Free Yellow Bikes
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I recall in 1997 a group in Idaho Falls introduced a free bicycle program.
The idea was if you saw one, you were free to ride around Idaho Falls on it, and you just left it unlocked for someone else to pick up and use also. I recall local bike shops were willing to do minor maintenance on the bikes as they needed it.
There were about 10 bikes initially introduced. The plain bikes were painted bright yellow to make them less appealing to thieves.
I just thought of that program last night, and cannot recall seeing or hearing about these bikes in the last few years since I returned to Idaho Falls. Googling the topic did not find any answers, either.
Does anyone know if this program is still running, or how long it lasted? If it petered out, was it because the bikes went missing (stolen?) or they broke down too much?
Can we learn what went wrong with that project and relaunch it next summer?
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Comments
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0 
0 Somewhere in that time frame, I was talking with some friends about doing exactly that and someone said there was already a program in place.
I have never seen any. One of the motels on the w side of the river has its own little fleet of cruisers for patrons.
It would be a benefit to have a program like that, and I even wonder if there is close to enough tourism for someone to set up a rental shop, though free would be much better.
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0 0 I would hate to see this idea peter out. It merits some discussion. Wondering if maybe the impound would donate bikes at the end of the year or maybe a bike drive. There are a lot of bikes not being used in garages all over this town. I think local bike shops might help out, or Cycling clubs? What if just some enthusiasts got together once a month for a roundup and tinkered some bikes into shape? I would spring for a 5 gal. can of paint. And I don’t know that they would have to be yellow, even. Anyone have any real interest in doing this?
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0 0 Just talking to myself here but this is sort of a test of the pages grass roots effort. Is this just a place to talk or will real things happen?
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0 0 I wouldn’t doubt my mind inventing memories, but I recall this program really existed, I told a brother visiting that summer about it, and he said he had seen one and wondered about it.
I remember the color yellow was chosen to dissuade anyone from keeping it, I guess yellow was a less classy color back then. I’d say paint them a pink now.
Like I said, does anyone from the city or the local news recall this program, and why it went away?
If we can learn what went wrong, maybe we can fix that problem and try again. Maybe it’s a given the bikes will be stolen. They were plain bikes, what’s the expense of releasing 10 each spring?
Archy, I wish I knew the answer. This is a place to talk, and it takes people to make things happen. There are so many city improvement ideas here, it just takes one or two people who like a particular idea and feel compelled to own it and make it happen.
I would think the next step for this idea would be someone calling the city and asking around who remembers this program.
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0 0 That’s funny I was thinking pink might do it too.
I hope you don’t take my question as critisism. Just trying to stir the pot a bit.
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0 0 I suppose great minds think alike then.
Nah, I didn’t take as criticism. I get exasperated sometimes when it seems nobody else is as excited about the ideas I am, too.
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0 0 As you might guess from my name, I am not one who thinks that a program such as this will work over the long haul. Nor do I recall such a program in Idaho Falls.
Further, as it is laid out in Joe’s initial posting, I can see where is would tend to make at least somne of the users of the service angry. Suppose the following for a moment: I find a yellow bike near where I live on one of the lettered streets. I use it to ride to Penney’s way out on 17th. I park the yellow bike (unlocked as Joe says), do my shopping, go to retrieve the bike for my return ride home only to find someone else had taken it for their use. Here I am stranded miles from home with about 25 pounds of shopping bags. Meanwhile, back near where I live on one of the lettered streets, is a person in a similar quandary as he or she has just come out from visiting an ill aunt and was relying on the yellow bike for transportation to the drug store to fill a prescription her.
Here is a link to a page titled “Community Bike Programs - Bike Libraries - Bike Sharing: Case Studies” that you might find of interest.
http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/freebike-details.htm
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0 0 I hope someone else remembers this, I really remember it happening, and it must have been 1997 cuz that’s the year my bro lived here that summer.
Cynical, you have a good point, and it wasn’t intended to be something you could really rely on for the reasons you described. It was just a ‘if it’s there use it otherwise you’re walking anyways’ thing.
I appreciate your link, that was good information. As I remember the program, it was like the described let-loose option #1. That type is noted for “These programs tend to experience high rates of mechanical problems and rapid evaporation of their inventory, and subsequent burnout of volunteers.”
This is probably why the program petered out quickly and nobody remembers it. Long in idealism and short in reality. Sounds communist, even 8^)
Your source notes two ways to run a similar program, which perhaps Idaho Falls could try:
# Controlled Network: Several bike stations used for a short-term or relatively short-term lending/checkout program that involves membership and keeping track of who has the bike for how long. There is high administrative/communications burden. Even so, inventory tends gets lost fairly quickly. High volunteer demand can lead to volunteer burnout and high volunteer turn over, which exhausts the program.
# Single Source: One bike station used as a bike maintenance clinic and single source for bike lending - generally more long-term lending than quick trips around city. This is the furthest from the altruistic ideal, but it tends to be the most stable, and have the greatest longevity.
What do you think?
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0 0 I DO remember this program being reported in the news, the bikes were supposed to ? stay in the downtown area, I never EVER saw one (and I was walking the streets in that area at the time as a runner) but would’ve loved to use them - should they have ever appeared.
This program was supposed to be real, Joe. I don’t know if it acutally appeared though.
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0 0 Thank you, I’m not totally crazy, somone else remembers it!
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0 0 Maybe 1 speed cruisers only would keep maintenance simple and reduce the pilfering for parts, anyway.
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0 0 I’d support it. It would be a nice alternative.
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0 0 You know, Joe this and the drum circle article are getting my gears churning. How about some sort of informal calendar of something of that type where people who might want to get together to start making these ideas happen could say “anyone interested in action on x topic meet at x on x date? Just a low level brainstorm. You could probably make something better.
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I remember hearing of this project in Portland, Oregon but I don’t recall it ever happening in Idaho Falls. But I could be wrong. It seems like I recall it being discussed at one time.
I googled “free yellow bikes portland” and found many sites with information about the project. It was done in many other cities too. Some of the links had information about some of the problems they had with the program.
I would support such a program in Idaho Falls in any way I could. I think that anything that encourages people to drive less and exercise more is usually a good thing.
Does anyone else remember for sure if we ever tried this in Idaho Falls or if it was only talked about?