Proposed bike program would create community fleet

Come next spring, the streets of Oberlin could be filled with happy, healthy people biking to and fro, and crowded parking lots would be a thing of the past. At least that's what advocates of a community bike program hope.

The proposed program would make up to 100 one-speed bicycles available for public use throughout the city and campus of Oberlin. The bikes would be taken from the supply of unclaimed, abandoned, lost and stolen bicycles that the city and College collects each year. Previously these bikes were put up for public auction on Tappan Square in October.

The program is modeled after "yellow bike" programs in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon and Madison, Wisconsin. Director of Safety and Security Keith James said, "The program is still in the embryo stage: liability, legality, insurance, these are fundamental issues we still have to work out."

One of the main purposes of the program would be to relieve congestion in parking lots throughout the city. When asked if he would use the program, first-year David Oertel said, "Only if there were matching yellow helmets."

The current proposal would make the project a joint effort by the College and city, with the Bicycle Co-operative contributing repair and maintenance work.

"Oberlin is an ideal area, it is flat and a small town," James said. Since the bicycles are also one-speed, the expected maintenance is relatively minimal.

An application has been made for a grant from the Nord Foundation to finance the project and additional funding is being sought from the College.

Elizabeth Schuster, president of the Bicycle Co-operative, said, "If we got the money it would go to a paid employee; it would be too much work to do it like we do now."

The Bicycle Co-operative would need more space to perform the maintenance and repairs on so many bicycles. "We would open up a shop on main street or somewhere downtown," Schuster said. The Bicycle Co-operative would remain non-profit after the expansion of operations.

"We want to see it become a bike co-op that will benefit both the city and town," said Ken Sloane, an Oberlin City Councilman who is also director of Piano Technology at the Conservatory.

Theft of the bicycles is a concern, according to James. "I am realistic that there will be some loss, but I am optimistic that the community will work to help us," he said.

The proposal for the program stated, "We prefer they steal a yellow bike instead of an individual's personal property."

It is not even certain what color the bicycles would be painted. "We'd paint them some outrageous color," James said.

This year's bicycle auction will still go ahead with only the abandoned bicycles collected by the city up for auction. The College is holding on to the abandoned bicycles it collected and plans to donate them to the community bicycle program once it begins.