Washington DC Bike-Sharing Program is Growing Up!
(Source: Examiner via Tree Hugger); Logo courtesy: SmartBikeDc.com
Five-Fold Increase in Number of Bike Stations Time flies! It wasn’t so long ago that theWashington DC bike-sharing pilot project was born, and now it’s growing up: “By summer, the D.C. Department of Transportation will have expanded the current Smartbike system from 10 racks to 50 racks.” Total number of bikes should be about 500. Not quite Paris with its Vélib program (20,000 bicycles!), but a step in the right direction.
According to the Examiner, WTOP is reporting that DC’s bike-sharing program Smartbike is slated for a significant expansion this summer. The D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) expects Smartbike to add about 40 racks, a move that will bring the total number of bikes in the program to about 500. As of January, more than 1,000 people subscribe to the program.
Vox Popoli, a Georgetown blog, is thrilled by the newsof the expansion. David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington has some thoughts on how the city might consider expanding the program even more (as well asan interactive Google map where users can suggest locations for future racks). Earlier this month, I posted the transcript from an exchange with Martina Schmidt, the manager of the DC bike-sharing program, during which we discussed vandalism and usage statistics.
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