Nice Ride Launch Celebration - June 10th Nicollet Mall

Nice Ride Minnesota will launch the nation's largest bike sharing system on Thursday, June 10 – Bike Walk to Work Day. Join us for our inaugural bike ride from the Central Library down Nicollet Mall to Peavey Plaza, where Mayor R.T. Rybak will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the Downtown YWCA bike share station.

Participants should arrive at the Central Library at 11:30am. Ride starts at 11:45am. Ribbon-cutting begins at noon.

September 2009 Sponsorship announcement

R.T. will share the ribbon-cutting honors with Pat Geraghty, CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, and Jennifer Munt, President of Transit of Livable Communities. Major financial support of Blue Cross and Transit for Livable Communities’ Bike Walk Twin Cities program made Nice Ride Minnesota happen.

With Nicollet Mall open for bikes and green buses, sidewalks bustling with people enjoying the Farmers Market and outdoor cafes, and live music by local artists in Peavey Plaza, Minneapolis is a national showcase for vibrant, livable downtowns. There is no better way to experience it than on a Nice Ride bike.

Nice Ride station at Birchwood Cafe

Nice Ride Minnesota's Phase 1 Plan calls for 1,000 bikes in 75 kiosks in downtown Minneapolis, on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus, and in surrounding commercial areas, including Uptown, Lyn-Lake, Midtown, Seward, Dinkytown, Cedar-Riverside, the West Bank, the Warehouse District, and Old St. Anthony.  700 of those bikes and 65 kiosks are being installed now.

Nice Ride will bring you a fun way to explore the city and get your heart rate up while doing it! Not only that - we are helping to save our environment - one reduced car trip at a time. Help Nice Ride cut out 3.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide by pedaling some this summer and fall.

Nice Ride was made possible by the contributions of public and private funders including many local retailers and businesses. These contributions have helped to make Nice Ride affordable to everyone. Subscribe to Nice Ride and have 1000 bikes to call your own. A yearly subscription is $60 ($50 for students) and includes coupons worth up to $500 to local retailers and eateries that operate within the service area.

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(1) On May 27, 2010, Tom said:
is there a map w/ locations of the kiosks online?
(2) On May 29, 2010, MD said:
I was excited about this program until I read about the additional fees on top of the subscription prices. Not the great deal I thought it would be for frequent riders. I don't like the idea of having to switch bikes every 30 minutes in order to avoid trip fees. Seems like an odd way to do it.
(3) On June 8, 2010, Sam Utne said:
I've been in Montreal a few times this year where I took full advantage of their bike sharing program, "Bixi" and just returned from Paris where "Velib" seems to be thriving. I'm so proud of Minneapolis for pulling this off. It will be a fantastic addition to the city.
(4) On June 8, 2010, C-Los said:
I'm so glad to finally see this happen in the Twin Cities, Nice work Nice Ride!!
(5) On June 9, 2010, morchella said:
Got my membership a few months ago... saw my first kiosk yesterday at St. Anthony Main, and can't wait for the launch tomorrow!
(6) On June 9, 2010, Bob Brown said:
Good luck tomorrow with kiosks very hard to find in downtown Minneapolis
(7) On June 9, 2010, Mark said:
This is a great system. I am so glad it is being brought to Minneapolis. I just returned from a vacation to Montreal and they have had the same system (under the name Bixi) in place for years. It was a wonderful way to view the sites and really tour the city! Best of luck Nice Rike!
(8) On June 10, 2010, Matt Bowers said:
This is wonderful! I live in NE Mpls and am thrilled to find out there is a station a few blocks from my home and another a few blocks from my work place!
(9) On June 10, 2010, TC said:
"Join us for our inaugural bike ride from the Central Library down Nicollet Mall to Peavey Plaza"

We tried to join you, but were denied the opportunity. Your people at the event kept telling us this was a "private event" for your sponsors, even though your primary sponsor is the US taxpayer. Very disappointing opening event.
(10) On June 11, 2010, Scott Chapin said:
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/nice-ride-minnesota-launches-in-minneapolis-june-10-2010

Here is a link to a story from Mpls. Fox TV
(11) On June 11, 2010, dpg said:
We are back from a fine afternoon ride along the lakes. We are first-time visitors to your city. This is a highlight, for sure.

best regards,

dpg and susan

(12) On June 14, 2010, John H. said:
This [bike sharing service] sounds awesome.

My first question was: maintenance? Who deals with the frayed cables, broken spokes and whatnot that goes wrong with a bike: I guess this is provided for in the system's setup.

My second: Minnesota in the winter? As long as there's a good separation from heavier traffic it could work.

My captcha: "hazardous means",
Are we sure that captcha service doesn't have "secret sponsors"
[ hehe Snidely McAutoExecutive twirls moustache ]

(13) On June 16, 2010, One-Eyed-Jacks said:
What's the net tangible return on investment in this thing? And if it's negative, is it wise to be deploying such a program during a recession?
(14) On June 16, 2010, Adam said:
I saw a bicycler get knocked over in traffic the other near Lake and Hennepin. He was weaving through traffic and forgot about the laws of physics it seems. Rybeck's bike regs are going to get someone seriously hurt one of these days...
(15) On June 16, 2010, Sharyn said:
The launch was a super fun event to be a part of! I posted photos of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/sets/72157624246612892/
(16) On June 16, 2010, maxwell1 said:
I guess if there are taxpayer dollars going into this that's a problem. :-/
(17) On June 30, 2010, scrumpy said:
this is great! before when i came to town i would rent a bicycle from one of the bike and board shops in the neighberhood i stay in, but now i can rent one of these things for a lot less money!! wow!!! i can sabe a few bucks and everything
(18) On June 30, 2010, saimi said:
woaaaow there really green
(19) On July 21, 2010, willyjames said:
It's great that the city in getting into the bike rental business. Now I dont have to deal with a bike shop to rent something.
(20) On August 16, 2010, One-Eyed-Jacks said:
$1.75 million in federal tax money and $1 million in MN state tobacco settlement money is in this (Chicago Tribune). That's about $7,000 per bicycle.
Here's what I think of these:

http://www.breitbart.tv/reagan-the-prophet/