Congestion, pollution, obesity: some American colleges feel these problems are important enough to warrant some out-of-the-box solutions. One of those solutions is paying students to ride their bikes instead of driving.

Stanford spiffs employees and students who agree to give up car commuting up to $282 a year. At Ripon College in Wisconsin, freshmen who don't bring a car to campus are given a free high-quality bike, lock and helmet. The University of New England has a similar program.

Other colleges and universities are setting up bike borrowing programs, so students can grab and go without the burden of ownership. On some campuses, pedicabs also provide convenient transportation around the quad.

Many cities are also climbing on board, such as Washington, D.C., which recently launched a Smart Bike program. The recently passed TARP legislation also included, oddly, incentives for individuals and companies to encourage bike commuting.

Winter bicycling, while challenging, is still practical if you prepare properly and know the strategies. The Gear Junkie has a nice post about dealing with the season on two wheels.

Following the example set by several European cities, Washington D.C. has launched a Smart Bike program with an American twist. The program, operated by JCDecaux, which operates a similar program in Paris with a fleet of 10,000 bikes, is a combined effort of the city's Department of Transportation and Clear Channel, which controls the ad business of Washington's mass transit shelters.

Riders pay a $40 annual membership fee to gain the right to use one of the 120 bikes stored at 10 locations around town convenient to bus and train stations. They are issued a card that will open the lock securing the Smart Bike in its storage rack. Members may keep the bikes for up to three hours, at which time they must be returned to a Smart Bike location. Riders may then immediately borrow another bike, though. The rental doesn't include either helmet or lock, however, and riders are liable for the cost of lost or stolen bikes at $550. Ouch!

The bikes are configured for city riding, with fenders, luggage rack, lights, and a skirts-friendly frame. Washington is known for its network of bike paths, so such a system might be a more efficient way to get around than trying to find parking hither and yon while running one's errands.

JCDecaux's European fleets offer even more sophisticated touches, such as Bluetooth connectivity to the rider's cell phone, providing real-time suggested route info and bike return locations. Look for such systems to appear in more U.S. high-density communities if the D.C. experience works out.

Also read:

Bicycle communting not without its problems

How about a pedicab?