating rink operations.

d.      Bicycle inventory and end of year fleet and program assessment. 

e.       Review and adopt long term financial plan.

V.                 2011 1^st Quarter – January – March

a.       Bike Fort Collins prepares for reopening of two downtown check-out stations.

b.      Review and evaluate 2010 strengths and weaknesses, make programmatic adjustments accordingly. 

c.       Attend to program partner needs and considerations prior to grand season re-opening. 

d.      Bike Library grand season re-opening (end of March)

VI.              2011 2^nd Quarter – April – June

a.       Determine frequency of bicycle use among stations and adjust fleet numbers depending upon over or under accommodation levels. 

b.      Measure success of new self-service and staffed check-out stations

c.       Purchase additional bicycles as needed.

d.      Review and evaluate strengths and weaknesses associated with major employer fleets. 

e.       Check status of long term financial plan – evaluate

VII.           2011 3^rd Quarter – July – September

a.       Monitor, problem solve, evaluate Bike Library strengths and weakness

b.      Place newly purchased bicycles as needed

c.       Focus on program administration and day to day operations

d.      Long term financial plan operation refinement.

VIII.        2011 4^th Quarter – October –December

a.       Close for season first week in November

b.      Review online registration & data base for tracking bikes

c.       Bicycle inventory and end of year fleet and program assessment. 

d.      Ensure application of long term financial strategies are in place for 2012 & 2013.

Evaluation:

Evaluating the effectiveness of the project over time

Specific tasks and quantifiable objectives for those tasks include:

1. Survey local participating businesses in the program after deploying all bikes. 

Objective:  Determine success of program as well as identify needs for program refinement. 

2. Update FC Bike Library website to reflect 2008 & 2009 efforts as well as include all 2010 sponsors, stations, and participating businesses. 

Objective:  Updated website reviewed approved by Project Manager.

3. Prepare and deploy 200 bikes by April 2009

Objective:  Measurement of the number of bikes deployed on any specific day through the web-based inventory control.  This inquiry will also provide data to determine the average length of daily bike trips.  The ongoing measurement tool will offer an online questionnaire sent to each user who checks out a bike.  The actual deployment of bikes and calculation of average miles used will be ongoing and reported quarterly.  Our annual reports will summarize these quarterly reports.

4.   Specific quantification of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction, traffic congestion and air quality improvement will be calculated based on user surveys and collected web-based data. 

Objective: Determine participation rates, member counts, and miles ridden per month (VMT = air quality savings). 

2010 & 2011 Financial Budget:

Projected Expenditures	2010/2011
Contractual staff labor/ contractual overhead/training/ development	$85,000
Bicycle Accessories – Lights, Lock, baskets, fenders	$7,500
150 additional program bicycles and replacement parts	$45,000
Programmatic Marketing Website Development	$32,000
Bicycle Facilities /Installation (kiosks, shelter, bike racks)	$30,500
Total Projected Expenditures	$200,000

	2010 Budget	2011 Budget
CMAQ Grant (82.79%)	$83,000	$83,000
Local Match “In Kind”  Downtown Development Authority (DDA) & City of Fort Collins (17.21%)	$17,000	$17,000
Totals	$100,000	$100,000

Bicycle Program Priorities for 536 Fort Collins Citizens, January 2012

When asked to identify the bicycle programs that they would like to see funded in Fort Collins during the 2013-2014 budget cycle 536 respondents to the Bicycle Program Priorities survey ranked existing programs as shown below.

Scroll down to the next post to click through to view the entire survey results.

Bicycle Program Priorities in Fort Collins

Results for the Bicycle Priorities Survey are available at this link:     http://tinyurl.com/FoCoBikeSurvey

Survey results also allow you to click through to view an "other" comments made by respondents.

Bike Sharing in the 21st Century

Last summer's Momentum Magazine had a great article by Carolyn Szczepanski on bike sharing around the world.  The author describes a variety of bike share programs, including B-Cycle, Alta Bicycle Share, and "Nice Ride Minnesota."  You can read Szczepanski's article here.

Boulder's B-Cycle program was installed last spring and is an example of new "street furniture" that is being installed in many cities.  The advantage of B-Cycle is that it ties into the transportation system so bicycling becomes a means of transportation, not just a fun thing to do (though it still is!)

Wake up, Fort Collins! Boulder is Introducing B-Cycle Bike Share Program

Denver has one and so do Austin, Chicago, Des Moines, Hawaii, and Louisville.  Boulder is getting one this spring and, unfortunately Fort Collins' "bike library," will likely be left in the dust.  Maybe this is what innovation is all about.  The first City to introduce a formal bike share program clings to its fossilized, unsustainable dinosaur so long that it misses the boat entirely.

