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City reveals Pacers Bikeshare on Cultural Trail

Dana Hunsinger Benbow
dana.benbow@indystar.com

Basketball and biking? Only in Indiana.

The Indiana Pacers are the namesake of a new bikeshare program along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail that features 25 stations and 250 bicycles dotted throughout the city.

Called Pacers Bikeshare, the program that launches April 22 will get Indy up to speed with other major metro areas, said Mayor Greg Ballard Friday, as he announced the venture.

"New urban dwellers" want to be connected to their city in ways other than cars, said Ballard. "(It's) quickly becoming the norm in major cities."

Mayor Greg Ballard tries out one of the new bikes that will be part of the Pacers Bikeshare program.

Here's how the program works:

Bikes are available by purchasing either a 24-hour pass ($8) or an annual membership ($80).

Those passes give you access to a bike for unlimited 30 minute trips. Trips more than 30 minutes incur overage fees of $2 for 30-60 minutes and $4 for each additional 30 minutes.

Stations, which will be dotted throughout the city on or near the Cultural Trail, will be open 5:30 a.m. to midnight yearround.

Locations include Monument Circle, IUPUI, Old National Centre, Fountain Square, Broad Ripple, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Circle Centre Mall.

Simply check out a bike and go for a spin. Return the bike to any station along the trail.

With the launch of Pacers Bikeshare, Indianapolis joins other major cities, such as New York, Chicago, Denver, Boston and Washington, D.C., which have bikeshare programs.

Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc. announced today a new bikeshare program called Pacers Bikeshare. It will feature 25 stations and 250 bikes.

The Pacers name? That's due to an undisclosed financial contribution from the Simon family, who owns the Indiana Pacers. Indy's bikeshare is the first in the nation to be connected to a professional sports team, said Karen Haley, executive director of the Cultural Trail.

The Herbert Simon Family Foundation funded the startup costs and will fund the ongoing operations. Another $1 million was given by the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Simons want to give back "to a city we feel has given us so much," said Rachel Simon, a member of the foundation.

Pacers Bikeshare is a great example of green transportation and healthy living and "it will cultivate a higher level of environmental awareness in the community," she said.

Call Star reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow at (317) 444-6012. Follow her on Twitter: @danabenbow .