By Christopher Smart, The Salt Lake Tribune

The Chinese zodiac may have 2013 down as the “Year of the Snake,” but, according to Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker’s reading of the lunar calendar, it’s the “Year of the Bike.”

Or so he said in his State of the City address last month. But what exactly that entails remains somewhat vague.

That Becker is a fan of bicycles is not news. It’s not uncommon to see him roll up to City Hall or an out-of-the-way news conference in a suit and tie astride a two-wheeler. He’s also fond of creating new bike lanes and touts the bicycle as a key to future urban transportation strategies.

In his State of the City speech, he made reference to the Bike Share program fostered by the municipality that will be operated by the private, nonprofit Downtown Alliance business organization.

That $1 million program is slated to debut in March and will include 100 bicycles and at least 10 stations. It works through memberships that range from $5 a day to $75 a year. Participants can take a bike for 30 minutes at a time and drop it off at any station.

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