Adventure 13: GREENbike, SLC Bike Share

You may have noticed riders on green bikes downtown or the stations with rows of parked green bikes. Well, this is the new GREENbike, SLC's non-profit bike share program that launched in the spring. This was a natural choice for an adventure, because well, it's new, it's fun, and an opportunity to discover the city I love!

The director of SLC Bike Share, Ben Bolte was kind enough to offer to go on a ride with me. Which was awesome. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I arrived at the designated spot a little early and was struck by this view between these two government buildings at 160 E Broadway.

I really do love this city. I love an opportunity to look around at the abundant visuals. A reminder that I need to take more time to appreciate!

Okay, back to the task at hand. There are 12 of these stations downtown all in locations near places I frequent, which I think is sort of the point—those planners! There are plans to expand to many more locations next year. These bikes are pretty, and not intimidating like a mountain or road bike might be to the casual rider. Just looking at them makes me want to ride one. 

After my short wait, the handsome young Ben Bolte met me for my adventure! Ben gave me the rundown on how this all works. There is a map at each station so you can plan which station is closest to your destination, and the map recommends a route. Very wisely this map recommends riders avoid 400 South for their safety. I support that. I also recommend drivers avoid that road for everyone's safety. Unfortunately it's still the best route to the University of Utah.

Using this service is super easy. It takes a credit card. $5 for 24 hours for 30-minute intervals on the bike. Or you can spend $75 for a year of endless 30-minute rides. Fifteen days of riding a green bike pays for itself! The latter option is a no brainer for the downtown crowd, in my opinion. And you get a free green helmet that's covered with SLC branding. Who doesn't want to show their SLC pride? Not any of my friends. Obvi.

Then we were off! My favorite part of this adventure is how a part of the city I felt. It's not the same as walking. The sidewalk view is too close to the buildings to really appreciate what you're walking past. I have many times backed into the street when on foot to get a view of a building. And being in a car, you're too distracted by the act of driving to appreciate where you are. Being on a bike gives you an open view. There's no roof over your head, and no smoker walking 15 feet in front you taking every turn you take!

I'm really glad Ben was there to lead the way. He boldly took up lanes when appropriate, moved from the bike lane to the left turning lane smoothly, and gave me some tips on how to be safe and more visible to the drivers when sharing the road. I rode a bike in the city when I lived in the northwest, and it always felt like a death-defying act. That was over 10 years ago, and I haven't tried it since. Being with Ben, it actually felt laid-back, and very safe.

A few tips from Ben:

• If you ever don't feel safe, just slow down. You'll be more visible and won't get too mangled if a car does hit you.
• These bikes don't have a high bar in the front, so you can swing your leg in front of you to quickly hop off or on if needed (in action it looks like a ninja move, which is cool)
• Don't feel rushed to beat the cars. With the amount of traffic lights downtown, most of the time you all meet each other at the light anyway.
• Enjoy the ride!

I fully endorse these tips after my first 30 mintues navigating the city on a GREENbike.

This little jaunt downtown was so fun! Actually more fun than I had anticipated, which is saying a lot. When we reached our 30 minutes, we just needed to click the bike in a nearby station for 60 seconds, then we could be off again!

Ben had so many exciting things to talk about with the project. It's come a long way in a short time, and there are big plans for it in the future! I'm really proud of our city. Thanks to the mayor, Ben and everyone involved, this project is real, it happened quickly and it seems to be running effeciently. I see people utilizing this service every day!

As if Ben hadn't been nice enough taking me for a ride, and sharing his wealth of knowledge, he left me with a shirt and free passes. My devoted readers know how much I love me some SWAG!

Time spent on adventure: 2.5 hours

Money spent: $6 for parking while we rode around the town (normal cost for bike is $5/day)

Recommendation: 9 out of 10 adventure points!