Birmingham’s Zyp bikeshare program is up and rolling
Above: Myla Calhoun docks a Zyp bike following the parade launching Birmingham’s bikeshare program. (Michael Sznajderman/Alabama NewsCenter)
Pedal power: Birmingham bikeshare program off to a rolling start. from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
What’s the ideal way to kick off a bikeshare program on a picture-perfect autumn day? How about a bicycle parade?
That’s how more than 200 bicycling enthusiasts and community leaders celebrated the official rollout of Zyp – Birmingham’s new public bikeshare system.
The slow ride from Regions Field to City Hall began around noon, the green Zyp bicycles gleaming in the midday sun.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell led the battalion of bicycles across the business district, drawing waves and looks of surprise. “I wore a suit, so people can see you can do that,” Bell quipped during a news conference following the ride. “I’m not sure about in the middle of summer, but today, it was great.
“This is going to change the values and culture of the city,” said Bell, noting that Zyp is part of Birmingham’s concerted effort to become a more green and sustainable community.
Lindsey West, Zyp director, said the system took more than two years to bring to fruition. She said that early on in the research and planning process, “It was clear the community support was there.” She said public officials were strongly supportive, and the business community joined in the effort. “To have all the sectors working together is just amazing,” she said. “It is truly a community-driven initiative.”
Zyp is operated by REV Birmingham, a nonprofit that focuses on economic development in the city center and in-town neighborhoods. Twenty-five bikeshare stations have been installed and another five stations are being added in the next few weeks, with more in spring 2016.
About 250 bikes are available this week, with another 50 to be added next week. The system is expected to expand to 400 bicycles by next spring.
The stations are solar-powered, and some of the bicycles are “pedelecs” – electric-assist bikes that can be helpful on longer rides or on hills. Birmingham’s is the first bikeshare system in North or South America to launch with electric-assist bicycles.
“We are joining the ranks of cities like Copenhagen and Barcelona,” West said, adding that Birmingham’s system is the most technologically advanced in the nation.
Another positive element of the system, West said, is that the bikeshare stations were fabricated in the Birmingham area under an agreement with the system’s developer, Bewegen. The Canada-based company has pledged to continue using Birmingham-area companies to manufacture stations for bikeshare systems around the globe that contract with them. “We are going to be a showcase for other cities looking to do bikeshare,” she said.
Individuals can sign up for Zyp annual memberships or swipe a credit card at any station to take out a bicycle for a few hours or an entire day. A free smartphone app provides maps, information about station locations, usage history and a timer to clock your trip.
The Alabama Power Foundation is among the key supporters of Zyp, along with Regions Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the city of Birmingham and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.
For more information, go to www.zypbikeshare.com.
