(Star Tribune, January 15)

The bike-sharing program first dangled in front of Twin cities residents at the time of the Republican National Convention in 2008 now is planned to start in June.
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Nice Ride Minnesota, a nonprofit organization created to run a new bike share system in Minneapolis, received funding authorization today from the Federal Highway Administration. This decision enables Nice Ride Minnesota to proceed with procurement of bikes and bike share kiosks, keeping the organization on track to launch its bike share system this spring. Nice Ride Minnesota will receive a grant of $1.75 million through Bike/Walk Twin Cities, a program created through the 2005 federal highway bill to fund innovative bike and pedestrian projects. The City of Minneapolis has been a key partner in the funding effort. Nice Ride Minnesota released a preliminary Request for Proposals in September. That RFP is now published in final. Read the RFP »

Eleven businesses have recently signed on to sponsor local bike share program Nice Ride Minnesota, which is coming to Minneapolis next spring.

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The Minneapolis business community helping make bike share happen

MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 23, 2009) - Nice Ride Minnesota, a new non-profit created to bring public bike sharing to Minneapolis, today announces another successful round of fundraising. Augsburg College, Grant Thornton, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Seward Co-op, Wedge Co-op, Equal Exchange, Peace Coffee, Birchwood Cafe, Dero Bike Rack Co. and Aveda have all announced their plans to sponsor Nice Ride bike share kiosks.

A bike-sharing program that has been in the works for several years is set to begin next Spring. The project has been championed by Mayor Rybak. $1.75 million in funding from the federal government through Bike Walk Twin Cities and a $1 million donation from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota has the program close to enough cash for the projected start-up cost of about $3.3 million.

Read More at City of Lakes Urbanism »

Can a single transportation innovation improve public health, the environment, traffic safety and the business climate? Minneapolis organizers of what promises to be the nation's first large-scale, state-of-the-art public bicycle sharing program say it can do all that and more.
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Blue Cross Announces Sponsorship of New Bike Share Program in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Sept. 2, 2009) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), as part of its efforts to prevent obesity and other costly diseases today announced it will be the major sponsor of Nice Ride Minnesota. Nice Ride Minnesota — scheduled to launch next spring — will be the first large-scale bike share program of its kind anywhere in the country.

Blue Cross announced its sponsorship of Nice Ride Minnesota at its "do. Walk do. Bike" conference in Minneapolis. The statewide gathering is dedicated to showcasing what communities are doing to promote more walking and bicycling. Bike share programs similar to Nice Ride Minnesota have already proven successful in cities around the world, such as Barcelona, Paris and Montreal.

Minneapolis will launch the first large-scale bicycle sharing system in the country next year, designed to improve public health and increase transportation options.

Nice Ride Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, will place 1,000 bikes in 80 locked self-service kiosks throughout the city, starting in May 2010. One of the kiosks is on display at the Minnesota State Fair.
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota will donate $1 million over the next five years to support a bike sharing program coming to Minneapolis.

Nice Ride Minnesota plans to have 1,000 bikes available at 80 kiosks around Minneapolis by next spring. Riders will be able to check out a bike at one kiosk and leave it at another kiosk.
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Mayor R.T. Rybak says that Minneapolis is on track to launch the first large-scale bike share system of any city in the country. Next spring, Nice Ride Minnesota will launch a bike share program in Minneapolis, similar to Paris, Barcelona, Montreal, and more than 100 cities across the globe.
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