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Fort Collins Bike Library Expansion Adds To Colorado's Bike Friendly Status

Charles Willgren
/
Flickr - Creative Commons

Many cities in Colorado and beyond offer bike rentals for a fee through kiosks, but Fort Collins is taking it a step further as the city adds a new bike library satellite location at Colorado State University.

It’s not just students that have access, residents and visitors will be allowed to check out a bike at no cost whether it’s a trip to the store or a leisurely ride throughout the city.

The bike library concept was introduced in Fort Collins in 2008. Since then the city has providedrentals for 20500 people and counting. The bicycles are free during the library’s open business hours. An overnight rental costs $10. 20 new bicycles were added to the new location at the CSU campus, with three other locations scattered throughout the city.

The growing concept of a bike library is just the latest addition to initiatives throughout Colorado that give a nod to cycling as a viable form of transportation. The Colorado Department of Transportation released an online version of its statewide Bicycle and Byways map, with details about traffic, shoulder width and points of interest throughout the state.

A rising number of Coloradans are choosing the pedals as an alternative to cars. A report released by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group in 2013 revealed that residents of Denver drive less and cycle more, and the state ranks the 6th most bike friendly state in the country, according a 2014 survey by The League of American Bicyclists.  

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