baltimore gets smart bikes!

Remember how I was just telling you about how excited I am to ride my bike around town? Well, apparently other people want to be cruising in the bi-wheeled fashion, too. And it's about to get a whole lot easier, since "smart bikes" are coming to Baltimore! As I mentioned, hauling my bike in and out of my house is pretty brutal, but the new bike-share program eliminates the need to own a bike of your own. Think of it as ZipBikes - bikes when you need 'em!

They're all high-tech, with built in computer chips that enable you to pick up a bike from one "B-station" and drop off at another, charging you for the amount of time you used it (the first 30 minutes are free, though!). You probably won't see people taking these smart bikes out for long day trips since the price rises steeply after an hour of use, but what a perfect solution for hopping around town to run a quick errand, or if you're late for an appointment and want to skip traffic... and parking...

And here's more good news! Patterson Park is one of the proposed locations for a B-station!

Preliminary plans call for B-stations in Mt. Vernon, Penn Station, Bolton Hill, North Ave, 25th Street, Homewood Campus/Charles Village, Harbor East, Fells and Canton. If all goes well, we can expect additional locations to open, including Locust Point and Fort McHenry. Since the Additionally, stations can be moved easily to adjust to ridership and use patterns.

If you're thinking, "Yeah, I give those bikes 10 minutes till they're stolen!" fear not! They're designed with an imbedded GPS tracker, parts that can't be broken down and sold, and all kinds of locks. Tracking software has been used to track usage and reveal cool statistics, such as Denver collectively burning 6,333,332 calories the first year of operation.

Get biking, Baltimore!

love k

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