Peninsula Public Library launches bike-lending program in July

Five Town’s adults without a bicycle are in luck. The Peninsula Public Library will pilot a bike-lending program, starting this month.

“Libraries are lending out power washers, cameras, signs or things that sometimes you don’t need to buy,” Carolynn Matulewicz, Peninsula Public Library director said. “Just making it reusable and just use it as needed, so we’re starting a library of things sometime in July.”

On June 20, the library soft launched its bike portion of this program. Four bicycles donated to the library by the Long Island Bicycle Co-Op were on display, with balloons, refreshments and information from Matulewicz and Emma Balsam, a representative of the State Department of Transportation Statewide Mobility Services Program.

“The New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) Statewide Mobility Services Program has several goals including improving air quality across New York State and prevent reduce congestion,” Balsam wrote in an email. “The program promotes use of alternative modes of transportation, such as bike-share, carpooling, using public transit, walking places — as an alternative to driving alone in your car. These alternatives help to reduce single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) on the road, improve air quality, and cut down on traffic.”

The NYSDOT Statewide Mobility Program determined Cedarhurst and Inwood ‘disadvantaged communities’ with a disproportionate burden by pollution, climate change and high concentrations of low-income households, Balsam added.

“Bike libraries expand transportation options, are free to use and are free of greenhouse gas emissions,” Balsam said.

Multi-family units and apartment buildings in these towns, prevent large spaces and long-term storage options for bikes.

“The ability to borrow a bike short-term could help alleviate this concern,” Balsam said.

Peninsula Public Library is the first library in the state to take part in the program.

“We have to test the waters we’ve never done this before,” Matulewicz said. “I can’t call up another library and say, how’s it going at your library. As the guinea pigs here, we’re starting out and we’re going to tweak it as we go along.”

The Wyandanch Chamber of Commerce was the first organization to take on the program, lending bikes out of the Spin the Yard organization storefront.

In order to borrow a bike, patrons must be 18-years-old, have a library card and sign a waiver.

They can reserve the bicycle for a day or an extended period, being that it is returned in good condition.

Patrons will be able to reserve bikes online from the Peninsula Public Library website, or walk in and reserve them, if they are available.

The Long Island Bicycle Co-Op will maintain the bicycles and do repairs if necessary.

For updates on the program start and how to reserve a bike, visit PeninsulaPublic.org.