And to think, that the President and CEO of B-Cycle, that state-of-the-art, automated, sustainable bike sharing program is a Colorado State University graduate!

This just in from Marni Ratzel, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Transportation Planner in Boulder. 

"GO Boulder" announces the opening of modern "B-Cycle" the program started  

GO Boulder to host open house on B-cycle bike share program

The City of Boulder/GO Boulder will host a public open house to introduce Boulder B-cycle and its community bike-sharing strategy on Tuesday, Feb.1, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building Lobby, 1777 Broadway.

At the open house, GO Boulder and Boulder B-cycle will solicit public input from the community on the bike-share concept including proposed station locations.  Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to drop in anytime during the open house.  For those interested, Boulder B-cycle will give a presentation at 5 p.m.

“This Boulder grown bike-share system will be designed to make it even easier for Boulder residents, employees and visitors to get around town without a car,” said Transportation Planner Cris Jones.  “We would like to know what the community thinks of the initial strategy so we can help Boulder B-cycle be as successful as possible.”

Boulder B-cycle will use the public input to finalize the program and bike-share station strategy.  The program is set to go live in May 2011.

Boulder B-cycle is a local non-profit formed by Boulder residents to own and operate Boulder’s bike-sharing program.  The City of Boulder/GO Boulder is supporting Boulder B-cycle with a $250,000 federal grant.

For more information about the bike-share program, visit Go Boulder and B-Cycle Boulder.  Follow GO Boulder on Twitter @BoulderGOBldr and

Fort Collins Bike Library History: Bike Library Proposal Oct. 1, 2007

The archives reveal the original Bike Library Proposal written by Rick Price, President of Bike Fort Collins on Oct. 1, 2007.  This is pretty interesting for the vision it reveals.

           

Purpose:  Community bike programs, also known as “bicycle libraries”, lend bicycles out for the short, medium and long term at little or no cost to community members and visitors who might otherwise utilize an automobile.  Our primary goal is to reduce vehicle miles traveled, traffic congestion, and improve air quality in Fort Collins by offering a free, easy to use bicycle library program for daily trips in Fort Collins.

How it works:  It’s similar to a regular City library, but instead of checking out books, you check out a bike.  Bicycle libraries are easy to locate and become a member.  A person interested in participating in the bicycle library can sign up at any bicycle library station.  To become a member of the bicycle library all you need is one form of identification, like a driver’s license, state ID, passport, or green card.  After the member’s information is recorded to the bicycle library database, they sign a physical one-time insurance waiver.  After which, members are able to check out a bike for as short as an hour or for as long as one week at a time.  Members can borrow or return the bike at any of the bicycle library stations throughout Fort Collins. 

The bicycle comes fully equipped with bike lights, a lock, basket, and snap on fenders in the event of inclement weather.  Should the bicycle encounter any mechanical difficulties beyond a flat tire, an emergency phone number will be provided to aid the bicycle library member. 

Fort Collins Bicycle Library Administration:  The Bicycle Library program will be administered by BikeFortCollins.org (Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, Inc.), a local bicycle advocacy group dedicated to implementing the Fort Collins Bicycle Program Plan.  BFC will administer the program website, bike maintenance, marketing and promotion.  Program budget and monetary appropriation will be regulated and monitored by the City of Fort Collins Transportation Planning Department.

Background:  The Bicycle Library Program has precedents in Fort Collins with the “Freewheels” Bicycle Library administered by the City’s Smart Trips program from 2003 to 2006.  The Freewheels program was eliminated when the entire Smart Trips program ceased 2005. 

As of last year, the Colorado State University student-run “RamWheels” program developed a small scale bicycle library program with an inventory of twelve bicycles. Both of the above programs set precedents for existing and past community bike programs.  The Choice City Bike Library Program proposed here will build on these precedents with the following differences:

1)     Unlike Freewheels, which was administered by City of Fort Collins employees, the Choice City Bicycle Library will be administered by the citizens’ group, BikeFortCollins.org.  BFC will be able to address problems encountered by Smart Trips, such as, available staff to track and maintain the fleet of bicycles. 

2)     The Choice City Bicycle Library will cooperate with “RamWheels”, providing bicycles as needed, and assisting to inventory, deploy, and repair bicycles.  The merging of both programs is highly likely in the future.

