A
resolution passed at the May 11th Board of Aldermen meeting suggested
the city implement a "white bike" system modeled on both Portland,
Maine and Paris-style programs where people can either rent or borrow
bikes at points throughout the cities.

"Somerville is four
square miles. It's time to make the city a model for bicycle use,"
Alderman at Large Dennis Sullivan said at the meeting.

Aldermen also voted for a resolution asking the Mayor's office to let city employees use bikes while on business.

Sullivan suggested costs could be kept down by letting employees choose from among the city's abandoned and lost bikes.

Alderman
at Large Jack Connolly passed around a Boston Globe magazine article
citing the Paris program and the progress Boston has made with the
idea.

If implemented, Connolly said locked bike racks could be
placed every 300-400 yards throughout Somerville. The T stations within
the city would serve as hubs for the system.

"We're in a
particularly dense urban area that would be tailor-made for this bike
sharing concept," Connolly said. "I don't think we want to wait for
Boston."