Jan 08 '09 - 323 W - Vote Good + 3 :: Bad - 14 A Greener Way for Rangers To Roll
Published January 8, 2009 by Washington Post
By David Betancourt
The National Park Service is encouraging its employees in the region to use bicycles on the job instead of driving.
In an initiative aimed at decreasing auto emissions, the Park Service this week announced the Bike Share program as it received 30 bicycles and bike racks donated by Humana, a health-benefits company based in Louisville.
The white, single-speed bicycles will be available to as many as 500 Park Service employees at three headquarters locations in the Washington area: for the capital region, for the Mall and nearby parks, and for the eastern part of the city. The bikes aren't for the general public.
Officials envision that instead of checking out a fleet car, an employee would choose to use a bicycle on a three- to five-mile round trip between and around the parks. The bikes are to be used only for work, not personal travel.
Park workers who wish to take part must complete a bicycle safety training course before being authorized to take the bikes.
Those who finish the course will be issued a smart card that can be waved across the bike rack, releasing the bicycle. A monitor will register the name of every employee who takes a bike, as well as the time and date when it is taken and returned.
Bill Line, a spokesman for the National Park Service and a bike enthusiast, said he plans to go through the training and hopes other employees will do so, as well.
"We'll try to encourage [use of the bikes] as much as possible," Line said. "It's completely voluntary, but it can go a long way in reducing the carbon footprint as well as increase the level of physical fitness among employees."
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