Event set for March 20th at City-County building
(Madison) – The Madison B-cycle bike sharing system will kick off its 2013 season of active transportation in the capitol city at an event hosted by Mayor Paul Soglin and Trek Bicycle President John Burke. The launch event, scheduled for Wednesday, March 20th at 4:00pm will celebrate Madison B-cycle’s fast growth and 2013 season opening. The event will begin on the steps of the Madison City-County building with remarks from the Mayor and John Burke, before a B-cycle ride around the capitol.
The Madison B-cycle system is the result of a partnership between the City of Madison and Trek Bicycle, with both renewing their commitment to bringing Madisonians access to active transportation through 2013. Trek financially supports the program while the City has a dedicated B-cycle team lead by Kevin Briski, Superintendent of Parks, to facilitate station locations.
After a 356% increase in annual memberships in 2012, Madison B-cycle is the fastest-growing B-cycle system in the country. With active transportation growing in popularity nationwide, Madison B-cycle Manager Claire Hurley sees a bright future: “Our goal is to get people on bikes in Madison, and we’re going to continue to work on that. We’ve seen Madison residents turn to the ease and convenience of a bike sharing membership in conjunction with bus or a personal vehicle. Multimodal transportation is growing around the country, and Madison is a prime example of that.”
The 2013 year will see two new stations added to the system, including one at Madison’ new Central Library, with the high-usage John Nolen and Memorial Union stations expanding in size to accommodate high traffic.
Trek is sponsoring free 30 minute trips from the March 20th opening through April 1, for curious Madisonians to try the bikes out before purchasing a longer term membership. Visit any Madison B-cycle kiosk for more information and a ride.
To RSVP for the Madison B-cycle launch event, please email Claire.Hurley@MadisonBcycle.com
