Riders of the city of Chattanooga's newest form of public transportation have burned over 1,000,000 calories since the program launched on July 23. This milestone also marks the 10,000th trip taken and over 6,500 pounds of CO2 saved.
Bike Chattanooga has several overarching goals; improve the health of residents through increased physical activity, reduce automotive congestion, create additional parking availability, improve local air quality, and provide a unique downtown Chattanooga experience for all.
"Frankly, I'm very impressed with the numbers thus far," says Jeremy Pomp, general manager of Bike Chattanooga. "Members and visitors have caught on to the benefits of Bike Chattanooga. The transit system has proven very effective, especially for transportation downtown to festivals and major events. It's less expensive, faster and less of a headache to park offsite in the Southside or North Shore and ride the bikes to your downtown destination."
Bike Chattanooga Annual Member Buddy Killebrew, attorney at Husch Blackwell, is the system's most prolific member. Mr. Killebrew has completed over 150 trips since he moved to the Southside four months ago. "Sometimes I use the system up to four times a day. It's the most efficient way for me to get to work. Although I use it for transportation, I do enjoy the morning ride that gets my metabolism up. It prepares me for the workday."
Mr. Killebrew also notes that the transit system is great on weekends too. "My wife and I will take the bikes downtown for dinner and a movie. We don't really need to drive a card at all."
"The bicycle transit system is one component, or tool, that we are using to improve the quality of life in Chattanooga," adds Philip Pugliese, Chattanooga Bicycle coordinator. "It's part of a larger goal that touches on transportation, livability and sustainability.”
A subscription to Bike Chattanooga allows riders unlimited number of trips from station to station of less than 60 minutes duration, 24 hours, seven days per week, 365 days per year. To learn more about the city of Chattanooga's Bike Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System, visit www.bikechattanooga.com.