Chico What is up with the yellow bikes? -Wednesday, April 24, 1996 The yellow bikes are coming! The yellow bikes are coming! No more training wheels. No more tricycles. Soon Chico will test ride its own community bicycle-sharing program and join a small number of cities, like Amsterdam and Portland, to promote community spirit and trust. What began as a fun idea to think about and a way to pass the time while driving home from Canada on a family trip last summer, has evolved into a full-fledged community project. While driving through Portland, Ore., Kira Lerch, 17, of Chico, remembered hearing about the "Yellow Bike Program," a community-based bicycle-sharing program that operated successfully there. The program provides free bicycles for anyone to use. The bikes are available, unlocked, in the many bicycle racks throughout downtown. So if somebody needs a bike to ride, they just ride it to their destination and leave it in a bike rack for the next person to ride. That's a great idea, she thought. She said she wondered if could work in Chico. Well, beginning with an inaugural bike ride this Sunday in the upcoming Celebration of People Parade, it will. The Yellow Bike Program will debut 20 freshly painted yellow bicycles in the parade. After the parade they will be left in downtown bike racks for anyone to use. After returning from the trip, Lerch investigated what resources were available to her at little or no cost. She remembered a family friend, Mike Higginson, who created a bicycle repair class at Chico Junior High School in the fall. Lerch approached Higginson about the possibility of having Higginson's class repair and restore the donated bicycles. Once Higginson agreed, the idea began to roll and take on a life of its own. "The more bikes that come through here," Higginson said, "the more my kids have to do and the more they learn." "They go straight and stop," he added. "They're no Cadillacs." Lerch's mother, Myra, said that once Kira gets an idea, she sees it through. Lerch's father Bill, said that besides Kira's determination, positive community response was key to the program's success. "There were a lot of coincidences involved with all this," Lerch said. "Without Mike's repair class, I don't think we could have done it." In December, Lerch submitted a proposal to the Chico City Council, which would have the Chico Police Department donate 50 unclaimed bicycles from the property and evidence department. Although the city council does not officially endorse the program because of the risk of financial liability, they did OK the city's donation of the bicycles. Once Lerch acquired the bikes and had the means to get them on the road, she looked for funding to buy parts. She wrote to 20 different businesses and organizations, spoke before several business associations and raised $600 for the program, she said. Although Lerch oversees the bike program now, the Chico High School student government will annually elect a new commissioner to head the yellow bike program for future years. Lerch said the majority of people who will use the bikes will probably be high school and Chico State University students. Charles Cartwright, a social science/history student at Chico State, smiled and said he liked the idea and was surprised that someone actually thought of it. "I think it's great as long as people don't steal. But I don't think people will because it's a positive [idea]," Cartwright said. "It's utilizing resources that would just be sitting around doing nothing." But Lerch said she was not concerned about theft. She said she doesn't worry about it because she thinks Chico is ideal for a community bike-sharing program. "It's built on trust," she said "It brings a community focus to Chico." Lee Hager, an art student from Sacramento also liked the idea. "I think it would give a nice community feeling that people are doing things together," she said. "It makes you laugh because it just seems so out of sync with the way society works, and that's probably what gives it its appeal -- it's something more positive." Lerch's mother, Myra, said she was happy people responded positively to the project, volunteering their time and money. "I think people see something of value [with the program] and want to be a part of it," she said. There is a telephone number to call in case a bike needs repair or in case someone wants to donate a bike: 892-BIKE

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