Ramat Gan becomes a bikesharing city with eight stations.
By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMANUpdated: JANUARY 31, 2016 01:53Bike rental in Tel Aviv (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Bike sharing officially arrived in Ramat Gan, as eight Tel-OFun bike rental stations were inaugurated.Ramat Gan Mayor Yisrael Zinger and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai took part in the inauguration ceremony at the Rambam Square station on Thursday.They lauded the bikes as being part of a transportation revolution, after spending much of the past year working out agreements to get the stations up and running.Cyclists can rent and return the famous green machines at the Rambam station, as well as at places such as the Ayalon Mall, Illit junction near Shenkar College, and in the Diamond Exchange area close to the Savidor Central Railway Station.At the ceremony, Zinger called the bike docks a first step in the city’s cycling revolution and said he hopes the system will help reduce traffic and air pollution in Ramat Gan. He promised residents that “in the coming year, the revolution is only going to spread with the addition of more Tel-O-Fun stations and new bike lanes throughout the city.”Huldai expressed his hope that “one day, our public transportation will be good enough to clear city streets of private cars.”The Tel-O-Fun bike rental program launched in April 2011 and is the first and only such system operating in the country. Givatayim joined Tel Aviv-Jaffa in October 2015 and there are hopes that Bat Yam, Holon, Petah Tikva and Jerusalem will soon join in.Sharon Udasin contributed to this report.
