Just a little over a month ago, DCist Jeff updated our very occasional series, What We’re Missing, with a plea for the introduction of municipal bicycles available for rent all over the city, a la the same deal that Paris, France is about to get. Here’s what he said:

At first, we cringe at the thought of hundreds of street-clogging lost tourists and a cottage industry of bike thefts. With more examination, though, there’s a lot to like. Providing bikes in those numbers creates a critical mass that changes the way the city deals with them — pushing DDOT to crate a more continuous and extensive bike network in the city. Streets and paths appropriate for bikers would get even more so, which pulls bicycles off of streets that aren’t, lessening the dangerous competition with autos.

In Denmark, Copenhagen’s City Bikes program has been established for years, resulting in huge shifts in transportation, pollution, and the city’s image. As for theft, both Copenhagen and Helsinki’s bicycle programs have actually reduced it. The free bike use provided by the program both eliminates the need for theft and removes a considerable market for resale.

Then today, like magic, Council member Tommy Well’s (D-Ward 6) blog delivers the good word that our dreams are about to come true.

DDOT has announced that it will be launching an automated bicycle rental system in DC in partnership with Clear Channel. Similar to car sharing, the system would allow members to swipe a card and release a bike from a kiosk (DDOT says to think of it as kind of like an airport luggage carts — but better).

Photo by Flickr user edwardaggie98.