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by Pattie Baker

Bikeshare coming to Brook Run Park?

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on the Big Creek Greenway that crosses these 2 cities

A week or two ago, thinking about where I could give back in 2018, I wrote this to my local parks and rec folks:

I’m specifically interested in helping more women ride bikes. Have you considered adding a Zagster* bikeshare station to Brook Run Park? There is no safe and legal way for an adult to ride a bike to Brook Run from most homes in Dunwoody so having the bikes on site would be a way to overcome that barrier (plus not everyone can afford a bike nor has the room for one, or they would like to try one before they buy one; additionally, transporting a bike via car can be physically and logistically difficult).

As a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor, I would be happy to teach a FREE Zagster class once a month if you were to do so. If you were to add Zagster, it would be nice to also find a way to include an adult tricycle or two that folks could borrow, specifically considering that there are senior homes across the street from the park**. Please let me know if you’d like to meet or talk about other ideas.

I got this reply:

I believe the talk of a shared bike program has been discussed but not sure how far it went. My understanding is it involves more than just the Parks department and that seems to be where we get stuck.

So today’s question is — how do we get unstuck? Can anyone at Dunwoody City Hall help? Is there anything else I can do to help?

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in downtown Suwanee

* The metro-Atlanta cities of Roswell, Alpharetta, Smyrna, Suwanee, and Carrollton already provide Zagster bikeshare for their citizens. You sign up for free online and then can use the bikes for free for three hours. A city can start with just one station, as Suwanee did (see here for when I road-tested there), and use that as a pilot program for other parks or commercial centers in the future.

And, of course, the City of Atlanta provides Relay Bikeshare, of which I’m a member. For $15 a month, I get access to an hour and a half free each and every day. They also offer other pricing plans for specific audiences, such as students and those with limited means.

** I taught seniors on trikes in the City of Decatur throughout 2017. I’ve compiled my recommendations for any city that would like to do that as well.

Note: My book, Traveling at the Speed of Bike, has lots in it about women-on-bikes and why it’s life and community-enhancing.