City Joins Trend of Providing Bikes

A nonprofit group put 24 yellow bicycles on the streets of Austin, as the city joined a handful of U.S. cities that offer free transportation for those willing to pedal. In a city where single-occupant cars outnumber yellow cabs, the bikes can be used by anyone to ride anywhere with one caveat--they must be left in the open, unlocked, so someone else can use them. Community bike programs are popular in European cities, and are now found across the United States. In Boulder, the city spent $20,000 to make 120 donated, green bikes available to the public. A few months later, only about 40 were still on the streets but organizers considered the program a success.