Chicago has become a very bikeable city in recent years. A number of the major streets are lined with bike lanes, there’s a state-of-the-art commuter cyclist center in Millennium Park, and the 20-mile lakeside trail makes for an idyllic, virtually vehicle-free ride that spans almost the entire length of the city. And now, Chicago is testing a convenient new element that could improve bicycling in the Windy City even more.
A bike sharing program has been launched in Chicago on a trial basis. The pilot program consists of 100 bikes and 6 pickup/drop-off points concentrated along the downtown lakefront. Rental fee is $10 per hour and memberships are available that will reduce per-use costs. Organizers of the program hope tourists, residents and workers alike will take advantage of the bicycles and prove that an initiative such as this is a valuable form of public transportation.
Bike sharing is already a popular trend in metropolitan hubs around the world, such as Paris, Montreal, Barcelona and San Francisco. While generally successful, some cities have had issues with vandalism and theft. Chicago plans to thwart criminal efforts with GPS trackers on all bikes, graffiti-proof stations and pewter-colored bicycles, which are thought to be less attention-grabbing. The grey-tinted paint is actually meant to blend in with the environment and be as inconspicuous as possible.
One of the main benefits of bike sharing is its eco-friendly nature. As more people replace vehicle travel with cycling, carbon emissions are reduced. It also provides an easy alternative for short-distance errands and getting around the Chicago Loop without having to hail a cab or wait for a bus.
Bike Sharing allows people to pick up bicycles at designated stations, ride to their destinations, and leave the bikes at another station or cruise back to their original pickup spot. Bikes are parked in electronic stand-alone docks marked by circular signage with the letter “B” in the center for B-cycle, a partner company that is behind the program.
Chicago’s bike sharing experiment will run through October. If this trial period proves successful, we can expect to see more B-cycle stations in Chicago neighborhoods and transit centers throughout the city.
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