On Tuesday, the Downtown Alliance, along with Mayor Ralph Becker and sponsors Kennecott and
SelectHealth, unveiled plans to roll out bike sharing in Utah’s capital in March 2013.
The project calls for spreading about 100 bikes across 10 to 12 solar-powered stations around downtown hot spots such as City Creek Center, The Gateway and the intermodal hub. From there, participants can grab a set of wheels and tool around town.
The program is not for renting; it’s for sharing. Citygoers can buy daily or yearly memberships — ranging from $5 to $75 — that allow them to travel between downtown stations for 30 minutes or less. When the green-savvy travelers are done riding, they leave the bikes at a secure station, where daily maintenance and cleaning occurs.
Seventy percent of all car trips are under two miles, said Bike Share Project Manager Ben Bolte. "That’s what these kind of systems are trying to take care of." Salt Lake Tribune
