You might think that today is just another gloomy fall day in Seattle, but you’d be mistaken. Starting today, the bright green Pronto! bikes will light up your day!
In spite of unforeseen delays due to funding and technical problems, the Pronto! Bicycle Share program is ready to launch! It will be the first bike share of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The system will let locals and tourists alike use 500 bikes spread out over 50 stations around close-in, destination neighborhoods like Downtown, South Lake Union, Capitol Hill and the University district.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, Pronto! Cycle Share executive director Holly Houser, and other officials will launch the system this morning at 11am in Pioneer Square’s Occidental Park. The bikes will then become available for members to pedal out toward stations around town. Think of it as a prelude parade northward to say “Pronto! is here!” If you want to be a part of the inaugural ride, be sure to get there before the 11am press conference.
Other local rides will be taking place across city neighborhoods at 12pm, but you have to sign up online. After all the post-inaugural festivities, the system will be available in the afternoon to anyone with a membership or who buys a temporary user pass. If you’re looking for bikes, you can always download The Transit App which natively supports real-time information and station locations (or use the online map). It’s also not too late to sign up for the program. We have some of the details on cost and how the system works.
Together with the Second Avenue cycle track and other infrastructure improvements coming online throughout the city, the bike share program is on the way to making Seattle a world-class bike-friendly city. Let’s now welcome Pronto! to the Emerald City!
Guy is a high school student in Bellevue with a strong desire to become an urban planner. Before moving to Bellevue, he grew up in the Paris metropolitan area where he fell in love with and learned from some of the best rail systems in Europe. Translating his experiences from abroad to Seattle, Guy is now passionate about improving this region's public transit (especially marine-based transportation) and cycling infrastructure. Aside from the technical side of things, Guy also enjoys photography and music.