DIVVY pedals toward smarter, fitter future

DIVVY pedals toward smarter, fitter future

by KARL SORENSEN

Few eyebrows were raised when Divvy GM Elliot Greenberger and CDOT Asst. Commissioner Sean Wiedel told a lunchtime audience here last week that they had braved January's biting temps to pedal to BuiltWorlds' West Loop HQ via bicycles. Both longtime Chicagoans, the pedaling pair are the driving duo behind Divvy, the city's young but thriving bike share system which now expects to expand exponentially this year.

The sustainable, fuel-saving, personal transportation effort started in Paris some years ago and caught the eye of then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Since then, the two-wheeling, Smart City enterprise had migrated to the U.S., showing up in Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C. before arriving here in mid-2013 with Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's enthusiastic support. Since opening in America's 6th coldest city, Divvy has rapidly become one of Chicago's hottest modes of both commuting and sight-seeing. To date, the program has helped to facilitate some 2.5 million bicycle trips, accounting for 22 million miles traveled on 3,000 iconic sky blue bikes. 

On January 15, Greenberger and Wiedel dished on Divvy before a very receptive mid-day audience here at BuiltWorlds. For those who missed our Lunch Break with Divvy, roll up your pant-legs (or tuck 'em into your socks) and check out the video recap (and social media feed) below...

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