Downtown Denver starts new bike-loan program

"With 300 days of sunshine a year, bicycling remains one of the most viable alternatives to driving in Denver, helping to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution," said Denver’s Mayor Hickenlooper, in a press release last fall. "Denver is one of the healthiest and most active cities in America, so we're excited to pioneer a bike-sharing model that supports a physically and environmentally healthy community. While bicycles are part of our strategy to host the greenest national political convention ever, our commitment to being a bike-friendly city is long-term."

Denver joins a small group of progressive cities establishing bike sharing programs in the United States. Thirty of the 1,000 bikes have remained after the DNC to kick start the bike-sharing program. Denver’s goal is to roll out a 1,000 bicycle program by Spring 2009.

This bike loan program will feature Freewheelin bike racks set up at various points around the city, each housing a collection of bikes, equipped with trip computers. A solar-powered kiosk through which participants can "check-out" one of 500 bikes by swiping their credit card as a guarantee that they will return it by 10 am the next business day. The use of the bike is totally complimentary! The bikes come with a basket that carries up to 30 pounds. Participants can use the bikes for things such as riding to work or doing errands, or simply taking a leisurely spin.

Freewheelin was developed by Humana’s Innovation Center, an internal think tank that develops creative ways to improve peoples’ physical fitness, emotional health and environmental awareness. The bicycles were donated to the city by Humana as part of an ongoing program to support carbon emission reduction and healthy active lifestyles.

Participants can register for the program on the Freewheelin website, and use the site to automatically track things like their mileage, their personal carbon offset and other health information. Riders simply use a credit card or a Freewheelin key fob to check the bike out at no charge.

For more info: Find bike maps at bike shops (like Cherry Creek Bike Rack and Classic Cruisers) or online at www.denvergov.com. For more information, call 720-865-BIKE. For a detailed look at Denver's bike trails click here.

If you want to know more about alternative transportation in Denver, read Visit Denver without a car.