Bikes for the taking - just return

By Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 23, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Bright and early Monday morning, as the Democratic National Convention swings into high gear, a small cadre of cycling enthusiasts will be standing by - ready to loan you a shiny, new cruising bike.

The low-tech kind with big fat seats and coaster brakes.

You can use it for an hour or two; ride from Platte Street over to the Colorado Convention Center, swing by the Pepsi Center and then perhaps drop it off at the Sculpture Park.

Seven bike stations will operate downtown during the week of the convention. Freewheelin staffers plan to hand out 1,000 sets of wheels in an effort to reduce emissions and hook visitors on the beauty of bikes.

"We're trying to encourage the notion that everyone can rediscover biking. It's great for 40 percent of the short trips people make," said Nate Kvamme, spokesman for Humana, a co-sponsor of the program along with Bikes Belong.

The bike share is open to anyone 18 or older, from the 5,000 delegates to locals. The bikes come with helmets, locks and city bike route maps, as well as a team of bike valets who will escort you around town if you feel the need.

"We want to create an environment that is comfortable," Kvamme said. "And we're willing to spend as much time with people as they feel they need to do that. If they want, we'll ride with them. Until people say 'we're good,' we'll stay with them."

Those venturing solo into the heart of downtown, however, should take notes and keep an eye out. Denver is well-known for its trail system, but much of the business of the DNC lies on the city's mean streets, usually two or three blocks off designated bike routes.

Those long immersed in Denver's bike world, such as Alan Fine, owner of Turin Bikes, advise newbies to stick to designated bike routes or the Cherry Creek Path, if possible.

Parking may also be an issue for riders. The Colorado Convention Center will have bike racks available for people, but it's not yet clear how close riders will be able to get to the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field and whether bike racks will be available.

Kvamme said Freewheelin placed bike stations near each of those venues so that riders can simply leave bikes at the stations, rather than attaching them to trees or light posts.

"There are hard security perimeters that we can't cross," Kvamme said. One more thing: no drinking and riding. All the bikes are due back to bike stations by 7 p.m., in part because it gets dark, and to discourage riders from turning their two- wheelers into partymobiles.

Rules of the Freewheelin road * Anyone 18 or older can use the free bike share.

* Bikes are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Monday morning and can be picked up at seven bike stations.

* Bikes come with maps, helmets, locks and coaster brakes.

* Riders must provide identification and have a credit or debit card that is held as security until the bike is returned.

* Riders must wear helmets.

* Riders are advised to use bike paths and, where possible, bike lanes.

* Bikes prohibited on sidewalks and the 16th Street Mall.

* When approaching pedestrians from behind, let them know which side you're on.

* To save time, riders can pre-register at freewheelinway togo.com/about.aspx.

The power of green

Greening the Democratic National Convention, making it the most sustainable one ever, hasn't been a blissful, love-the-earth-and- each-other undertaking.

Still, says spokesman Damon Jones, they feel good about their efforts to date. Here's what you can expect to see this week:

Transportation

* Convention-goers are using than 400 hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, some powered by 40,000 gallons of ethanol manufactured in Golden and donated by Molson Coors. Also, 1,000 bikes are available for everyone to use, courtesy of Humana and Bikes Belong.

Energy

* The convention venues, such as the Pepsi Center and the Colorado Convention Center, are powered by free wind power donated by Xcel. In addition, keep an eye out for a massive solar array in the Pepsi Center parking lot. It has been donated by local unions, Aeon Solar and Evergreen Solar. The green power will help keep the lights on at the Pepsi Center and the media tents, according to Rob Ashmore, president of Aeon Solar. The $170,000 system is being loaned free to the DNC.

Carbon neutrality

* Back in the spring, the DNC asked all 50 state delegations to buy carbon offsets - $7.50 per delegate - to offset the CO2 generated by jet travel and participation in the convention. And 2,900 of 5,000 delegates signed on to the initiative.

Keeping it clean

* Planners have worked long and hard for ways to keep trash to a minimum, from requiring memos to be sent electronically to providing empty water bottles that can be refilled instead of thrown out. Lumber and cables will be recycled, as will the drywall in the Pepsi Center.

Trash

* Planners hope to slash the convention's waste stream 85 percent with a massive composting effort and recycling program by A1 Organics, Waste Management, and Coca-Cola. But the real work is going to be done by 900 volunteers who will sort garbage to ensure the compost is pure and that plastics don't make it to the landfill.

The legacy

* A key part of the DNC's planning effort was to leave permanent, sustainable programs in place once the party's over. Some programs Denverites can expect to see after the balloons come down:

* A permanent composting effort at the Colorado Convention Center, which will reduce its waste stream permanently by about 50 percent

* A bike-share program downtown.

* Solar arrays at the Pepsi and Colorado Convention centers.

• August 23, 2008

  6:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SL10 writes:

  Interesting concept. I wonder how many of those bikes end up missing? Hmmm.

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