Many larger cities are starting bikeshare programs. In these programs there are central locations all over town that have "banks" of bikes that you can rent for a period of time and return them to another "kiosk" across town after you've used it. It's a cheap way to move people across town.

Coupled with the proposed greenway system, we could see many benefits:

1) This could legitimately cut down on traffic by putting a substantial number of motorists on bikes.

2) Health: Putting more people on bikes helps improve our quality of life, lower obesity rates, decrease heart problems, improve lung health, less stress via traffic means lower blood pressure, etc... Too many health benefits to name.

3) Air quality: Just think of how many cars we'd be taking off the road.

4) Runoff: It's really astonishing to think about how much auto runoff runs into our streams, rivers, and lakes. If you want to see what I'm talking about, the next time it rains, look at a puddle next to the road and look at the multi-colored film on top.

5) Economy: Removing people from traffic increases accessibility by making it easier to access our businesses. Less traffic = less stress = more economic activity.

6) Walkability: Removing those cars from roads increases the ability of pedestrians to cross busy streets, increases pedestrian safety, and makes walking/biking more appealing.

As far as paying for it all... We all know Regions Financial's big thing is these bikes, so why not see if we can get them to donate a number of them. Can you say great advertisement? Not only does it get people on bikes, but helps an Alabama based bank grow it's market, and increase instate jobs. They could also help with financing, and their "storm recovery" efforts would make them more appealing to those looking for a new bank!

Anyone have any other ideas on how this could benefit the city? Feel free to comment!