POINT: LA’s new bike share program will revolutionize the city’s transportation


Hannah Luk | Daily Trojan

Hannah Luk | Daily Trojan

With the rising number of bike share programs in the United States, Southern California has at last caught up to the trend. Last Thursday, Breeze Bikeshare unveiled 500 bright green bikes on racks around Santa Monica and Venice, with plans to expand to other areas in the future. Using a kiosk system, the program allows customers to pay for their journey, returning the bike to a station after use. Though the concept has been met with much upheaval and backlash, it is essential to support this system in Los Angeles, where car exhaust fumes contribute to the city’s poor air quality.

It’s no surprise that city bike sharing programs have taken over urban areas in the last decade, becoming an attraction in more than 400 cities across the nation. Accessibility and affordability have helped promote the concept. For users of Breeze Bikeshare, a plethora of stations are scattered along almost every street in Santa Monica, providing an alternative form of transportation for $6 an hour to those wanting to leave the congested traffic. Additionally, bike sharing programs can be more appealing for tourists, as they would be free from the hassle of multiple bus transfers and escalating taxi fares. And, of course, the environment would benefit from a bit less smog.

The negative effect on the environment is perhaps the most serious issue that comes from the congestion of cars in the city. For many years, Los Angeles has consistently topped the list for most polluted cities in the world. The current atmosphere in the city has affected weather patterns and air quality. But the most staggering consequence is more deadly. According to the Wall Street Journal, researchers have linked traffic fumes to the obliteration of memory cells and the development of fatal heart disease. Given the amount of people who sit in traffic every day, many commuters put themselves at continued risk.

Knowing this, bike share programs can serve as a gateway to pollution reduction. In an effort to diminish the effects of climate change, Nice Ride bike share system projected that its presence along the Mississippi River in Minnesota would eliminate 34,383 annual motorized vehicle trips. That means carbon monoxide emissions would be reduced by 36.78 pounds per day, along with the aversion of harmful hydrocarbons and other chemicals. Translated into terms relative to Los Angeles, where there is a larger target population and effect size, the positive consequences of a bike share program would be greatly amplified.

Naysayers might question the practicality and safety of a bike share program, but previous success achieved by hundreds of cities point to Los Angeles finally moving in the right direction. Exhaust from vehicles has caused the air quality to deteriorate and people’s health to suffer. Ironically, to the rest of the nation, Southern California embodies the image of absolute health and environmental awareness. With Breeze Bikeshare, Los Angeles can finally live up to that reputation.

Danni Wang is a junior majoring in psychology. She is also the lifestyle editor of the Daily Trojan. “Point/Counterpoint” ran Mondays.