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Revolution in Pink

Telluride Townies Re-invent the Bike Library

By Nathan Rice

Found in: | Outside | Biking | Road Biking |

Across the nation, the dark fate of the bike library seemed etched in stone. In town after town, these benevolent bike-sharing programs saw their brightly painted two-wheelers disappear into the communities they served - yet another tragedy of the commons.

Even Telluride, the affluent, idyllic ski town in western Colorado, couldn't keep track of its community bikes. Free bike sharing programs seemed a quaint, idealistic notion unfit for these modern times.

Enter Jacey DePriest.

"I had a bike stolen and taken for a drunken joyride," explains DePriest. Suddenly without pedals, she realized something was wrong in Telluride.

"I thought, ?This is silly. There are no bikes available for people.'"

DePriest was aware of the sullied reputation of community bike programs, but she knew she had to do something. The crux was figuring out how to make bike borrowers accountable in a free, friendly way. The few remaining bike sharing programs in the U.S. require a deposit to use a bike. That's when she decided to take the bike library idea literally.

"It took a little convincing," she says, but soon card-carrying patrons of Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library could check out a bicycle along with their books. The Telluride Townies community bike program was born.

After almost a year, no bikes have been stolen and a recent grant from Telluride's New Community Coalition, the program's umbrella organization, will help expand their fleet from 20 to 30 pink, basket-sporting, one-speed cruisers. Last year, every bike was used more than 30 times.

The new model could be the humble beginnings of a bike-sharing revolution. The Telluride Townies bike library is the first in the country to strike the balance between the inherent magnanimity of sharing and the accountability needed to keep the program going.

The original Telluride Townies started in 1993 with free bikes for anyone to use at anytime. But soon the bikes were lost or broken and eventually the program crashed. Now, with library oversight and strong community support, supporters hope the pretty pink bikes will stay cruising for years to come.

It works like this: Library patrons who are over 18 years old can check out a bike for four days. Bikes can be renewed at the library or online unless there is a hold on it. After four days, a notice will be issued and a $5 per day late fee will be charged. If a bike is lost, a $250 fine will be issued. Visitors can also check out bikes with a temporary library card.

"Really," says DePriest, "the support from the community is the only way this has happened."

All of the bikes were donated. The bike rack was donated by the city. Cash donations came from Clark's Market's Cashsaver program in which coupons can be donated to local nonprofits. More bikes were donated from the Sheriff's collection of abandoned bikes.

Daniel Murray, a planner for the town of Telluride, has helped garner support for the program. He also works with the San Miguel Bicycle Alliance, a local advocacy group that partners with Telluride Townies and offers maintenance help.

"It's an incredible asset to the community," says Murray of the Townies program. "It keeps the town unique. People want to come here for a little different experience and a slower pace."

Telluride, with its affluent population and strong community investment, offers an ideal testing ground for the new program model. Whether it can survive in less-idyllic settings remains to be seen. A lot of people have expressed interest, says DePriest, but no other similar programs have sprouted up yet.

"I think after a couple years of success people will see that it's an option," says DePriest. "I think it works ideally in this small town. There are a lot of things that our library offers that most libraries don't."

In the meantime, the Townies and their supporters are hoping to keep the program thriving where past attempts at bike sharing have failed.

"Ultimately," says Murray, "we need to get as much community buy-in as possible so that there's a sense of pride. That will be the task: to keep people's investment and awareness of these bikes and their value - which this town has."

With springtime around the corner in Telluride, the growing fleet of pink cruisers is ready to hit the streets. Numerous upcoming festivals will ensure the bikes are well-used and well-cruised.

"Everybody now has access to bicycles," says DePriest with a smile. "It's great. It's that many less cars on the road."

Nathan Rice writes from Boulder, Colo. He likes bikes.