Streetsblog Los Angeles

Last year at the Alternative Car Expo (to most known as the AltCar Expo), there was much excitement about all the motor vehicles that were trying to be sold as the new alternative to cars. Huh? There was a small area in a room off to the side and hidden from through traffic that was set up for the real alternatives and the Greensters had their own "park" set up,  demonstrating that one can carry lots of stuff on a good bike without having to waste the resources that manufacturing a car does. Unfortunately their excitement was drowned out by the oohs and aahs coming from the big room as the "green" crowd clamored around dozens of motor vehicles (Alt-Car?) that ran on batteries, good wishes, great intentions, and a continued commitment to the misuse of large amounts of public space.

What a difference six months makes! Now, the real crowd pleaser, the attention getter, the main draw at Hollywood Rent A Car on Hollywood Boulevard is not a motor vehicle but a bicycle! Huh? Who would have thought!

Bechir Blagui from Hollywood Rent a Car, who is committed to bringing electric car rental to Hollywood but gets no support from the city, somehow got turned on by the idea of bringing electric bikes to his shop and renting them out. The idea came to fruition very quickly and one day as I passed his shop, I saw the bikes in the front window and I squealed. Bechir came out, smiled up to his ears and said "Here, take it for a spin."

My husband, Stephen Box, and I test rode the bikes and while Stephen interviewed Bechir people from all walks, young and old, came into the rental place, smiling, excited and curious about the bike rental options. The air was electric. Literally!

A week later, which was yesterday, representatives of iRoll Bikes came to Bechir's store to show him their models and the excitement was felt around the block. People eating at restaurants near by came out to see what the bikes were about. Kids stood on the curb with their parents. Cyclists who rode by did a double take. Young women's faces lit up as they passed us on the sidewalk, looking over the bikes, their features and their ease of use.

Bechir's Hollywood Rent a Bike business is the first one of its kind in Hollywood. The City of Los Angeles had the opportunity to engage in the Bike Share program years ago when CBS/Decaux brought its street furniture/billboard program to LA. Demonstrating the vision (or lack thereof) that is part of LA's DNA, our leadership passed on the opportunity to get a funded Bike Share program and selected the current bus bench/kiosk program as the payoff for giving up advertising rights to CBS/Decaux. Mayor Villaraigosa, who Bechir approached for charging stations on Hollywood Blvd. for his electric cars, passed on the opportunity to work with Bechir on a fantastic sustainable business solution when he turned his back on Bechir's plea for help. City Council President Eric Garcetti was no help and Councilman Tom LaBonge was only able to think of obstacles to Bechir's dreams.

But Bechir plugs away (no pun intended). The electric bikes are available for rental for the hour, day, overnight, week, and month. People can ride the bikes up to the Observatory with ease, they can go shopping at Hollywood & Highland or go to the Kodak Theatre or Barnsdall Art Park for a Sunday afternoon art show. These bikes are super easy to use, anybody could get on them and not break a sweat during the hot summer months.

Bechir is committed and he is an inspiration. He understands the struggle as a small business owner and maybe that makes him sympathize more with cyclists because now he understands the struggle that non-motorists deal with on a daily basis.

The excitement over the bikes is a big step forward in Hollywoods car centric culture and now I know for sure that individuals can lead by example, that one can change car culture with simple acts and dreams that might be a struggle but the victory is always sweeter.

Check out Bechir's bike rental and let your friends know when they come to LA that they don't need to rent a car because Bechir is here to serve them