The first bike sharing program launched in Amsterdam the Netherlands, in 1968. Another program was soon attempted in Milan, Italy. However, these early systems were plagued by theft and vandalism. A bike share program was attempted in the United States years later in the 1990s. Portland, OR, Minneapolis, MN, Boulder, CO, and Princeton, NJ all participated. These programs had no sense of reliability or user accountability and therefore were not successful.

The Velib program which started in Paris, summer 2007, has proven successful. Bicing in Barcelona and Spain both started programs a year ago and already have thousands of bikes available.

A similar program is about to launch in Washington DC. A new public/private venture called SmartBike DC will make 120 bikes available at 10 central locations in the city. The program, which officials say is the first of its kind in the nation, will operate similarly to the car-sharing program Zipcar.

DC has teamed up with an advertiser, Clear Channel Outdoor, to put bikes on the streets. There will be an annual membership fee of $40. SmartBike users can check out a bike for three hours at a time, but if kept longer the user will receive demerits and possibly loose renting privileges. Bikes not returned in 48hrs will be considered lost and user will be charged a $200 fee.

Vehicular transportation is a significant source of greenhouse gas emission. Bike sharing programs promote sustainable energy use and improve the quality of urban life. Plus it’s an invigorating way of promoting exercise!