[Westminster Wheels] City Weekly recently reported that City Planners had begun to contemplate the creation of a city wide bicycle-sharing program that would allow residents to rent or borrow public bikes to use to get around town. While the city program is still being batted around behind closed doors at city hall, a smaller version of the program is already picking up speed at Salt Lake City's Westminster College.
The program dubbed "Westminster Wheels" was officially inaugurated this last Earth Day where student body president Brody Leven took a similar idea and finally got it started. "We looked at lot of different models," Leven says "I finally decided to combine and modify them."
The Westminster program now offers thick, durable bikes with low wheel bases, single speed and painted purple and gold, that can be checked out by any students or faculty for a day for free, with a fine imposed only if returned late. "It's kind of like a library book," Leven says.
While the campus is small Leven says it gives students who don't have a car a nice option for riding from home to campus, or for making trips from campus to nearby Sugar House. The "awesome" bikes Leven says were purchased from a company in New York that designed them to stand out and be easily recognizable if they were ever stolen.
While the program is new, Leven has been pretty pleased with the results so far, and perhaps might have something the city council will wanna check out when they get serious about bicycle- sharing in SLC. (Eric S. Peterson)
The program dubbed "Westminster Wheels" was officially inaugurated this last Earth Day where student body president Brody Leven took a similar idea and finally got it started. "We looked at lot of different models," Leven says "I finally decided to combine and modify them."
The Westminster program now offers thick, durable bikes with low wheel bases, single speed and painted purple and gold, that can be checked out by any students or faculty for a day for free, with a fine imposed only if returned late. "It's kind of like a library book," Leven says.
While the campus is small Leven says it gives students who don't have a car a nice option for riding from home to campus, or for making trips from campus to nearby Sugar House. The "awesome" bikes Leven says were purchased from a company in New York that designed them to stand out and be easily recognizable if they were ever stolen.
While the program is new, Leven has been pretty pleased with the results so far, and perhaps might have something the city council will wanna check out when they get serious about bicycle- sharing in SLC. (Eric S. Peterson)
Hate to be a cynic, but people aren't honest enough to make a program like this viable in the long-term. These programs have crashed and burned in other cities due to theft and vandalism.
ReplyDeleteBut I'd like to be proven wrong and see the city give it a shot, anyway.
I agree. It would be nice if they were used properly. But they'll get trashed, stolen, or stripped in no time.
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE to be proven wrong on this one.
just so you guys know: as of many months into the program, you are, indeed, being proven wrong. let's hope it stays this way!
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