Denver’s bike-sharing program, which was piloted on the DU campus last spring, will mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on Thursday by expanding to 40 stations citywide.
The expansion is being billed as the kickoff of the nation’s first, large-scale citywide bike-sharing program. The event will be marked by live music, a bicycle parade and a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.
“Starting at noon, the whole system will be operational and integrated into the DU system,” says Brent Tongco of Denver B-Cycle, which operates the bike-sharing program for Denver Bike Sharing, a nonprofit bicycle advocacy group. “Now you can ride bikes to Cherry Creek or downtown.”
Festivities begin at 8:30 a.m. outside the Wellington Webb Municipal Building at 201 W. Colfax Ave., then continue across the street at Civic Center Park and the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St.
Riders curious about bike-sharing can visit any of the kiosks throughout the city, where volunteers will be available to answer questions and promote the system. At the University of Denver, volunteers will be at kiosks around campus from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Same hours on Friday, plus 7-9 a.m.; hours at DU on Saturday are 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
For a map of stations and information on how to sign up for bike sharing, go to denver.bcycle.com or www.DenverMovesBikes.com. DU students can get a $20 discount if they register from their e-mail account and input the promotional code, which is the word “student,” Tongco says.