Jenny Park), left, multi-modal specialist at Outdoor Chattanooga, shows a prototype of the commuter bicycle that will be used in the city’s bike share program. In the foreground is a bicycle from the bike share program in Washington, D. C.A bike-sharing program, the first of its kind in Chattanooga, is on schedule to ease the frustration of anyone who has ever muttered under their breath about downtown parking or congestion slowing their commute to lunch, officials said.
Hundreds of bikes purchased with a more than $2 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation will be kept in 30 stations between Main Street, the North Shore and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus. People will be able to check out the bikes from the racks with their credit cards. Using a bike for an hour is $6 while an annual membership costs $75 and gives unlimited use of bikes in hourly increments.
If someone doesn’t return the bike, the cost will be charged to their credit card.
Bike Chattanooga, organized by Outdoor Chattanooga, will launch this winter but people can begin signing up for memberships to the bike-sharing program in a few weeks.
“Bike sharing has been exploding all around the world,” said Philip Pugliese, bicycle coordinator with Outdoor Chattanooga. “This just adds another layer of transporation choice to move people around the city without adding additional air pollution or parking spaces.”