Check Out This Bike Library

Borrowing a successful idea from Europe, this town has a free volunteer-run "bike library."

1 minute read

August 30, 2003, 1:00 PM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"This small college town is home to a special kind of library. Its volunteers help keep Arcata's air clean by restoring old bicycles to loan to students and others who might otherwise use cars...students make up about a third of the people who sign a waiver, put down a $20 deposit to secure the bike's safe return, and then hop onto someone's former castoff refurbished by a bunch of pro-pedal volunteers.The rest of the borrowers are tourists and local residents, all getting a free ride for up to six months in hopes that a little human-powered transportation will keep the air a bit cleaner."

Thanks to Robert Karrow

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 in The Sacramento Bee

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