Tulsa Townies Encourages Activity

A brand new, state of the art program is taking a spin at Tulsa's River Parks. It's called Tulsa Townies, and it features dozens of bikes you can check out and ride for free, but the program is

Tuesday, June 5th 2007, 7:48 pm

By: News On 6

A brand new, state of the art program is taking a spin at Tulsa's River Parks. It's called Tulsa Townies, and it features dozens of bikes you can check out and ride for free, but the program is off to a bit of a bumpy start. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports many park-goers were thrilled by this idea, but some technical difficulties kind of let the air out their tires.

Tulsa River Parks is a favorite destination for many Tulsa cyclists. Now, even if you don't have a bike, you don't have to let the activity pass you by.

"The Tulsa Townies, these are bicycles that are free for checkout for 24 hours at a time," said Tonja Pitzer of River Parks Authority.

St. Francis teamed up with Tulsa River Parks to provide the bikes to encourage Tulsa to get active.

It's a state of the art solar powered system. All you have to do is swipe your credit card, follow the instructions, and you get a bike.

A computer chip in the bike registers when it's checked back in. As long as itâ€™s returned within 24 hours, you're card is not charged.

"I think it's a good idea,â€ said Tulsa resident Alex Holter. â€œI don't own a bike personally, but I wish I did. So, sounds like a good idea."

"Pretty cool, I like the idea. I mean, itâ€™s easier for me because I have a real small car and I can't get my bike down here all the time," said Sand Springs resident Daniel Lutz.

When Pitzer demonstrated the program for us, it worked like clockwork. But when we tried again later, it didn't. It took three tries and two different credit cards to get a bike. Then, the cycle station locked up.

It turns out the server that runs the system was down. So, you bicycle enthusiasts may have to wait a while before you hit the trails. River Parks say they're trying to work out the kinks, so be patient.

Right now the 19th and 41st street locations are not working.

Watch the video: Technical Difficulties Put The Brakes On New River Parks Program