Green living rolls out ideas and puts philosophy into practice. And often green practice is not so much about results as it is about developing a meaningful process—using methods and means to conserve resources, live healthier, and expand personal contacts and options within a community, especially through collaborative efforts.

A really neat green practice that is swiftly traveling around the world is bike sharing.

Easy, fun, efficient, versatile, bike share allows communters, workers, and families in urban areas to make quick trips on public bikes, usually picked up and dropped off at stations or kiosks. Began in Europe, the practice is the fastest growing component of intermodal transportation systems, and is wildly popular in cities from China to France.

Limited resources have propelled the practice informally in low income, urban neighborhoods in America where youth exchanging and sharing bicycles with friends is commonplace. These youth ride away, sharing a bicycle provided by its own/caretaker, without realizing they are acting on green principles, practicing sustainable transportation, smart growth, and creating livable streets.

Paris is the world city that has currently grabbed the lead in a planned, sponsored program of bike sharing. Over 20,000 bikes are available for free use at 1,451 stations by the people of Paris, who can find a station every 300 meters. Each of Paris' program bikes travels an average of 16,000 miles a year!
 

Paris launched its program in 2007.

Paris uses a smart system that reads the magnetic stripes on electronic cards to allocate and track its massive bike fleet. Bike users are registered and issued cards. Riders check bikes in and out by electronic card. The system enables master tracking of each bike's location, and also bills the rider/user if he or she exceeds the half hour free time for each new use.

The system Paris put in place has flaws common to most bike share programs: vandalism; reckless, rude, and unsafe riding; theft, despite the tracking; injuries and accidents; financial and legal liabilities.

The benefits, however, far outweigh the issues.

Deliberate, organized bike sharing began in 1964, in Amsterdam. Initially developed as a free plan and radical alternative to using fossil fuels for transportation, the unregulated system used white bikes which were quickly stolen or stripped for parts.

In 1995, Copenhagen began operating a system that put into service bikes built for heavy urban use and also incorporated small advertising plates.

England's Portsmouth “University introduced striped magnetic cards into the system to regulate check out and return and as a deterrent to theft, and used bikes whose parts were not interchangeable with other bicycles.

On April 15, 1009, Montreal geared up its service with 2,400 3-speed bikes with comfortable seats available at solar powered docking stations. A 24 hour pass costs $5. Its operated and funded by Montreal's parking authority.

Toronto has asked Montreal to provide a demonstration.

Bike sharing is spreading rapidly. Stockholm, Sweden; Valencia, Spain; Milan, Italy; and London also have bike share programs. London mayor is a strong advocate of urban cycling and bike share. The city plans to open its program with 6,000 bikes. The London plan calls for 40,000 bike trips a day!

Many cities have the bicycles painted in a mono color to make them easily identifible and to bolster civil spirit. Yellow, blue, green, red, and white bikes are popular.

Bicycles specially designed for bike share programs cost around $900 each. A fleet of a 100 bicycles can be purchased for the price of a municipal bus. Once stations are located and built, operating costs dramatically drop. Bicycles burn calories, not fossil fuels--no gas required! Insurance costs, maintainence and repair costs also are greatly reduced.

Successful programs have sufficient scale to make the opportunity to use the bike almost irresistible. Stations need to be located within 200 to 400 meters of each other (an eighth to a quarter mile apart), to facilate use. Bicycles must also be available on demand. Both San Francisco and Washington, DC opened systems too small whose use declined. Bikes were not available, stations were too far apart, so potential riders didn't see the systems are reliable or convenient.

When properly designed, the use of systems can be spectular and demand can explore faster than the break away speed of a sprinting peloton.

For example, Hangzhou, China (above and below),  located in northwestern China in the Yangtze River delta,  is mounting a public service system that currently has 10,000 bicycles, and 350 docking stations. From September to December, the Hangzhou service geared out over 2 million rentals! The city plans to have 50,000 bikes available. Marco Polo once called Hangzhou, the city of heaven.

Washington, DC was the first American city to create a program, but the program opened with only a 100 bikes. Tulsa, Oklahoma; Philadelphia. PA, and Chapel Hill, NC also have initiated or planned bike share programs.

Bike-sharing is definitely gaining a toe-hold on American college campuses. Ohio's Ripon College brought 200 bikes, helmets, and locks to establish its program. Chicago's St. Xavier University uses students' magnetic stripe IDs for access and billing, similar to Lyon's. The University of Washington is developing a bike share program that will use bikes with battery assist for hills.

Other American colleges planning or rolling out programs include Rhode Island School of Design, Yale (CT), Hampshire College (MA), Ausburg College (MN), Dickinson College. Temple and Drexel University (PA), Ohio Wesleyan College, Ohio University, Pomona College (CA), University of Hawaii, San Francisco City College, Emory University (GA), and Birmingham-Southern College (AL).

Internationally, Singapore, Shanghai, Beiing, Bangkor, Helinski, Vienna, Luxemborg, Düsseldorf,  Germany; Pamplona, Spain; and even Rome, whose narrow, coblestoned streets seem unsuited for biking, are planning programs. Other American cities planning programs include Honolulu, Salt Lake City, and Boston.

The benefits? Reduced carbon footprint, less traffic congestion, ease of travel, improved health, reduced expenses for public travel, greater community interaction, expanded travel sevices for all urban dwellers, flexibility and convenience result from bike sharing.

Bike sharing oftens leads to increased resources for pedestrian open spaces and urban walkways. New York City is developing pedestrian plazas and greenway spaces throughout Manhattan.

(all photos, educational fair use)


Thanks for reading! Southern Perlo is posted by Walter Rhett from Kudu Coffee in Charleston, SC. Perlo is a traditional rice dish, celebrating local bounty; connecting in print the American experience, building a global heritage. Please, stir the perlo, leave a comment below.

Southern Perlo supports Water Missions Internation, giving safe water to more than a million people in 40 countries, at firstgiving.com.
 
Bike Photos, from the top: London, Selville, Lyon, Korea, Philadelphia, and Denver.