A cheaper way to start bike sharing?

Bike sharing programs, which offer people an alternative to driving and helps fill the gaps in transit networks, have been increasing in popularity in Europe and are now catching on in the US with programs such as Denver's B-cycle and Nice Ride in Minneapolis.  SoBi--short for Social Bicycles--is attempting to build the bike share momentum by cutting capital costs for modern bike sharing.  
While European and, now, North American bike-sharing typically use specially designed, proprietary bicycles, the SoBi design incorporates a GPS system and a locking mechanism in a compact box/rear rack that can be attached to any bicycle, also allowing members to lock the bike up at any bike rack.  The design is being touted as a way to significantly cut the capital costs of starting a bike sharing program.  SoBi is entered in Pepsi's Refresh Project for a chance to test drive the program in NYC.

Bike sharing is unconstitutional?

Earlier today Patrick James at GOOD blogged about an article that ran in the Denver Post regarding the city's new bike sharing program and its potential to erode democratic freedoms.

According to Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, strategies such as bike sharing are part of a plot to turn Denver into a puppet of the UN's International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a voluntary membership organization that promotes sustainable development and acts as a sort of clearinghouse for best practices. Speaking at a rally, Maes warned, "At first, I thought, 'Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars?' But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty."

So next time you think about going for a bike ride, be forewarned you might be indirectly destroying democracy.