Oklahoma City receives $5.4 million in stimulus funds to ‘green’ the city

[fuzzytoad]

I've already debunked that in my post before you posted these concerns. These are cruiser type bicycles, not street touring bikes or mountain bikes. Geez, people you act like it's running a marathon to leisurely ride a block a few bikes. I don't wear all this protective gear and get special suit wearing rider gear, I know several people who leisurely ride DT in dress clothing on a regular and non-regular basis. I think/hope you all will be proven wrong.

Ah, I wasn't aware that the specific type of bicycles had been detailed out in this plan. I'd be curious to see where that information exists.

I also wasn't aware that the 1999 OKC ordinance requiring helmets for all ages had been repealed.. I looked online, but can't find anything..

As for getting sweaty, soiling outfits, etc.. Are you really suggesting that people will rent these things to ride a few blocks?(I know you said "ride a block a few bikes" but I'm assuming you meant "ride a bike a few blocks")

That seems a little ridiculous, especially since the quote from the article insinuated that DT workers would be riding them to BT for lunch.. That's a bit more than a few blocks, especially in 90-100+ degree weather.

It just seems like a complete waste of $200k to me. Money that could easily be spent on retrofits or replacement of inefficient systems in the city.

Granted, I haven't actually seen the bikes which you state are "cruiser-type" bikes, so I'm just assuming that they aren't rainbow-powered green machines that use gaia-enhanced anti-vandalism/theft shields. So yes, I could be wrong...

Maybe Tulsa needs these magical bikes.

[metro]

It doesn't work in Tulsa

see the post several above yours on WHY it doesn't work. Not to mention, DT Tulsa has virtually zero streetlife and nearby dense districts like DT OKC does. DT Tulsa has a sea of surface parking, way more than we do.

Not Down with Tulsa Townies - Borrow-a-bike program looks good on paper, if not on pedal - News - City, State, County, Education - Urban Tulsa Weekly

[metro]

Ah, I wasn't aware that the specific type of bicycles had been detailed out in this plan. I'd be curious to see where that information exists.

I also wasn't aware that the 1999 OKC ordinance requiring helmets for all ages had been repealed.. I looked online, but can't find anything..

As for getting sweaty, soiling outfits, etc.. Are you really suggesting that people will rent these things to ride a few blocks?(I know you said "ride a block a few bikes" but I'm assuming you meant "ride a bike a few blocks")

That seems a little ridiculous, especially since the quote from the article insinuated that DT workers would be riding them to BT for lunch.. That's a bit more than a few blocks, especially in 90-100+ degree weather.

It just seems like a complete waste of $200k to me. Money that could easily be spent on retrofits or replacement of inefficient systems in the city.

Granted, I haven't actually seen the bikes which you state are "cruiser-type" bikes, so I'm just assuming that they aren't rainbow-powered green machines that use gaia-enhanced anti-vandalism/theft shields. So yes, I could be wrong...

Maybe Tulsa needs these magical bikes.

Yes, I consider riding a bike from say, Chase Tower to Bricktown is 3-4 blocks tops. If this makes you sweaty in a suit, a person should probably be riding one more often anyways. Again, bikes create a breeze, versus the sweat you'd create WALKING to Bricktown for lunch. I guess some of you people have never seen one of these successful bike programs. Don't use Tulsa for comparison, apples & oranges.

[stephy]

Yes, I consider riding a bike from say, Chase Tower to Bricktown is 3-4 blocks tops. If this makes you sweaty in a suit, a person should probably be riding one more often anyways. Again, bikes create a breeze, versus the sweat you'd create WALKING to Bricktown for lunch. I guess some of you people have never seen one of these successful bike programs. Don't use Tulsa for comparison, apples & oranges.

They're putting a bike share kiosk at the Chase building? Awesome!

I can't wait for this.

When I lived in Cambridge the UK government put in lots of those kiosks around the city with around 50 bikes each. It was wonderful for the first few weeks until the the bikes got slashed tires and twisted frames every other night. Then they went to a subscription based system but that meant you had to do a safety training course that cost more than buying a new bike. Most of the people I knew who still used it after that quit after getting citations for not wearing safety vests.

