Bicycle Coalition proposes Philly Bike Share

By Jen McShane
Collegian Staff
January 23, 2008

Philadelphia introduced Philly Car Share in 2004, providing an affordable way to travel around the city without paying for the utilities and services of owning a car. However, with the recent rise in gas costs and concerns about the environment, many Philadelphians are looking for another way to travel around the city. The answer came in a proposal to have a bike share, as advocated by the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia.

In a city marred by heavy traffic, pollution and public transportation, the Bicycle Coalition claims that more bike riders would be a major improvement to the city. Bike riders would decrease the number of drivers on the road, leading to less pollution and traffic jams. For individuals struggling financially, bike riding would significantly relieve travel expenses; paying over $3 for a gallon of gasoline or shelling out hundreds of dollars for car repairs would no longer be issues for participants in a bike share.

The Bicycle Coalition has been working for about five years to employ a bike sharing program for the city of Philadelphia. Such bike programs have been successful in many other cities, including Paris.

If Philly Bike Share is started, bicycles will be available all over the city in designated areas for people to pick up and use. Bikes will be equipped with GPS systems and phone technology so that users can determine if the bike was previously used by another person. Bikes can be locked so that other riders can not use the bike while idle. A deposit is necessary to join and the first half hour of any ride is free.

In theory, Philly Bike Share seems like a perfect plan for the city. There are already plenty of bike trails for riders to use, commuting costs could be lessened and congestion on the streets could be decreased.

However, many citizens see problems arising with the Philly Bike Share program. The big issue revolves around theft of these bikes. Citizens worry that many bikes will go missing, causing the program to be ineffective. This happened to a similar program in Portland, Ore., where the program eventually died out.

Other issues plaguing the program include road sharing. Often, vehicle drivers are not wary of bicycle riders. This causes bicyclists to instead ride on sidewalks, turning pedestrian walkways into personal highways for bicyclists. Other concerns include the fluctuating weather conditions, where snow and rain could make traveling by bike extremely dangerous.

A forum about bike sharing was held Jan. 17. Over 400 attendees shared their concerns about the program. The program was sponsored by the Coalition and Mayor Michael Nutter attended in support of the bicyclists.

Areas such as University City are already prime spots for bike riding, especially among the college community. Students there and in other college areas could get around more easily without the costs of maintaining a car.

La Salle students have mixed feelings about the Philly Bike Share program. Some, like senior IT major Timothy Main, agree that the bike share program would be a good idea.

Other La Salle students are unsure about the safety of the program. “I get nervous around whizzing traffic and SEPTA buses,” said senior psychology major Stephanie Boag.

Sophomore computer science major David Pallas is concerned about theft.

“I would be worried about where to put them safely without them being stolen,” he said.

Philly Bike Share has many questions left to be answered. It remains to be seen within the next few months whether these issues can be resolved.

mcshanej2@lasalle.edu