Selma has many places for tourists to visit, and whether it is the Edmund Pettus Bridge or Brown Chapel AME Church, people will be able to visit them by renting a bicycle from the Selma Welcome Center.

According to Henry Thompson with the city of Selma Planning and Development Department, the city was awarded bicycles to promote tourism and living a healthy lifestyle.

“We have 12 bikes that were given to the city from the Alabama Department of Tourism as a public health initiative, and is going to be run through the Welcome Center,” Thompson said. “It consists of all 12 bikes, which any citizen or tourist will be able to come to the welcome center and do a sign in and receive a bike during the hours the welcome center is open until it closes, and they will turn the bike in by the end of the day.”

The bike rental program is not up and running yet, but Thompson said when it is people will be able to come to the Welcome Center and check one out for free if they have a driver’s license or some form of identification.

“The only fee will be if you don’t have a license,” Thompson said. “If you have a license or an ID, you will have to leave one of those with the Welcome Center attendant in regards to making sure the bike is returned, and if they do not have that, then there will be a price that will be set.”

Thompson said the bikes were awarded to the city through a grant they applied for with the Alabama Department of Public Health that was part of a health and fitness operation.

Thompson said helmets were also included to make sure riders are safe when touring the city, and the Welcome Center will provide maps for the ride.

“We currently have brochures for all the tourist spots for anyone that comes in and wants to use a bike for the day,” Thompson said. “It tells the tourists or people from out of town if they want to come pickup a bike where all the tourist destinations are in the downtown area.”

Selma Mayor George Evans said he hopes to see the program up and running some time in September. Evans said they are also working on putting together an official bike trail for visitors to ride on that will include stops at several destinations.

“It is a very positive and great note to the city because of the amount of tourism and the people who come to visit this city,” Thompson said. “It will be instrumental in helping promote tourism … I look at it as a win-win on both ends.”