I hope they can figure out how to keeps these things from happening here, especially if there's going to be a kiosk at the Chase tower!

[stephy]

Oh! I forgot!

I also agree with metro about fat people riding the bikes. If they're too fat and get all sweaty riding them, then they should just stay away until they lose some weight.

I don't want to have to wipe somebody else's nastiness off the seats anyway.

[metro]

They're putting a bike share kiosk at the Chase building? Awesome!

I can't wait for this.

When I lived in Cambridge the UK government put in lots of those kiosks around the city with around 50 bikes each. It was wonderful for the first few weeks until the the bikes got slashed tires and twisted frames every other night. Then they went to a subscription based system but that meant you had to do a safety training course that cost more than buying a new bike. Most of the people I knew who still used it after that quit after getting citations for not wearing safety vests.

I hope they can figure out how to keeps these things from happening here, especially if there's going to be a kiosk at the Chase tower!

Not necessarily at Chase, I was just using it as an example. There will be 3 downtown at first if you read the above article. Unlike the UK I think the culture is different, people don't have to go to safety class, wear vests, etc. I think we will be smart and learn from other cities successes and failures with these types of programs. The resume/background from the Autumn lady running this program (again in the article) is very impressive.

[ljbab728]

It doesn't work in Tulsa

lol. Where there you go then. Anything that doesn't work in Tulsa couldn't possibly work in OKC.

[andy157]

So everyone's going goo goo gah gah over this but no one wants to mention the $5.4 million is coming from the federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which Obama signed into law. Don't mean to rile everyone up but if certain members are going to spew their poison over Obama and stay silent when his agenda benefits OKC, well that's just hypocritcal.

[HOT ROD]

silence - to redrunner's point.

lol

give Obama credit and Oklahoma (OKC specifically) stop bowing to those conservatives/Republicans who care nothing about your state/city or people. ....

[Larry OKC]

...This city is way behind the times with just now getting an office of Sustainability. You act as if they just oversee bike racks that "won't be used" according to most of you. It goes far beyond that, and frankly, this City is embarrasing and way behind the times on a sustainability level. I'm thankful we've seen a big push for sustainability this last year, but still have miles to go and are playing catch up.

Maybe you didn't mean to quote me as I haven't taken a position on the Bikes or most of the other things mentioned in the article. The question I have is: doesn't $300K + for 3 people seem a little high? Especially for an "Office of Sustainability"? How do you sustain that? what happens when the Fed money runs out? This is sort of like using the Use Tax to fund the fire/police positions. What happens when the use tax ends? The positions probably go away.

I have nothing against being more energy efficient etc. But you have to weigh the cost to the benefits. Will it ever "pay for itself"

For example, when they 1st came out with the compact florescent bulbs, the advertising hype on the back of the pack showed that the $10 bulb would pay for itself over the lifetime of the bulb due to lower energy usage. Sounded great on paper but in reality, to get the same light output in a room, one had to upgrade the the bulb (what they claimed to be a 60 watt light equivalent wasn't, had to get a 100, 150 or even a 200 watt equivalent...thus not near the energy savings on the back of the pack.

Add in to it that the expected life expectancy of the bulb was no where near what was on the package. I replaced the light bulbs in two identical lamps, one a 89 cent regular bulb and the other with the $10 CF. Both lasted about the same amount of time before burning out (within a week of each other). Both were on the exact same amount of time (plugged into the same extension cord controlled by a wall light switch). The $10 bulb never did pay for itself before it died. Not sustainable.

This is just for replacing bulbs (multiply by the number of fixtures in you home or place of business), if you have to replace the fixtures too...

Am sure there will be some sort of press release that will proclaim "$,$$$ saved through conversions" (not mentioning it cost $$$,$$$ to save that amount).

[metro]

Good questions and I agree with your basis. Perhaps the energy savings along from switching to high energy bulbs to LED alone will be enough to cover salaries, not to mention, I'm sure they are seeking more grants like they did with this one. And if the position goes away, LED bulbs and other energy efficiencies last years, bulbs approximately 10-12 years. So that's much less maintenance on changing them, purchasing replacements, etc. The technology on CFL's and LED's is rapidly changing and has changed a lot from when they came out a few years ago, and the price has gone down substantially.

