UPDATE: Here’s Planning Director Amanda Thompson’s description of what this work session tonight is all about…

 The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition received funding to conduct a feasibility study for a bike share system for the City of Atlanta and Decatur. The study included an overview of existing bike share systems in the United States – their funding, how they are administered and what kind of technology they use, suggested where stations could be installed over time and cost estimates for implementing a sharing system. Rebecca and Bradley Davis, one of the consultants, will present what we have found to date.

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There’s a work session on the Decatur City Commission’s agenda this evening titled “Bike Share Feasibility Study”.

Wikipedia defines bike share programs as “… a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals who do not own them. Bicycle sharing systems can be divided into two general categories: “Community Bike programmes” organized mostly by local community groups or non-profit organizations; and “Smart Bike programmmes” implemented by government agencies, sometimes in a public-private partnership. The central concept of these systems is to provide free or affordable access to bicycles for short-distance trips in an urban area as an alternative to motorized public transport or private vehicles, thereby reducing traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution. Bicycle sharing systems have also been cited as a way to solve the “last mile” problem and connect users to public transit networks.^[3]“

Now you may be saying to yourself…Did he just Wikipedia “bike sharing”?  Yes.  Yes I did.  That’s what I do when I don’t have further info yet.  (And it’s because I hadn’t asked the city about it until this moment.  No one is dragging their feet, except me of course.  I’ll update the post once I have more info.)

Lots of large cities have bike share programs already in place, including Denver, Minneapolis, Boulder CO, Boston, Kansas City and of course Chattanooga, TN – who is, according to some, currently “eating Atlanta’s lunch“.  NYC and Chicago also have plans to launch bike share programs this year.  Smaller cities like Bridgeport, Connecticut; Portland, Maine; and Fort Collins, Colorado are currently pursuing bike share programs, according to Streetsblog.

Photo of Chattanooga man/city eating Atlanta’s lunch on a bike courtesy of Streetsblog

I’m not saying I’m the first to report this (see Emory Report), but here’s a pic of the new Zoe’s Kitchen in Emory Village along Oxford Road, sorta across the street from B&N/Starbucks.

 

• DeKalb Commission delays vote on sale of Callaway site [Patch]
• Atlanta streetcar to begin laying down tracks next month [WABE]
• Chattanooga: Eating our lunch in livability [Saporta Report]
• Fight over Atlanta mass transit raises issues of race [AJC]
• DeKalb zoning appeals sides with developer of Clifton Ridge in Druid Hills dispute [AJC]
• The End of the Neighborhood School [Atlantic Cities]

Photo courtesy of Atlanta Streetcar’s Facebook Page

The DBF has three pretty nifty keen events coming up.

February 26th - A Literary Feast at the Iberian Pig with Susan Rebecca White, Kevin Young, Susan Puckett and Amber Dermont. Each of the four courses will be inspired by one of the author’s work. This is a benefit for the Decatur Education Foundation and will be the first in an ongoing series of great meals. Reservations required.

March 1, 5-7pm,An Irish Shindig in Decatur, The Brick Store Pub. As part of the American Conference on Irish Study that’s being held in Decatur that weekend, we are sponsoring a cash-bar gathering at the Brick. Music will be played, poetry will be recited, Jameson’s and Guinness will be consumed. Seamus Heaney will be reading at Emory the next day, so this is your warmup act for the Nobel Laureate. Who knows who will stop by?

March 23, Symphony Hall, Rachel Maddow presented by A Cappella Books and sponsored by the DBF. She’ll be talking about her book “Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power”. Tickets go on sale tomorrow through the Woodruff box office. This has just been announced today.