Designing Our Lives Around Bikes

While the dominant paradigm for our society – from parking garages and roadways to gas stations and AAA – may still be the automobile, more and more we’re seeing thoughtful approaches to designing the bike into our world view. To wit, RentaBikeNow, a site that lets you research the rental bikes available in 157 locations across the U.S. and Canada with information on rates, routes and accessories like racks and helmets. The service enables users to reserve bikes online in advance and easily incorporate them into their travel plans, though we imagine this will be just as useful to locals eager to get a new perspective on their own cities.

We also liked a commuter-friendly concept called Green Pod, a multi-use structure that combines bike storage, lockers, a changing room and a shower into an area no bigger than a standard parking space. The compact design has been outfitted with a 12V electrical system that can run off of solar panels embedded on the roof, powering hot water, locks, LED lighting and a self-cleaning mechanism that ensures showers are cleaned after each use. As the building can be installed both indoors and out, it’s one more way for businesses to encourage their employees to pedal to work. 

[via Green Daily and Treehugger]