Yellow Bike Project

Bike-Friendly Reputation

Portland's reputation as a bike-friendly City was enhanced by The Yellow Bike Project, a 1994 civic engagement action and the brainchild of Portland, Oregon activist Tom O'Keefe. After watching the documentary "Sex Drugs & Democracy", O'Keefe proposed painting donated bikes - repaired by at-risk-youth served by the Portland based Community Cycling Center - bright yellow, and deploying them for free use around Portland. "Gratis Pedalis Feralvus" was a tongue-in-cheek slogan for the quirky eco-transportation project. O'Keefe enrolled fellow environmental activists Joe Keating and Steve Gunther along with the Community Cycling Center (led then by Brian Lacy) into promoting and supporting the project. Project launch: On a weekday in East Portland, in front of a local radio station, a press conference was arranged by United Community Action Network (UCAN) Directors O'Keefe & Keating. They presented about a dozen bright yellow bicycles for free distribution. Local media showed up and that night's evening news featured what looked like scores of bright yellow bikes ridden by a variety of Portland characters. A local Earl Scheib franchise painted the bikes at no charge. The bikes' tires, spokes, pedals, chains, and even the handlebars were all painted mustard yellow.

A rolling stone is worth two in the bush, thanks to this atrcile.

External Links

• Yellow Bike Project
• Yellow Bikes: Version 2.0: The Return of Bike Sharing?
• Portland Journal; Where Trust Rides a Yellow Bicycle
• Bicycle sharing system
• Deleted text from Wikipedia's Portland, Oregon page.
• Commons on wheels
• Dial-A-Bicycle (Rental)
• Community Bike Programs - Bike Libraries - Bike Sharing: Case Studies