Elliott McFadden, Austin B-Cycle Executive Director (Photo: The Daily Texan)

B Cycle Austin Coming December 21!

I spend a lot of time in Austin, TX for work each month and I even lived there for 3 months this past summer. I am an avid cyclist and will ride just about anywhere. It definitely beats walking and especially when the temps sore in Austin, which is the majority of the year. Austin is home to so many thriving businesses and also a massive influx of people for the affordable (for now) real estate, quality of life and great entertainment and food. It’s about as un-Texas as you can get in the state.

So what’s the big deal about B-Cycle coming to Austin? Well for one, B-Cycle and other bike sharing programs have been launched in countless other cities and specifically I have been a user of B-Cycle in Denver and Boulder since those were launched. Denver’s program began back in 2010 and was an almost immediate success. Austin is a prime city for a bike sharing program. The city has taken a stance for bike safety and access with what seems to be a new bike lane or path being installed every time I visit the city. There is also a rather massive traffic problem in this little city in central Texas. The massive population growth has overpowered the current infrastructure and at last count Austin was in the top 5 for worst traffic in the country. More bikes on the road means less cars!

Initial Launch Map for B-Cycle Stations

So Austin, get excited for B-Cycle to come to your city next month. The program will launch with 11 stations along Congress downtown as well as the convention center and at the Whole Foods Market on 6th & Lamar. The other 29 stations will be operational by March and hopefully in time for SXSW.

 The Details:

How it works: buy a daily, weekly or annual pass. Go to a b-cycle station and check out a bike. The first half hour is always free of additional charges (included in your membership), but you pay for additional half hours if the bike is not returned to another b-cycle station before your timer is up. The idea of bike sharing is short distance trips from one station to the next. Think of it as a subway system, but you are the motor for the subway car.

Daily Pass: $8

Weekly Pass: $25

Annual Pass: $80

Additional Half Hour: $4

College/Downtown Employee Pass: Not yet determined

More deets: https://austin.bcycle.com/home/