FollowWhile navigating through downtown Oklahoma City, visitors, residents and employees are sure to notice the bright blue Spokies bikes resting on the racks near the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Native Roots Market, Cox Convention Center and other locations sprinkled throughout downtown.
Thanks to Spokies, cars can rest peacefully in the downtown apartment complex lots and parking garages while their owners rent out Spokies bikes to get from one location in downtown Oklahoma City to the next.
Spokies officially launched in May 2012 with green intentions as part of an energy efficiency and conservation block grant. Community members can reduce traffic congestion and wasteful exhaust when they opt to rent out a Spokies bike, rather than getting behind the wheel and gunning the gas pedal, says Brent Tongco, Spokies general manager. The farther the commute, the more energy saved.
“The success of a bike share program is really being able to tie it into existing transit and creating a multimodal approach to transportation,” Tongco says. “An example of that is someone riding a bus from outside of downtown to downtown and then hopping on a Spokies bike to do that last mile to get to work or to get to their destination.”
Upon arrival to the downtown area, riders can save themselves some time by tuning in to the Spokies website. Here, they will see real-time information on how many bikes are available at each location. This way, large groups can avoid disappointment at discovering the Spokies location they chose happens to be missing a bike or two.
When renting a bike from the solar-powered Spokies stations, all a rider has to do is swipe their Spokies membership card or a credit card to unlock a bike for their 30-minute ride. Riders can then turn their rented bikes in to any Spokies station in the downtown area.
Since the Spokies bike share program also has the potential to reduce riders’ waistlines and stress levels, they have met their perfect match with sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, which happens to be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
“We have a long history of supporting our community through different types of programs and outreach,” says Ashley Hudgeons, Blue Cross Blue Shield manager of public relations. “We also look for unique ways, things that Oklahomans are enjoying and are wanting to get involved in, and Spokies kind of hit the spot for us.”
The Spokies bike share program has helped reduce Oklahoma City’s carbon footprint and health risks for three years now, and to celebrate its good deeds and the community’s positive response, they have added an eighth location and rebranded their bikes.
Rusty bikes have swapped out their old bits and pieces for new parts, and the entire fleet of 50 has been treated to a fresh round of vibrant, bright blue paint to make the bikes and stations easier to spot. All Spokies bikes include a fleet number and a metal basket in the back with plenty of room for groceries, briefcases and lunch bags.
Tongco says the bikes and stations initially blended into the street with their black coats of paint, but now, Spokies intends to stand out and catch the attention of those looking for alternative transportation methods.
“The opportunity to power coat the bikes and do that gives us the opportunity to update and create a more contemporary brand and really kind of give the logo, give the colors a little more movement, a little more energy,” Tongco says.
Elemental Coffee came on board in July 2015 as the latest business to participate in the Spokies bike share program. The coffee shop already attracts cyclists with its low, yellow bike rack that is designed to conserve bikes’ frames, along with a repair station that includes an air pump and a variety of tools available to help with bike maintenance, all installed by DNA Racing.
“I see it as a way to grow community in Oklahoma City and to build the connectivity,” says Laura Massenat, Elemental Coffee partner.
As a central hub for biking activities, Elemental Coffee seemed the perfect choice for BCBS’s sponsored location. Its location in Midtown also helped Spokies stretch from NW 10th Street down to Bricktown and over to Automobile Alley.
The new location also seems like perfect timing that coincides with Massenat’s observed increase in downtown cyclists. During monthly H&8th gatherings downtown, Massenat says more and more bikers are taking advantage of bike valets at Elemental Coffee to avoid fighting over limited parking spots.
“This spring is when it became just glaringly obvious that people are now cycling,” Massenat says. “You see people dressed in business attire on their townie bikes, and then you definitely see groups of people going around Spokies, station to station.”
To explore downtown for a day, swipe your daily $5 fee at the solar-powered station and make sure you return your bike to the nearest Spokies station before your 30 minutes is up. Downtown residents and employees can get online to pay $20 monthly memberships or put forth $75 up front for an annual membership.
In celebration of its 75th anniversary, Blue Cross Blue Shield members can log in to their online profiles to find a 20 percent discount code toward an annual Spokies membership.
“Bike share does a lot of things for a lot of cities,” Tongco says. “We have a growing cycle culture, and we have a thriving and changing downtown with so many tremendous and wonderful infrastructure improvements taking place. It’s another asset for creating a more livable downtown community and a more active downtown.”
Written by Tegan Burkhard | Photos by Emily Brashier
