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What do Portland, Amsterdam, and Santa Cruz have in
common? They've all organized community bike projects, like the
one that was launched last Friday, in downtown Santa Cruz. A UCSC student by the name of Courtney said that the release party showed a lot of public support, but also described it as a "big smelly hippie party on bikes." The success of "Yellow Bikes" will be largely dependent on community support, since the bikes need to be not only donated, but also maintained. The City of Santa Cruz has already donated $1,000 to help fund the program, supplementing donations of some 60 bikes by residents of the community. According to Yosi Almog, a key organizer of the program, these brightly colored bicycles are available for everyone to use at his or her risk. In theory, these bikes are to remain unlocked, so that anyone can have access to them. But if people start getting attached [to their bikes] and locking them up, problems are bound to arise. After more than a week of the start of "Yellow Bikes," locals have mixed feelings. "When, I'm downtown and there are no available buses, bikes are a great idea," said Ken Martin, a UCSC alumnus. "But there could also be people that could take `em just for the hell of it." Since the program didn't cost a lot of money, he concluded, it was worth a try. Maybe Santa Cruz is on the verge of an egalitarian breakthrough. Or, maybe we'll find out in a few months, that the bikes have disappeared. Meanwhile, all we can do is wait and see the future of the happy, hippie bikes |