Website Functions:  Each bicycle library station is equipped with an internet fed computer monitor.  The universal website: (www.ccbikelibrary.com) allows an “administrator” at each station to record the member’s information and to check out or return a bicycle.  Bicycles can be tracked via website and will offer details on which member has which bicycle.  Library members can also access the website to find out if bicycles are available at specific stations and will have the option of reserving a bicycle for future use.  This web based reporting mechanism will also make it easy to track overall “loans” when it comes to reporting the program participation rates. 

Bike Maintenance and Emergency Rescue:  The Fort Collins Bike Coop, an organized, volunteer driven cadre of bicycle mechanics has officially joined forces with BikeFortCollins.org.  This group will be the backbone of emergency response system as well as keep track and maintain the fleet of bicycle library bicycles. 

Bicycle Library Stations: Library stations will be located at local businesses, Colorado State University, City transit centers and parking facilities, traditional libraries, local hotels, the Colorado Welcome Center, and the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Target demographics and scenarios:

1. Employees of Large Businesses:  employees of local businesses who need to do local errands around town will have access to specific “employee bikes.”
2. Visitors to Fort Collins:  Instead of renting a vehicle, visitors will have the option of burrowing a bicycle for the duration of their stay on Fort Collins.  Local hotels such as the Marriot, Hilton, and Armstrong hotels will have the capability of checking out bicycles for visitor use.
3. CSU Conferences and Students:  Thousands of visitors attend conferences at CSU each year.  In cooperation with the student run “RamWheels” program, visitors and students will be able to utilize bicycles for transportation in Fort Collins.
4. Regional Commuters:  This gives Park n’ Ride another meaning.  Commuters who work in Fort Collins, but live elsewhere can park vehicles on the edges of the City and use bicycles for local transportation to and from workplaces. 
5. Everyday Citizens:  Any Fort Collins citizen can burrow a bicycle for transportation throughout Fort Collins.  This will work especially well for financially constrained citizens. 

Program Marketing Techniques:  It will be impossible not hear of the bicycle library program.  Apart from the bicycles themselves ever present in the community, advertisements in local publications, marketing materials located on strategic websites and actual physical locations, program word of mouth, newsletters, and radio support will all fuel public notification and encouragement of project/ 

Partnerships:  This project will bring together at least 9 different stake holders or groups of stakeholders in Fort Collins to create a community bike library program.

The stakeholders in this program include:

1. The City of Fort Collins Transportation Planning Department::  as it seeks to reduce traffic congestion and to improve air quality in the urban growth area;
2. Colorado State University: as it seeks to mitigate congestion and parking problems on and in the vicinity of campus and the student-run RamWheels bicycle library program;
3. Downtown Development Authority (DDA): whose mission it is to build public and private investment partnerships that foster economic, cultural, and social growth in the Fort Collins central business district;
4. BikeFortCollins.org (Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, Inc.): a local bicycle advocacy group dedicated to implementing the Fort Collins Bicycle Program Plan;
5. Fort Collins Bicycle Collective: a cooperative whose goal is to inspire and support the bicycling community in Fort Collins by facilitating access to bikes, parts, tools and technical expertise;
6. Local Business Sponsors: including participating Fort Collins bicycle shops, New Belgium Brewing, through its philanthropy outreach grants, and Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) through their Community Grants Program;
7. Local Hotels: whose guests may seek bicycles as an alternative to automobiles for short stays in our community;
8. Local Businesses: that would like to keep a bicycle on loan permanently at their place of business as an alternative to using an automobile for short errands.
9.  The Fort Collins Convention and Visitors’ Bureau:  whose mission is to provide services to visitors of City of Fort Collins.  

Bicycle Library Examples: A survey of bicycle library programs around the U.S. suggests that the physical and social geography of Fort Collins lends itself to the successful introduction of such a program here.  Most successful programs are in university communities.  Notable examples include:

Ø      Arcata, California:  http://www.culturechange.org/library-bikes.html

Population:  17,000

Student population: 7,500

Bikes in circulation:  300

Program: Arcata Community Bike Program

Ø      Moscow, Idaho:

Population:  22,000

Student population:  11,700

Bikes in circulation:  400 bikes deployed, many through the campus international students organization. 

Program:  Bike Loan Program

Ø      Iowa City, Iowa:

Population: 63,000

Student population: 29,000

Bikes in circulation:  300 bikes (50-60% university related)

Program:  Iowa City Bike Library (http://www.bikelibrary.org/)

With a population of 130,000 and a student population of about 25,000, Fort Collins lends itself perfectly to the introduction of a comparable bicycle library program.  The Choice City Bicycle Library will strive to make this program self-sustaining through donations, grants, fund-raising activities, and volunteer efforts by 2010.