[BG918]

see the post several above yours on WHY it doesn't work. Not to mention, DT Tulsa has virtually zero streetlife and nearby dense districts like DT OKC does. DT Tulsa has a sea of surface parking, way more than we do.

Not Down with Tulsa Townies - Borrow-a-bike program looks good on paper, if not on pedal - News - City, State, County, Education - Urban Tulsa Weekly

You make it sound like we're comparing downtown OKC to downtown Amarillo or Fort Smith. My job affords me the ability to work on a weekly basis in the downtowns of Tulsa and OKC so I am very familiar with both. I am in both cities weekly. Outside of Bricktown which is more developed than any of the downtown districts in Tulsa the streetlife in each city is the same. I know people here want to think downtown OKC is so much more dense and vibrant than Tulsa but it's not.

[metro]

MidTown is pretty hopping constantly, as is AutoAlley and to a lesser extent, Arts District. We're also much more compact than DT Tulsa.

[soonerguru]

You make it sound like we're comparing downtown OKC to downtown Amarillo or Fort Smith. My job affords me the ability to work on a weekly basis in the downtowns of Tulsa and OKC so I am very familiar with both. I am in both cities weekly. Outside of Bricktown which is more developed than any of the downtown districts in Tulsa the streetlife in each city is the same. I know people here want to think downtown OKC is so much more dense and vibrant than Tulsa but it's not.

While I don't believe our downtown is particularly vibrant, I at least notice pedestrians walking around on nights and weekends here. Vast number of pedestrians? No. But pedestrians nonetheless.

I also work frequently in downtown Tulsa for my job and I've noticed a dearth of any kind of pedestrian traffic after 5 p.m. on weekdays and/or on the weekends. The exceptions to this of course are people in the fairly vibrant Blue Dome and Brady Districts -- and people going to puffy taco night at Elote downtown. Other than that: deadsville.

[stephy]

While I don't believe our downtown is particularly vibrant, I at least notice pedestrians walking around on nights and weekends here. Vast number of pedestrians? No. But pedestrians nonetheless.

I also work frequently in downtown Tulsa for my job and I've noticed a dearth of any kind of pedestrian traffic after 5 p.m. on weekdays and/or on the weekends. The exceptions to this of course are people in the fairly vibrant Blue Dome and Brady Districts -- and people going to puffy taco night at Elote downtown. Other than that: deadsville.

Aren't the bikes in Tulsa located along Riverside? What does Tulsa's downtown have to do with this?

[BG918]

Aren't the bikes in Tulsa located along Riverside? What does Tulsa's downtown have to do with this?

Yes they are, metro was the one who mentioned downtown. The ones in Tulsa along the river are successful but have been plagued by problems. OKC would be wise to see what problems Tulsa has experienced and try to fix those before implementing the system. I think they will work better in downtown OKC than they do along the river in Tulsa as most people who go to the river are there to either jog or have their own, much nicer bikes. They are more suited for quick trips from one side of downtown to another and not several miles of riding along river trails.

[PLANSIT]

Great news. I'm excited a program like this is coming to OKC.

Denver just launched their Bike-Share program yesterday. 500 bikes at roughly 50 stations. It is the largest system in the country. Washington DC's SmartBike was the first to do a larger scale program. Denver was second and much larger. Minneapolis' NiceRide is going to launch later this year and will be even larger than Denver's.

The real success of these programs lies in complete saturation. As many bikes and as many stations as possible.

Great job Autumn.

[dismayed]

Cool that this is coming to OKC.

I've also been to cities where you could rent those tiny little electric cars at share kiosks kind of like the bike kiosk above. That'd be a nice amenity to have downtown too.

[Spartan]

2 things in that article sound completely idiotic to me, which makes me think the rest of the plan for this money isn't well thought-out:

1. “We could see a downtown worker, for example, taking a bicycle to Bricktown for lunch,” Radle said.

