New York Bike-Share Project is taking baby steps. (BLDGBLOG)

People have been amiably sharing bikes in Europe for years (Copenhagen bike share started in 1995), which makes us skeptical that it will work in NYC.

But it's worth a shot.

Until July 11th you can stop by Storefront for Art and Architecture, pick up a free bike, ride it around for 1/2 hour, and then drop it back at the Storefront. Theoretically, this will charge you full of the holy bike riding spirit and you will insist that NYC adopt a bike share program.

Most people have some idea how this works: for a very small amount of money ($.50 a trip) you check out a bike from a public bike rack with a swipe card or call on your cell phone. You ride the bike wherever you want and check it back into the public network with another swipe of your card. It's like Zipcar for bikes, and we all enjoy Zipcar. LVHRD events wouldn't work without them.

A presentation of successful European bike share programs at the Storefront will follow the bike share trial, as well as a bike share concept forum led by transportation aficionados on June 9th and 10th, 6pm at the Storefront.