A Purple Bike Ride

Big bike rental programs like Citibike- present in NY and plenty of other big cities- function with specialized bikes, lots of advertising revenue, and a membership body that correctly believes that bike-sharing is a necessary cost-saving measure. If you’re in rural New England, however, bike riding is only realist 9 months out of the year, and if you take the summer out, that leaves about 5 months of riding time.

Williams College has had a couple failed bike share programs, with expensive new bikes and lock boxes and such, but no form of accountability. In most other aspects of campus life, the student body is mostly trusting and accountable, with skis left in the cafeteria still there a few days later, bikes left by the river for a swim unlocked… But when the asset is a community asset- dishes, umbrellas, bikes- things don’t get treated well. So my friends and I, appointed by the college and given some money to start a new bikeshare program, have been given the job of making an accountable system. Luckily, not too much is at stake. Like the bikes at the Climbers’ Ranch in Jackson, WY, all the bikes are confiscated bikes held by security, and have received just a few new parts, including yellow seats and purple handlebar grips. Renters must sign a contract, return the bikes for a weekly check-in, and unlocked rental bikes are regularly returned to the shop, and their renters lose rental privileges.

There’s no point in whining about the issues we’ve had and kinks we still need to work out, but yesterday a joint event we sponsored- a full day of bike tours to local farms- was a success. Lots of students with no bikes borrowed the PBR bikes, everyone had helmets, and farmers were happy to see their local, organic food eaten and transported in a low-impact manner. No pictures of the bikes yet because I was busy filming for the school, but a couple snapshots are below.

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A few of the 40+ people on the morning tour to Sweetbrook Farm, admiring alpacas, syrup processing, and turkeys.

The same farm, on a nice 70+ day.