Washington, DC Gets Nation's First Bike-Sharing Program
In a somewhat surprising bit of greenish news, Washington D.C. is about to become the first American city with a high-tech bike-sharing program. For 40 bucks a year, SmartBike will let you grab a bike from any of 10 bike stations spread around the city's downtown, which you can then ride for up to three hours (if you want it for longer, you'll need to re-up it at one of the stations).
But, there's a downside. With the bike programs in some other (European) cities, GPS units inside the frames of the bikes prevent the bikes from being stolen: Roughly once a week, vans sweep through the city and redistribute the bikes. Smartbike, as the Washington Post points out, can't actually physically track their bikes: If one is stolen or damaged on your watch, you'll pay $550 for the mistake.
Still, it's a good start for what is sure to be the future of urban transportation. Bikes get infinity miles per gallon, people! [Source: BoingBoing]
