Rent-To-Go Bicycles
Portland could soon see up to 500 new bicycles on the streets, but these machines will be a little different than most bikes out there now – they'd be rentals. Transportation Commissioner (and Mayoral candidate) Sam Adams is pushing for a new program that would put a fleet of rental cycles, for public use, out on the streets within a year. If the idea comes to fruition, the bicycles would be set up at kiosks around the city, and could be used for short trips from point to point anywhere a kiosk might be located. The plan is generating some buzz, and has already proved to be somewhat successful in Paris, and trials of similar programs have been in place in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco since May.
This bicycle rental plan will not come without cost, however, and the revenue to pay for it may end up coming from The City allowing expanded advertising in public spaces. While not the most ideal of ways to generate funds to those who dislike Clear Channel and other giant advertising conglomerates, the alternative being considered is a City-wide subsidy.
More research has yet to be done on how self-sufficient the program might be before any revenue generating plans are set in stone. Any way it's cut, this plan will prove to be another notch in Portland's belt of bike-friendly programs. For more information, read the article in the Portland Tribune.
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Price: $16.49
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- Commissioner Adams Closer To New Tax Proposal
- National Walk To School Day
Hey! cool -Go Bicycles | PDX Transit blog, you have any connections in San Francisco, CA? Traffic was especially bad this afternoon, even for a Thursday.