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Free Bike Program is Rolling Again in Annapolis
City
Free
Bike Program Is Rolling Again in Annapolis City Seeks to Boost
Mobility, Tourism
By Lauren
Wiseman
Washington Post Staff Writer
6/26/2008
Annapolis's summer bike-loan program, Free Wheelin', which debuted
last year, returned last week. Through August, residents and
tourists can borrow a beach cruiser, a single-speed bike, for
24 hours at the harbor master's office at City Dock. This year,
the city's Department of Transportation partnered with Capital
Bikes, a local shop that is providing and maintaining the bicycles.
A staff member at the harbor master's office checks bikes in
and out from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Cyclists must show a credit
card and driver's license.
Free Wheelin'
grew out of a desire by Annapolis officials to build the city's
reputation as a bike destination and to help tourists explore
the area. "We want to be a state, regional and international
bike destination. But chances are tourists did not bring their
own bikes. We help people become more mobile and provide an
opportunity for them to get out of historic downtown," said
Steve Carr, special assistant to Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (D). Ulric
Dahlgren, the Annapolis harbor master, said the program appeals
especially to boaters who moor at City Dock and need an easy
way to shop for groceries and other supplies. "It is a really
good thing for people who come on boats because they don't have
their own cars," he said Dahlgren said 8,000 to 10,000 boats
dock in the harbor during the boating season.
The program,
which has been operating since June 16, has six bikes, but more
might be added as interest grows, he said. Helmets are not supplied
but are recommended. As of last Thursday, bikes had been borrowed
37 times, the harbor master said. In 2007, Free Wheelin' lent
bikes more than 75 times from June to August, said Danielle
Matland, director of the city's Transportation Department. Eastport
resident Tim Parker has taken advantage of the program twice.
Parker, a dog walker and pet sitter, borrows the bikes to get
to clients' homes and the Anne Arundel County Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where he volunteers. "You
see the city with a different set of eyes on a bike," Parker
said. "Riding in a car, you see very little." Parker owns a
bike but said he likes to ride the beach cruisers to train different
muscles. Matland said the city's ultimate goal is to add locations
to rent bikes and to automate the program. "Eventually the city
would like to put in an electronic system and have 10 different
depots," Matland said.
This spring,
the District launched a bike-sharing program called SmartBike
DC. It is an electronic system that operates in a similar fashion
as car-sharing programs such as Zipcar. Participants pay a $40
membership fee and have access to 120 bikes at 10 locations
throughout the city. SmartBike DC is a public-private venture
between the District and Clear Channel Communications, which
in return for providing the bikes receives free advertising
on District bus shelters.
Free Wheelin'
in Annapolis used donated bikes and volunteers last year. Now,
Capital Bikes obtains the bikes, and staff members take care
of the logistics. "We don't do this to make money from a business
standpoint," said Parker Jones, owner of Capital Bikes. "We
do this because we believe the more bike access that is created
in the city, the better the city will be." For information on
Free Wheelin', call the harbor master's office at 410-263-7973
or Capital Bikes at 410-626-2197.
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