Mpls, St. Paul Mayors To Celebrate Bike Expansion

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul plan a bike ride to celebrate the expansion of a bicycle-sharing program in their cities.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and his St. Paul counterpart Chris Coleman are scheduled to join other bikers Monday in a ride from Seward Co-op in Minneapolis to a Dunn Bros. coffee shop on University Avenue in St. Paul.

Nice Ride Minnesota opened in Minneapolis a year ago, with bike share stations already at 73 locations. This summer the program is expanding into St. Paul with the opening of 43 new stations and 500 new bikes across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Advocates say bike-sharing programs can help cut down on obesity, traffic jams and auto emissions. Riders can swipe a keycard at a kiosk, pick up a bike and just go.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)