San Francisco moving to catch up with European bike-share programs

[jpak]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/03/MNLOSIIPE.DTL

San Francisco is one push of the pedal closer to offering residents and visitors a bike-sharing program in an effort to ease traffic congestion and to promote health through exercise.

More than a dozen European cities have government-sponsored programs in which bikes are provided for people to share. Last month, Paris started the most ambitious program yet, providing more than 10,000 bikes at 750 stations and expecting that the program will be double in size by year's end.

Now, hilly San Francisco is gearing up for a program of its own. A proposed city contract with Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. that gives the company advertising rights on transit shelters also would require the company to set up a bike-sharing program if the city opts for one. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the contract this month.

The cost to use such a program would be free or nominal, San Francisco leaders say, pointing to the Paris project as a possible model.

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[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Of all possible contractors... CLEAR CHANNEL?!

Please tell me they are not related in any way to the reich-wing media conglomerate.

[The2ndWheel]

2. Same logo

Sorry.

They didn't come to be a billion dollar organization by not knowing what they're doing. We have states and corporations. They own everything, and they are our only choice.