Bike Sharing Is Finally Here, Kind Of

It's a bummer that Philly has yet to launch a bike-sharing program, which looked promising two years ago but today, well, not so much.

So it'll be fun to see a way-scaled-down program in action starting Wednesday, when Dranoff Properties launches its own bike-sharing program, which will allow residents of Dranoff buildings the free use of a fleet of bikes.

This is from the press release:

"The complimentary amenity provides Dranoff residents with the opportunity to reserve a bicycle to use as a green and healthy means of transportation.  Dranoff Properties is committed to helping residents maintain a sustainable lifestyle and this initiative is another offering to support a green standard of living.

"To announce the launch of the bike share program, Dranoff Properties is hosting a celebratory event at its 777 South Broad location on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 11:45 a.m.   A press conference will be held followed by a bike parade up South Broad Street ending at the City Hall Apron. Each parade participant riding a Dranoff bike is representing one of the major attractions available on the Avenue of the Arts, as well as those organizations that protect the street and invest in its future."

"All of our properties are located in urban areas, making the bike share program the perfect amenity to offer our residents so they can easily get to where they need to go in a fun, healthy and efficient way," said Carl Dranoff, President of Dranoff Properties.  "Many say that when exploring a city you should do so either by foot or on bike, and I believe the bike share program will widen the lens for our residents and showcase all of the entertainment, dining, education and energy that's centrally located on the famed Avenue of the Arts."

"Each Dranoff rental property will offer residents three brightly-colored bikes that can be reserved in four-hour increments.  Each bike was built with a basket for transporting goods and a bike bell to alert pedestrians and vehicles.  Every resident that reserves a bike will receive a bike helmet, Philadelphia bike map and a bike lock for their excursion.

Carl Dranoff adds, "It's our hope that the Dranoff Bike Share program will encourage other residential buildings to support bicycle sharing, and provide more people with access to this green, healthy and cost efficient method of transportation."