OKC Bicyclist

Update (7/2/2012): The program has reopened.  Read about it here.

[flickr id=“7253069806” thumbnail=“small” overlay=“true” size=“large” group="" align=“right”] After only two weeks in operation, all bikes belonging to the Spokies Bike Share program have been removed from the racks.  Citing problems with the credit card software and a design flaw in the bikes that has “led to incidents of theft and vandalism”, the Oklahoma City Office of Sustainability and Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. made the decision to temporarily suspend the program.  The software and bike fixes can be expected to take up to three weeks to complete at which time they hope to restore the program.

The Oklahoma City ProAm Classic will be taking place this Saturday in Downtown Oklahoma City with the first race starting at 11:00 AM.  The staging area will be held at Schlegel Bicycles at 900 North Broadway.  Below is a map of the course:

You can see the whole schedule as well as lots of other information at the race website @ http://okcpac.com

I am very confused as to what exactly their plan was for the highly recognizable therefore difficult to sell bicycles, but two men have been arrested for stealing bicycles from the new Spokies bike share program:

On May 22, police were called to the WestTown Day Shelter near N.W. 3rd Street and N. Virginia Avenue. A worker there reported Fred Wren, 20, and Anthony Grove, 26, possessed bikes belonging to the Spokies program. When police checked the serial numbers, they discovered the bikes had not been rented and should have been sitting at a kiosk outside the downtown Oklahoma City library.

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The OKC bike share program, Spokies, has been getting a ton of press lately.  Here is a round-up of the main stories.

From NewsOK:

From KFOR:

Plus text stories from News9 and the Oklahoma Gazette.

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The League of American Bicyclists has increased Oklahoma’s bicycle friendliness ranking from 43rd in 2011 to 35th this year. Even more impressive to note is that in 2008, Oklahoma was ranked 48th. According to the League, this steady improvement is due to increases in “infrastructure and funding that provide on-the-ground bicycle facilities; education and encourage programs that promote cycling; and passage and enforcement of bicycle-friendly laws that make it safe and comfortable for people of all ages to ride.”

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Back in November, St. Gregory’s University’s Benedictine Hall, built in 1915, was severely damaged from an earthquake. Now the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, the Shawnee Pedalers Cycling Club and Team PG-13 Cycling Club are organizing a bicycle race and tour on May 28th to raise money for its repair:

Bicycling enthusiasts can travel back in time by participating in the St. Gregory’s University Memorial Day Road Race and Bicycle Tour on May 28. Event courses follow scenic roads from SGU to historic Sacred Heart Mission in Konawa. Proceeds from the race and tour go toward restoring SGU’s Benedictine Hall, which was severely damaged as a result of an earthquake in November. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation is the presenting sponsor for the event.

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The Oklahoma chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society opened their Art Bike Tulsa show today at the Williams Tower Two lobby.

Art Bike Tulsa 2012 is an installation of colorful, uniquely-designed bicycles that have been transformed by local artists to raise awareness about Multiple Sclerosis and the MS society’s annual bike ride/fundraiser.

via KTUL.com - Tulsa’s Channel 8 - News, Weather & Sports - MS Society “Art Bike Tulsa” Preview.

The faculty senate at OU wants to make the university truly bike friendly:

The senate eventually wants to see OU certified as a bicycle-friendly university by the League of American Bicyclists.

Both the Staff and Faculty Senate call for OU to be designated a bicycle-friendly university within the next five years, according to the resolutions.

via OUDaily.com | Faculty Senate calls for bicycling-friendly OU.

The university is planning to expand the limited path system on campus and installing additional bicycle racks.

The OKC bike sharing program, Spokies, has announced where the first six kiosk locations will be placed. Spread out from Midtown to Deep Deuce to Bricktown and the Convention Center, the system seems well placed to provide easy transportation throughout downtown.

Memberships will range from $75 dollars for a full year to $5 for a day.  Rentals are free for the first 30 minutes and $2 for each half-hour after that.  You can get full details at their website, http://spokiesokc.com or by following them @SpokiesOKC on twitter.

Tulsa is doing a little bragging about their bicycle trail system and on paper, it seems well justified.  Unlike the OKC system, Tulsa’s seems well designed for both recreation and transportation which is a big bragging point.

It connects neighborhoods to downtown and that’s not the case in many cities.

Since 1999 the system has grown from just 25 miles to about 100, with a lot more trail work being planned.

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