All photos by Patrick Pascal
But maybe not the way we expected.
LACBC board member Patrick Pascal sends word of what may be the city’s first real bike share system, which opened recently in Downtown LA.
No, not the Live Nation system promised by then-Mayor Villaraigosa what seems like ages ago.
And no, not the one promised by LA Metro, which is supposed to open sometime in 2016, even though a vendor hasn’t been selected yet. And even though it may or may not be compatible with the upcoming system opening soon in Santa Monica.
This one offers a single location, inside the office tower at 515 S. Flower. And membership is limited to the bankers, lawyers and other professionals who work within.
According to the sign inside, they just need to present their security badge to check out a bike, complete with optional helmet, for a free three hour ride through the city.
I don’t know about the men and women who work there, but I can go a long way in three hours.
Although presumably, the bikes will be used mostly to run errands, run out to a quick meeting or go to lunch in the immediate area.
But whatever they’re used for, it’s nice to see the building’s operators step up and provide a useful service for its tenants, without contributing to Downtown traffic.
Maybe some other businesses will follow suit.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually see a public bike share open up one of these days.
Because it’s damn hard to ride promises.
That is a great way to do bike share!
note: possibly the first known bike share program in LA occurred during OccupyLA founded and maintained by Midnight Ridazz. Some 15 bikes at its peak. All eventually stolen.
I should have known. The Ridazz do everything first in LA. Although the end is kind of sad and predictable.
Last week, I also saw a couple of rental bikes in a Famima store on Sixth Street in DTLA.
That one surprises me. I know Timbuktu also has a few bikes they loan out on a first come, first serve basis in their Venice store.
The line hotel is koreatown has this too. I know because a few months ago I tried to lock my bike up at the corral in front of the hotel entrance and was told it was only for the bikes available to hotel guests.