We’ve been thinking about bike sharing for a while.

When new Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein rode into town at the beginning of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, that was practically all anyone talked about. It was Klein’s calling card — its success in Washington, D.C., preceded him.

But even though Klein promised almost on day one to bring a very similar program to Chicago’s streets, we never really thought about what it would mean to the communities around the Loop until the plans were formally announced last week.

Adding another mode of transportation in downtown could very well make business in the neighborhoods nearby explode. There aren’t very many el stops in the West Loop and South Loop, perhaps making tourists a bit less inclined to leave the safe havens of Michigan Avenue and the Loop.

By making it incredibly simple — even fun — for anyone to travel short distances, tourists’ turf will grow. Combined with the new protected bike lanes that are being installed, these 3,000 new bikes could be a huge game-changer in the near-Loop economy.

For already-packed restaurants like Girl and the Goat and The Scout, it won’t be as big of a factor. But for other new businesses that might not be getting enough traffic — but just happen to sit near those buzzy joints — this could be just the ticket.