.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)" />

A Washington, D.C. bike share station (By Mariordo Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

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Many cities have bicycle sharing programs: You pay (or not - more on that later), grab a bike from one of many conveniently located automated rental spots (outside a metro station, for example), ride it to the nearest rental spot to your destination, and return it there for someone else to use.

Washington, D.C. recently implemented such a system and has seen significant increases in bike ridership as a result. It makes riding more convenient, which brings out more riders, which makes more people think they should try it, bringing out still more riders and building a virtuous cycle. (I couldn't resist that one.)

Payment is usually done either by subscription (if you plan to use the bikes frequently) or by credit card on the spot. This is obviously not convenient for those who don't have credit cards, but there does need to be some way to charge a rider if a bike is lost or stolen. (Losses tend to be high in programs that don't make the user financially responsible for the bike.)

Given the weather, LA should be a place where a bike is the first choice for getting around, not the last one. Let's help make that happen by putting a bike sharing program in place and making it quick and convenient to grab a bike as part of any trip around town. Given the size of LA we'll probably want to start in part of the city and move out from there - any suggestions on where to begin?