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Country’s First Bike-Rental Kiosks Hit D.C.

August 13, 2008 2:38 PM

America's first self-serve bike share program means we'll always have Paris in the nation’s capital.

The urban commuting option hits the states today after becoming wildly popular across the Atlantic.

Commuters can pick up a bicycle at any of 10 racks sprinkled throughout the city, pedal away and drop the bike off at another kiosk once they're registered with the program. Cyclists can use the alternative mode of transportation for up to three hours at a time.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian M. Fenty kicked off the program today.

This first for the country comes as evidence mounts that the number of miles American drivers put on their cars' odometers has plummeted.

Watch "World News With Charles Gibson" TONIGHT at 6:30 p.m. ET for the full report.

Numbers released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation for the month of June 2008 show another huge slump in the number of miles people drive, especially on rural roads.

In sum, Americans drove 53.2 billion fewer miles less from November 2007 through June 2008 than they drove during the same eight-month period the year before. Data collected by the Federal Highway Administration from state highway agencies revealed that in June 2008 alone, drivers logged 4.7 percent, or 12.2 billion, fewer miles than they did in June 2007.

"There's a lot of passion out there to make some of these substantial changes," said David Portalatin, director of automotive industry analysis at The NPD Group. "They're just beginning to happen. So they may be on the margin for right now, but we think these things are gathering steam and really have been for the last few years and they're beginning to show up in aggregate. That's why you see these dramatic reductions in driving behavior."

The Transportation Department announcement echoes another that came just a few weeks ago, revealing numbers for the month of May.

So when will driving habits revert back to their old ways, if they do at all? And is it a good thing that people are steering clear of the roads?

One argument is that, as it stands now, getting back behind the wheel could benefit the country’s infrastructure. The fewer miles people drive, the less money goes into repairing and improving highways, bridges and roads. That's because the less gas Americans consume, the less money is generated from the gasoline tax gets funneled toward the projects.

"We can't afford to continue pinning our transportation network's future to the gas tax," Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said in a statement today. "Advances in higher fuel-efficiency vehicles and alternative fuels are making the gas tax an even less sustainable support for funding roads, bridges and transit systems."

Meantime, Chicago commuter Harold Crisman has been riding his bike to work for four months and estimates doing so saves him at least one hundred dollars each month.

"I've pretty much just stopped driving," Crisman said. "I drive my car maybe once week, if that."

"Sometimes I can just see the amounts of layers of dust collecting on the car," he said.

What do you think? In the past few weeks, have people started driving more as gas prices decline?

Or will Americans turn to two wheels, instead of four? 

For more information about SmartBike DC, operated by Clear Channel Outdoor, click here.

-ABC News' Kate Barrett and Lisa Stark

August 13, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (2)

User Comments

Posted by: WMR | Aug 13, 2008 3:53:12 PM

Posted by: Bryan | Aug 14, 2008 8:44:51 PM

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