There's been a boost in the number of bicycles Des Moines residents have rented to get from Point A to Point B, and that's leading to more of them.
"2016, we had over 8,000 trips taken by B-Cycles, which was a 35% increase over 2015, and that's with the same number of bicycles," said Robert Munchrath, the operations manager for Des Moines B-Cycle.
Des Moines B-Cycle came to town about six years ago. At the time, the Des Moines City Council approved for four rental bike corrals around downtown Des Moines to test the concept out.
"And slowly, the idea grew, but it wasn't being anywhere near to be used as much as it could be, with only four stations - there weren't enough destinations and places to ride," Munchrath said.
But as of 2015, that number had risen to 10 corrals. And the data show Des Moines residents are using the system. So now the Des Moines Bike Collective has gathered enough grant money to fund 10 more corrals, hoping to expand the network beyond downtown Des Moines.
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