2. $320,000 for three staff members in the Office of Sustainability

I'm not going to lie... you're spot-on.

Most of these greening measures are things that OKC can and should be doing by itself. OKC is a very brown city.

[Larry OKC]

I'm not going to lie... you're spot-on.

Most of these greening measures are things that OKC can and should be doing by itself. OKC is a very brown city.

Thats why we need more corporate plazas/parks. Go SandRidge!

(I kid)

[ljbab728]

Thats why we need more corporate plazas/parks. Go SandRidge!

(I kid)

I'm not agreeing with Sandridge but these are two totally different important issues.

[metro]

Oklahoma City to launch Bike Share Program
By April Wilkerson
The Journal Record
Posted: 09:19 PM Wednesday, May 19, 2010


The city of Oklahoma City is gearing up for its Bike Share Program, which would allow downtown workers to check out a bike for errands or lunchtime travel. (Maike Sabolich)
OKLAHOMA CITY – You work downtown, dutifully parking your car in a multi-level garage and toiling away in the office until you remember that errand you need to take care of today.

It’s in Midtown – far enough that you don’t really want to walk, but a waste of time and gas to get your car.

Soon, you may be able to hop on a bike for the trip.

Oklahoma City is making plans for its Bike Share Program, an initiative sparked by money from the Department of Energy. Autumn Radle, director of sustainability for the city, said she’s preparing a request for proposals for the program, which would place bikes and payment kiosks in several areas. Because of the Project 180 renovations downtown, she said she’ll first place bikes in Midtown and Bricktown, then bring them downtown later.

Bike share programs are popular in Europe, she said, but are starting to appear in the United States. They allow a person to go to a payment kiosk, swipe a debit or credit card and check out a bike. Radle said she wants the bikes to be free for the first hour or two, so people can run errands or ride to lunch, but a small charge will be necessary after that so there’s sufficient turnover of bikes.

“We want people to think of biking as a viable means of transportation,” she said. “We’re seeing that slowly start up in the city, but it’s still new to people – the idea that they could bike to get somewhere rather than just bike for recreation.”

Project 180 will make it easier for people to ride a bike because renovations will include bicycle lanes, Radle said. She’s also investigating a way to make helmets available and easy to use, even though people aren’t required to wear them.

Radle has $200,000 available for the Bike Share Program, part of a $5.4 million grant from the Department of Energy. The department requires that she have someone under contract for the program by December, she said.

Radle said she hopes downtown employers lend a hand to the program as well by sponsoring a bike station or kiosk. “We’re hoping businesses will see the value in this as well,” she said.

The state of Oklahoma also is promoting the use of bicycles. Friday is “Bike to Work Day,” a promotion of Oklahoma’s State Benefits Office, Employee Benefits Council and its OKHealth Wellness Program.

“We’re proud to support and promote ‘Bike to Work Day’ because it’s a fun way to get some exercise,” said Employee Benefits Council Executive Director Philip K. Kraft. “Our OKHealth efforts and studies have shown us active employees are more alert, use fewer sick days and are more productive.”

State employees continue to enroll in the OKHealth Wellness Program, said Brian King, communications officer for the Employee Benefits Council. Since last fall, the group has offered about 20 wellness screenings at state agencies, simplifying the process for employees to get into the program and connect with a wellness coach. Nearly 900 people underwent the screenings, he said, and 663 of them started the wellness program.

[Spartan]

see the post several above yours on WHY it doesn't work. Not to mention, DT Tulsa has virtually zero streetlife and nearby dense districts like DT OKC does. DT Tulsa has a sea of surface parking, way more than we do.

Not Down with Tulsa Townies - Borrow-a-bike program looks good on paper, if not on pedal - News - City, State, County, Education - Urban Tulsa Weekly

Metro, I think you need to recognize the importance of being realistic about OKC's own flaws. I'm not saying you're not in touch with where OKC is, because you obviously have a better memory of some stuff than myself and others.

[metro]

expand.....

[metro]

Denver's Bike Share launched last month, looks like it's doing quite well, maybe we can model after them instead of Tulsa.

The Technology Driving Denver's B-cycle Bike Sharing System | Fast Company