Wheels 4 Wellness bikes. (Credit: Philly Bike Coalition)
If you've ever wondered why packs of out-of-place commuter bikes sit randomly behind House Office buildings there's no need to wonder much longer. The bikes, which are part of a poorly designed bike-sharing program that's supposed to cater to Capitol Hill staffers, appear destined for the junkyard.
The Hill newspaper reported on Friday that the program—called Wheels 4 Wellness—has only been used by 175 staffers since the House Chief Administrative Office rolled it out in July of 2008. That's an average of about ten rides per bike.
There are so many things wrong with the structure of this bike-sharing program that it's hard to know where to start. The fact that it's only available to House staffers is perhaps the biggest strike against the program. Even worse are the logistics involved with getting a bike. To get one, staffers have to first walk to the Longworth House Office Building to get a key to sign one out, and then they have to return the key when they're done. That means staffers are forced to make make two trips by foot just to use a bike, making the system inconvenient except for those who happen to work in Longworth. On top of that, riders can only use the system during the work day on weekdays and can't take the bikes out overnight. Oh, and bike stations are only available on the House not the Senate side, WashCycle has reported.
Unsurprisingly, the program has proven an irresistible target for critics of government waste. Jack Kingston (R-Ga), who commutes daily to work on a bicycle, has railed against the program and called for its elimination from the House floor. "To get thirty-bikes we have spent $200,000 dollars," he said."The bike program is so silly."
His staff has even put out a YouTube ad criticizing the program:
The program seems to be on its way out; already lawmakers have cut funding for the program by $100,000. My take: get ride of it entirely. Why have a House-only bike-sharing program that doesn't work when we could simply expand the SmartBike DC system, which is a much more accessible and promising program, to Capitol Hill?
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