SDSU getting bike sharing -- with a little help from some criminals

[Sal Atticum]

http://media.www.sdsucollegian.com/media/storage/paper484/news/2010/03/03/News/Say-Goodbye.To.Walking.Bike.Sharing.Will.Soon.Be.Here-3883762.shtml

A new bike-sharing program will be coming to SDSU in the fall of 2011 to provide students with free bicycle rentals.

On March 1, the Students' Association unanimously passed an ordinance to approve the pilot bike-sharing program.

"Bike sharing is a program where students would be able to rent a bicycle and use it for an afternoon and then return it to Information Exchange or their residence hall," said Matt Tollefson, SA president. "It would be similar to the laptop rental program that we have."

The bicycles for the new bike-sharing program will be coming from the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, S.D. The men's prison has a program called "Pedal Power from the Pen" in which inmates refurbish and repaint unclaimed bicycles and donate them to various organizations around the state.

The prison has agreed to supply SDSU with up to 40 bikes per year, starting next fall.

This sounds like a great program, especially for the inmates who get to learn something new and contribute to everyone else's well-being!

[pmp6nl]

Wow, that is a great program!