Photo by Chris Young

Bike-sharing advocates peddle their vision in Market Square

BY CHRIS YOUNG

The wheels are in motion.

Conversations about bringing a bike-sharing system to Pittsburgh officially began today, and a presentation by a Wisconsin-based company operating bike shares earned support from local officials. But it’s still uncertain when, or if, Pittsburghers will take part in the increasingly popular transportation program.

“I don’t really see how it couldn’t work” in Pittsburgh, said Erok Boerer, of the bike-advocacy organization Bike Pittsburgh. “It’s a pretty sexy thing.”

Representatives of B-cycle, which conducted a bike-sharing demonstration in Market Square yesterday, met this afternoon with more than two-dozen biking advocates, city planners and local foundations at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to discuss how the short-term bike-rental system works … and how it could help the city.

“This bike system will make your city more vibrant than an extra bus,” said Jason McDowell, B-cycle’s project and logistics manager. “It’s easily accessible and really quick.”

Popularized in Europe, bike sharing is touted as a way to ease traffic problems, cut pollution and improve health. The concept is straightforward: Bike-docking stations, stocked with roughly a half-dozen or more bikes, are located throughout part of a city — say Downtown’s Golden Triangle.

Read the rest of this article in the Pittsburgh City Paper

Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership