mrsmaalox
03-29-2011, 10:21 AM
Downtown B-Cycle Program Goes Live
http://www.tpr.org/news/2011/03/news1103282.html
March 28, 2011 · “This will be the central hub so all the maintenance will happen here,” said Cindi Snell, founder of San Antonio Bike Share, referring to a historic building at the southwest corner of Hemisfair. “All the things that need to happen on the bikes will happen at this location,” she said.
B-cycle headquarters at the corner of Hemisfair Park has been a busy place this week, getting 140 bicycles ready for this weekend’s kick-off of the city’s new bike share program.
Beginning Saturday, San Antonians and visitors will have 140 bikes to share and ride all over downtown.
Snell said the goal is 500 bicyles in two years. For now, riders will have 14 places around downtown to find a bike, starting with Hemisfair Park, near the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM).
“We have a location in the HemisFair Park close to UNAM. Then, we have a location at La Villita, the Convention Center, across from the Alamo at Houston and Alamo Street. We have Milam Park, Main Plaza, Market Square. We have UTSA, which will be up next week. Then on the other side, you have Blue Star and then, the Metropolitan Planning Office. Then, you head the other direction, and we have one at the Central library. Then, we have one at the San Antonio Museum of Art and, finally, at Pearl Brewery,” Snell said.
San Antonio is the fifth city in the U.S. to adopt a bike sharing program. They are designed for visitors taking in the sights, local residents and business professionals – so, no exposed chains to snag your slacks.
“The only tricky, interesting thing about the bikes is because they have baskets on the front for your briefcase, your purse, your necessities, they’re a little heavy in the front. So, it just takes a couple minutes, seconds really, to get used to that weight on the front,” Snell said.
“The seats are adjustable so it could fit anyone from 5' to 6' 2",” said Mandy Schwarz, B-cycle’s business manager.
Her most recent project was in Denver, and she said it is a concept that may take some education.
“Bike share is very much a European concept that’s been brought over here in North America. It’s new,” Schwarz said. “It’s a new concept because when we think of something like this we would think ‘bike rental,’ and I think you hit it on the head when you indicated ‘oh you can’t keep it out the whole day.’ So bike share, the concept is different in that it’s meant for short trips,” Schwarz said.
A brigade of volunteers started docking the bikes Saturday morning, and the bikes were available immediately.
“I actually, last year, had the opportunity to go to Denver and try out their system,” Snell said. “We had meetings in downtown Denver for a couple of days about bike share, and I rode from meeting to meeting, and it was really wonderful. It was convenient; it was inexpensive. My favorite part was how much fun it was, that you just felt so much better conducting business when you got to ride a bike to get there.”
As an advocate for the community, Snell hopes the bicycles will help reduce air pollution and improve community health "... and I think most importantly, to have San Antonio become a city that embraces cycling as a form of transportation, that for the average person, anybody could hop on a bike and get where they need to go,” Snell said.
http://www.tpr.org/news/2011/03/news1103282.html
March 28, 2011 · “This will be the central hub so all the maintenance will happen here,” said Cindi Snell, founder of San Antonio Bike Share, referring to a historic building at the southwest corner of Hemisfair. “All the things that need to happen on the bikes will happen at this location,” she said.
B-cycle headquarters at the corner of Hemisfair Park has been a busy place this week, getting 140 bicycles ready for this weekend’s kick-off of the city’s new bike share program.
Beginning Saturday, San Antonians and visitors will have 140 bikes to share and ride all over downtown.
Snell said the goal is 500 bicyles in two years. For now, riders will have 14 places around downtown to find a bike, starting with Hemisfair Park, near the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM).
“We have a location in the HemisFair Park close to UNAM. Then, we have a location at La Villita, the Convention Center, across from the Alamo at Houston and Alamo Street. We have Milam Park, Main Plaza, Market Square. We have UTSA, which will be up next week. Then on the other side, you have Blue Star and then, the Metropolitan Planning Office. Then, you head the other direction, and we have one at the Central library. Then, we have one at the San Antonio Museum of Art and, finally, at Pearl Brewery,” Snell said.
San Antonio is the fifth city in the U.S. to adopt a bike sharing program. They are designed for visitors taking in the sights, local residents and business professionals – so, no exposed chains to snag your slacks.
“The only tricky, interesting thing about the bikes is because they have baskets on the front for your briefcase, your purse, your necessities, they’re a little heavy in the front. So, it just takes a couple minutes, seconds really, to get used to that weight on the front,” Snell said.
“The seats are adjustable so it could fit anyone from 5' to 6' 2",” said Mandy Schwarz, B-cycle’s business manager.
Her most recent project was in Denver, and she said it is a concept that may take some education.
“Bike share is very much a European concept that’s been brought over here in North America. It’s new,” Schwarz said. “It’s a new concept because when we think of something like this we would think ‘bike rental,’ and I think you hit it on the head when you indicated ‘oh you can’t keep it out the whole day.’ So bike share, the concept is different in that it’s meant for short trips,” Schwarz said.
A brigade of volunteers started docking the bikes Saturday morning, and the bikes were available immediately.
“I actually, last year, had the opportunity to go to Denver and try out their system,” Snell said. “We had meetings in downtown Denver for a couple of days about bike share, and I rode from meeting to meeting, and it was really wonderful. It was convenient; it was inexpensive. My favorite part was how much fun it was, that you just felt so much better conducting business when you got to ride a bike to get there.”
As an advocate for the community, Snell hopes the bicycles will help reduce air pollution and improve community health "... and I think most importantly, to have San Antonio become a city that embraces cycling as a form of transportation, that for the average person, anybody could hop on a bike and get where they need to go,” Snell said.