Tel Aviv is preparing to launch a bike-sharing program, joining over 200 cities in the world that already operate such systems.
The pessimists and optimists will continue to disagree about the ultimate outcome of the amazing wave of protests sweeping through the Middle East (including bicycle-riding protestors in Cairo), but here’s one revolution everyone can applaud: New bike-sharing schemes are being inaugurated in Doha and Tel Aviv to ease urban congestion and reduce pollution.
Amidst reports of growing revolutionary fervor in Qatar (at least on Facebook, if not in the streets), a pilot program of bike rentals was recently launched in Doha. Initially, the bikes will be rented for 30-minute periods at no charge. “The idea is to eventually make the country bicycle-friendly with separate cycling lanes,” Qatar Cycling Federation president Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al-Thani told Gulf Times at the launch.
Bike stations are also being installed in Tel Aviv, which is slated to inaugurate its Tel-Ofan bike-sharing system next month. The first stage of the project will include 75 stations and 750 bicycles. Environmental organizations and transportation planners are enthusiastic about the program, but worry that the city lacks an appropriate infrastructure of bike paths.
:: Gulf Times
:: TheMarker (in Hebrew)
Image via The Bike-Sharing Blog
Read more about bicycles in Tel Aviv:
Greenie Wants YOU to Become a Bicycle Courier in Tel Aviv
Israel Becomes A Nation of Pedalers (Cycling Freaks)
Tel Aviv Cafes Offer Great Cappucinos and Free Bike Rentals
Bike Sharing Down to a Science
And for something completely different::
