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| digital rendering of a bike sharing station in l.a. - love the design of the bike. image by bike nation |
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| a velo'v bike sharing station in lyon, france. |
i can't believe it. i've only heard how the city wants to do this but i didn't think it would be happening this soon. we just don't have the money for it. now it is happening thanks to a private company, bike nation. i just hope the bikes look better than the velib of paris. unfortunately this is not county-wide, yet. they are only concentrating on four areas right now: hollywood, westwood, venice, and downtown. 4,ooo bikes. their rates are similar to other bike sharing systems around the world: $6 for the day, $1.50 for an hour or $4.50 for 90 minutes. Trips shorter than 30 minutes will be free; one-year passes will run $75. yes, i know these bike sharing systems also have to worry about theft which is why there is a tracking device built in each bike and a registration fee involved for each bike rider -- just like in other cities that implement this bike sharing system. even if you just want to ride it for a few hours you have to register first and the registration fee is around $300 (the price of one good bike).
here's the whole story.
