Capital Bikeshare Stations Open in Silver Spring

Capital Bikeshare launched in Montgomery County on Friday, with 14 bike-sharing stations opening at noon, according to the county's website.

At a system launch in Rockville Friday morning, Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner said that the system "...is a significant step in creating a less car-centric culture. We want an environment that encourages healthier and greener mobility options and [Capital] Bikeshare does just that." 

In Silver Spring, three stations opened on Friday at noon:

• A 19-dock station at Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue.
• A 15-dock station at Fenton Street and New York Avenue.
• A 15-dock station at 13th Street and Eastern Avenue.

And, in Takoma Park, two stations opened:

• A 15-dock station at Philadelphia and Maple avenues.
• A 19-dock station at Maple and Ritchie avenues.

Nearby, in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, the following stations opened at noon on Friday, according to the county's website:

• An 11-dock station at Cordell and Norfolk avenues.
• A 19-dock station at Bethesda Avenue and Arlington Road.
• An 11-dock station at Montgomery and East lanes.
• An 11-dock station at Norfolk and Fairmont avenues.
• A 19-dock station at Wisconsin Avenue and Wisconsin Circle.

Four stations also opened in Rockville.

Capital Bikeshare is a bike-sharing system that started in Washington, DC, a few years ago. It's since spread into Virginia, and—on Friday—into Maryland, in Montgomery County.

Altogether, 14 of 51 Montgomery County Capital Bikeshare stations opened on Friday, the county reported.

Bikeshare supporters praise the system for giving county residents another option for going car-free. But some say that the county isn't quite ready for a bike-sharing system to hit the streets.

"Our streets are not striped everywhere like they are in [Washington, DC], our motorists and our pedestrians are not used to sharing the roadways and the sidewalks yet and we have some very interesting laws that allow bicyclists to be on sidewalks with pedestrians," Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin has said, WTOP reported this week.

And, of course, safety helmets don't come with the rented bikes. But, as Berliner pointed out on Friday morning, Capital Bikeshare helmets may be purchased at wholesale cost when signing up for a Capital Bikeshare membership. 

"So grab your helmet, grab a bike and go!" Berliner said.

Will you be using the bikes? Do you think the county is ready for more bicyclists on the roads? Which roads and intersections are the most dangerous for bicyclists, in your opinion? 

Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

To learn more about Capital Bikeshare or to sign up for one of its membership options, visit www.capitalbikeshare.com.