Community Corner

Bike Share Coming to Phoenixville

The program will kick off in conjunction with this weekend's Shad Festival.

A fleet has been assembled, and the bikes are ready to go.

With this weekend’s activities Saturday, Phoenixville’s Green Team will herald in a new program in conjunction with the Schuylkill River Heritage Association. A bike share program will hit the road.

Thanks to funding from the heritage association to the tune of a $5,000 grant, the 12 bikes customized and maintained by will be available for the public starting Saturday.

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According to Kyle Guie of the Green Team, the idea really began to come together late last year.

“Before that they had some different ideas they were throwing around for a bike share program,” Guie said.

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There’s a business plan in place, and Bike Schuylkill-Phoenixville will be part of a larger bike share program put together in part by the Schuylkill River Heritage Association.

The hub for the program initially will be Phoenix Cycles on Bridge Street, though bikes may be available at more locations in the future.

“They really needed a bike shop to complete it,” said Chet Ritchie of Phoenix Cycles.

The bikes are three speeds and specialized with seats that have adjustable heights. For now, the bikes are in two colors—Phoenixville blue and a yellow that matches others in the heritage association program—but those may change to all yellow.

While some bike shares have simpler bikes, these will help cyclists get around a bit better.

“When you have hills, you’re going to want more gears,” Ritchie said.

Along with serving as a hub for the program, Phoenix Cycles will also help out with maintenance.

“We’ll be the guys changing flat tires and making sure everything is working,” Ritchie said.

In order to use a bike, a cyclist will have to sign one out using a form of identification. That way, those behind the program can keep track of where the bikes are and who has them.

If something does happen, there is insurance, but Phoenixville isn’t the first town to do a bike share program, and others have had successful models. The bikes will come with locks when they’re checked out to keep potential thieves at bay.

Shad Fest on Saturday seemed a good time to unveil the bike share, as the festival will take place at three locations—under the Gay Street bridge, at Lock 60 and at the Black Rock Sanctuary where the fish ladder is located—all within riding distance. While on Saturday the focus will be recreational use of the bikes, Guie said he hopes they’ll get other use as well.

“That’s kind of the point, to promote both recreational use and commuter use,” Guie said.

In the future, more plans to make Phoenixville bike-friendly are in the works.

"Another thing we want to do is have bike racks, and then have companies sponsor the bike racks," Guie said.

To use one of the bikes, stop by and see the Green Team at Shad Fest (they’ll be under the bridge near the French Creek) or come by Phoenix Cycles after Saturday and sign one out.


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