Bike sharing programs loan or rent bicycles for short trips, providing a convenient, affordable way to get around without a car. Bike sharing in California is mainly happening in college towns and on university campuses, including Arcata, Cal Poly Pomona, Davis, Fresno State University, Pitzer College (Claremont), UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz. A neighborhood business association recently introduced bike sharing in Sacramento as a small-scale pilot program.
In late 2011, the nation’s first regional bike sharing program will be launched in San Francisco, Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose, in connection with the Caltrain commuter rail system.
Outside California, bike sharing programs operate in Boston, Boulder, Chicago, Denver, Des Moines, Miami, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Washington, D.C.
Resources
Bicycle sharing system
Extensive Wikipedia entry on bicycle sharing programs, including types and history, as well as links to bike-sharing programs around the world.
The Bike-Sharing Blog
News about bike-sharing as another form of public transportation.
Bicycle Sharing Systems Worldwide: Selected Case Studies
Extensive analysis of bike-sharing systems prepared by CityRyde, a bike-sharing consulting firm based in Philadelphia.
Vélib
Website for the Paris Vélib system includes an English-language description of how the system works.
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