be sure to hire a bike whilst you’re there !!”
Yes I know that’s not the right lyrics but it is certainly the order of the day since San Francisco is the latest city to launch their bike share scheme.
Called the Bay Area Bike Share, it has 70 stations and 700 bikes available in the San Francisco, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose. The scheme is designed to help combat and reduce vehicle emissions throughout the San Francisco peninsula by giving locals and tourists another option to get around.
As with nearly all of the new bike share schemes, the bikes are incredibly similar to the “Boris Bikes” in our fair capital – the only difference being the colour and the sponsor.
But one thing is slightly worrying though – San Francisco has some of the steepest hills in the whole of California ! So when you go to hire your bike to ride around town, be sure you know where you’re going. Yes of course it would be great fun freewheeling down some of these steep hills but you may have to push your bike back up them. And if you want to know how steep they are, click here to check out “The Steeps Of San Francisco”.
And for those of you who are reading this thinking “what has this go to do with Birmingham?”
Well my biking buddies, it is yet another example of how a city is embracing cycling. And for a city like San Francisco and others around the world, it shows that their commitment to cycling is not just a passing fad; some publicity stunt; something to win over voters.
This council now has the money to invest. My advice?
Do it properly – don’t just free-wheel…
Let's Ride Birmingham! 