Slog - Comments on King County Rolls Out Green Bike Program

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:18:12 -0800

Wow. The city is buying bicycles for people with good jobs at high-paying companies. Fascinating.

Comment by Whitworth Fag

Whitworth Fag — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:24:18 -0800

Ah yes, the rainy season seems to have started early this year. I wonder if we will see snow in September this year? Snowboarding at Steven's Pass on Election Day maybe?

Comment by Angelika

Angelika — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:27:51 -0800

#1 - well, at least this is a start.

I hope the program turns out to be hugely successful and they make much bigger improvements and changes next year!

Comment by kinaidos

kinaidos — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:50:37 -0800

Green Bike is a clever name for the program - no doubt an allusion go the Rayon Vert which flashes on rare occasions for but a second at sundown and then is gone.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:02:18 -0800

Wow.

Cost for 200 bikes = ....

Cost to jack up Metro bus fares 50 cents citywide = ....

You're still being taken to the cleaners.

Why don't the companies pay for the bikes instead and affix their corporate logos to them?

Comment by elrider

elrider — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:02:58 -0800

Fnarf,

I love ya' man, but the city is not involved, it's the county. Also, as far as I can tell, REI is donating the bikes.

Comment by Bellevue Ave

Bellevue Ave — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:32:50 -0800

how many people like riding bikes in the rain?

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:51:26 -0800

City, county, same difference. Donations or not, same difference. They're still allocating resources to relatively well-off people, which is weird.

Comment by Reverse Polarity

Reverse Polarity — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:52:04 -0800

Given the list of companies they rattled off, I'm pretty sure just about any of them could afford a bike to commute with if they chose to. The bikes they're giving away are probably worth roughly $300. (Compare that to roughly $8000 per year the average American spends on cars, car payments, insurance, gas, etc). A free bike isn't what's stopping them. Hills, rain, and lack of safe bike routes is what's stopping them.

The company commitment to showers and bike parking is certainly a help. But what we need is better and safer bike routes, not fee bikes for the well-employed.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:36:32 -0800

Fnarf for the win. Of course, if those same companies, like say Microsoft, anted up for putting light rail on SR-520, this would all be a moot point.

Comment by dwight moody

dwight moody — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:55:26 -0800

Will in Seattle: Novara is REI's house brand, so they have slapped their label on the bike.

Reverse Polarity: The Novara Transfer is a $500 bike. Wholesale that's probably $250 plus the labor to assemble it.

Nice idea. My workplace has secure bike parking and a shower, and it's wonderful.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:27:59 -0800

But REI will be knocking the full $500 off their taxes.

And the county presumably has an administrative staff of thirty to monitor.