Eric Lundquist, editorial director at eWeek, was kind enough to stop by our offices at PAN a few weeks ago to give us an update on some of the changes that have taken place at the publication, and at Ziff Davis overall. One thing that he mentioned, that was entirely unrelated to PR but peaked my interest nonetheless, was a Bike to Work Day that he's helping to organize. As it turns out, Eric is an avid proponent of creating a comprehensive bicycle plan for Andover, Mass., and even writes about It in his personal blog Bike01810.
And it got me thinking…could such a program work in downtown Boston?
In an effort to “go green”, reduce traffic angst and perhaps cut down on the “fluff factor” of many of its Fast Food Nation-loving citizens, several cities abroad are working toward implementing a public-use bicycle program. On July 15, Paris inaugurated a new self-service bicycle transit system called Velib (a combination of the French words velo, for bike, and liberte, for freedom) to encourage its population to choose leg power over automotive power. And it seems to be catching on. From what I’ve read, bicyclists are plentiful, especially on center-city streets, and it's hard to walk more than two blocks without encountering a Velib station occupying what would have been a few parking spots for cars.
Of course Paris is not the first city to support a widespread bike-share system. Lyons, France, started one last year and Barcelona, Spain, began one in March. But according to Parisian newspapers, the system in Paris is the biggest and most comprehensive. And as anyone who has visited The Netherlands can tell you, there are just as many bikes as people (13 million bikes, 16 million Dutchmen). Bikes are available for rent - by the day, week or month - at most major train stations in Holland, from Maastricht in the south to the northern city of Groningen. In other words, bicycles rule. Just try stepping into a bike lane in Amsterdam – you’ll get a whole lot of angry bike bell. Holland’s version of road rage, I suppose.
Last week Boston’s Mayor Menino announced his plans to increase Boston’s “greening” efforts. It includes the Bike Friendly Businesses Program which recognizes businesses that encourage bicycling among their employees by “engaging in bicycle friendly practices.” Too bad I work 25 miles from home. But at least it’s a step in the right direction. Some Boston-area individuals have already taken matters into their own hands on this one.
Personally, I’d love to see Boston embrace a city-wide bike share program, similar to what Philadelphia is working on. If Phili can do it, why can’t we?