Press release from the City of Asheville:
Imagine having a bicycle available for a quick jaunt to the other side of downtown or West Asheville. It could happen — if a bike share program comes to Asheville.
In support of active and accessible transportation methods, the City of Asheville is conducting a study of whether a bike share program may be feasible for our community.
Bike share is a way for someone to use a bike for a short time at a reasonable rate. A bike share program is designed for short distance point-to-point trips. Some systems are station-based, like those in Chattanooga, Tenn. and Washington, D.C., while others use free-standing bikes from companies like Lime Bike or Zagster.
Could such a program work in Asheville? That is the question being explored by the bike-share feasibility study.
Online survey opens
An open house style public meeting on this topic was held June 28 in Asheville City Hall.
As a next step, residents are invited to share their thoughts on the potential for a bike share program in Asheville by taking an online survey on Open City Hall Asheville. The survey will remain open through July 22 as part of this feasibility study.
Find more information on the City’s Bike Share Study webpage.
For more information, contact Transportation Planner Barb Mee at BMee@ashevillenc.gov or 828-232-4540.
While I do not have faith that people will overcome their irrational fear of riding a bicycle in traffic any time soon, I do think implementation of the docking stations will place the bike in the forefront of our transportation system. Making the bike highly visible should have the effect of legitimizing it as an effective transit tool similar to the bus. Normalizing bicycles and cyclist is an important first step in reducing the use of the automobile. People drive out of habit. A habit garnered merely by being born into a society steeped in automobiles and its accompanying infrastructure. Drivers are so immersed in this culture they can’t even imagine an alternative, even as the hefty toll from our 100 year love affair with the automobile comes due. Our transportation system is broken and underfunded. yet we continue to act as if it was 1950. The future is in active transit with the goal of moving people, not just cars. The time has come for drivers to remove their heads from the sand or their ass and see the truth. Your mode choice is killing you and me and so it’s vital for everyone to start the transition away from driving everywhere alone in their car. Carpool, take the bus, ride a bike, walk, anything but mindlessly getting in your car and driving away. Your body, mind, neighbors and ultimately the planet will thank you. In the meantime slow the hell down and pay attention!