<
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/bike-libraries-are-increasing-access-to-bikes-across-america>
"At Madison, Wisconsin’s nine public libraries, residents can check out books
of all kinds, from hardbacks and paperbacks to ebooks and audiobooks. They can
check out movies as DVDs and Blu-rays. And since last year, library card
holders can also check out electric bicycles.
Madison’s public libraries are part of a growing number of bike libraries in
cities and towns from coast to coast. A list of U.S. bike lending libraries
curated by
StreetsblogMASS reporter Grecia White documents 35 such programs,
from Vermont to Texas. While they all look a little different and work a little
differently, they all do the same thing — increase free access to bikes.
As a 2021 report by
People for Bikes notes, there are a number of social,
cultural and physical barriers that keep cities across the country from
creating inclusive biking communities, from unequal distribution of biking
infrastructure to prevailing perceptions of cycling as an activity for white
men. A study in Portland, Oregon, found that car traffic, know-how, and space
needed to maintain and store a bike are among the biggest barriers to bike use.
But cost, the researchers found, gets in the way, too. Even the cheapest road
bikes still cost a couple hundred dollars, and the cost can go well into the
five-figure range. For those who need an extra boost, most electric bikes cost
at least $1,000. Municipal bike shares can help with access issues, but their
payment infrastructure doesn’t work for those who are unbanked.
Enter bike libraries. In Madison, as long as you’re one of the 62% of city
residents who have a library card, you can check out an electric bike from one
of the city’s libraries for free. This is thanks to a partnership with Madison
BCycle, an e-bike sharing company in the city whose parent company is Trek, a
bike company based in nearby Waterloo, Wisconsin."
Via
The Fixer October 26, 2022:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/madison-wisconsin-library-borrow-ebike/>
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
