- St Paul MINN
St. Paul's Yellow Bike Coalition is about to hit the road again
with its signature yellow cycles -- but without its customary
dash of faith in humanity.
The 3-year-old organization made headlines by setting out free
bikes for public use for the past two years, only to see the
cycles all but vanish. Vandals and thieves, it turned out, made
short work of the fleet and the program's lofty ideals.
- But the coalition is ready to try again this year, with the
help of a pair of small state grants -- including $75,000 in
lottery proceeds -- and a shift in philosophy: a bike ``lending
library'' is about to replace bike anarchy.
- ``It was a nice try, and I'm glad someone did it,'' says
Andrew Koebrick, one of the coalition's volunteers and one of
the forces behind the change. ``I went through my own wacky,
`the world is good' phase, too. But clearly, if you give people
something for free, they'll abuse it.''
- This time, the Yellow Bikes are going to be collected around
``hub'' businesses, where eligible riders can pick up free bikes
and locks and be on their way. When they're done, they ride back
to the ``bike drop.''
- The coalition will issue a ``Bike Card'' to borrowers, in
return for a $10 refundable deposit, according to Rolf Nordstrom,
the coalition's volunteer treasurer. The actual paperwork and
checkout will be administered by hub businesses, such as the
Department of Natural Resources coffee shop and Rudy's Coffee
Shop on West Seventh Street, which already are testing the program.
- ``They've been coming and going already,'' says Scott Alewine
at Rudy's. ``People sometimes get caught without a car here,
and the bikes are great for short trips.''
- And they're coming back, too.
- Coalition organizers hope that'll be a selling point for
businesses: that riders will stop by at least twice. The bikes
also will carry the names of ``hubs,'' like rolling billboards,
albeit small ones.
- Nordstrom says he's already lined up several Grand Avenue
establishments, such as Burnet Realty, the Grand Performance
Bike Shop and the Hungry Mind book store. Macalester College
also has expressed some interest, and Nordstrom thinks other
establishments along the avenue will be interested once the program
gets up to speed.
- ``It may be at least some small part of the solution to the
parking situation there,'' Nordstrom says. ``That's a chronic
problem along Grand Avenue.''
- Which isn't to say that the coalition hasn't given up on
all of its lofty goals.
- Koebrick, a librarian for the state planning agency, says
that the bikes still depend on youth programs to keep going.
Save Our City's Kids, a Frogtown youth program, is still involved,
and the St. Paul school district and Wilder Center are involved.
Koebrick said that even Ramsey County community corrections got
into the act and got some juvenile bike thieves to help devise
a new lock system for the coalition.
- And Koebrick says that the coalition hopes the program ultimately
will lead to increased bicycle ridership and more people using
alternative transportation, such as buses.
- ``And, of course, cars will go the way of the dinosaurs,''
Koebrick says, tongue only partly in cheek.
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