Fort Collins Proposes Automated Bike Share System for 2013

FC Bikes & Transfort Automated Bike Share System
Transportation Planning (David Kemp)
CMAQ $175,000 Local Match $37,000
This proposal includes the implementation of three automated bike share facilities at each of
Transfort’s transit centers: Downtown Transit Center, Colorado State University Transit Center,
and South Transit Center. This proposal is targeted for 2013. Each automated bicycle share
station will include a sheltered facility accommodating 15-20 bicycles per station as well as self
operated touch screen kiosks. Automated bike share facility users will be able to self-check out a
bicycle from the facility. Strategically located at each Transit Center, this multi-modal
program/facility will encourage local and regional commuters to utilize transit and bicycle
transportation means. Source for this project include the Transportation Master Plan, Bicycle
Plan, and Transfort Strategic Plan.
Federal Funding Request: $175,000
Proposed Funding Source: CMAQ
Local Match: $ 37,000
Sources for Project: TMP, Bicycle Plan, Transfort Strategic Plan

Source: North Front Range MPO (downloaded Oct. 14, 2010)   

At the bottom of that page click on downloads, 2010 CMAQ Project Abstracts (Oct-6-10)  and you’ll find all the projects submitted as abstracts in the region. 

Denver is Planning a City-Wide Bike Share Program

Mayor John Hickenlooper and several community partners today (January 14, 2009) announced plans for 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. Read all the details here. In the photo note the fully enclosed bike with the docking station and the Parisian businessman ready to head off for a meeting. Read more about this system by clicking on Bike Share at the bottom of this post where the labels are.

Time for Plan B: B-Cycle is the Next Generation Bike Library

OK, this is the next generation of bike sharing and, maybe, the Fort Collins Bike Library: Plan B. You gotta see this short video then you ABSOULTELY need to click on the "Who wants it more" button. Better yet, just click on this link and vote for Fort Collins.

Now, when I voted Jan. 27 I doubled the votes for Fort Collins - to two! That's right, two. Boulder had 55 votes! Yikes. Please get in there and vote today. Then ask them to send your vote to the Mayor.

Plan B. B-Cycle! That's what we need.

University of Wyoming Bike Library Benefits from Student Fees and Sponsorship

The University of Wyoming trustees just approved a student fee increase of 8.14% for the 2009-2010 academic year, about a $33 increase. The Associated Students of the University of Washington have requested a further fee increase, a part of which would be used to pay for a bike mechanic for the University's bike library. Read details about the fee increases here.

Read more about the University of Wyoming Bike Library here.

Fort Collins Named #2 Place to Live in USA

Fort Collins recently was named the number 2 (#2) place to live in the US by Money Magazine. According to their online posting:

"One of the first things you notice about this Rocky Mountain city is that practically every new road has a bike lane. Even the wheelless can get in on the action now that Fort Collins has a bike library: Residents and visitors can check out a bicycle for up to seven days, free." http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/PL0827425.html
This is down a notch for Fort Collins since the same poll put our fair city at #1 in 2006. Not to worry, though, since we lost the number 1 spot to Plymouth, Minnesota. Have you ever tried to ride a bicycle in Minnesota in winter? Neither have we, but still . . . . We'll take #2 any day!

Above, two bike library patrons check out bikes for the week: "We want to try them a bit before deciding if we should buy our own bikes." bike li

Fort Collins Bike Share Program

The Fort Collins Bike Library is based in the information kiosk in Old Town Square. Open 10 - 6 Friday, Saturday and Sunday, bikes can be checked out free of charge for up to 3 days. During the week other options exist. Just consult the links posted in this blog to arrange to pick up a bike! We may be one of the first in the US - without the help of Clear Channel Outdoor!

Bike Share Programs in US

The NYTimes reports today (April 27, 2008) that Clear Channel Outdoor will launch a Paris—style bike sharing program in cooperation with the District of Columbia beginning in May.  The program is modeled after the project in Paris sponsored by Clear Channel’s big competitor, JCDeCaux.  The program will begin with 1200 bikes in ten stations in DC. Fancier than the Fort Collins Bike Library, with automated check outs and tracking, I’m sure the DC bike-share program will cost a lot more than the Fort Collins Bike Library!   For details on the Paris Velib program visit:  http://www.velib.paris.fr/