Good Good Good Co – MAY 19, 2023 11:21 AM

As biking continues to gain popularity in the United States, several programs across the country make it easier for people to hop on and head to their destination.  

A bike share program is one way people can utilize bikes. 

“A bike sharing program consists of a fleet of typically branded bicycles that can be rented for short trips,” said Ralph Buehler, professor and Chair of Urban Affairs and Planning at the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech Research Center. 

“There are two main types of bike sharing systems: docked systems where bikes have to be checked out and checked in at a docking station. There are also dockless bike share systems, where bikes can be parked and checked out all over the city or a service area — typically with an app.” 

Buehler said there are several benefits: members do not have to worry about bike parking at home or work because they can store the bike in docking stations or in the street. They do not have to worry about theft and repairing bicycles. 

Moreover, bike share allows one-way bike trips, where individuals can make the other trip by car, transit, or other modes. Bike share can also be used as a first and last-mile extender to public transport.  

“For a community, bike share can help reduce driving and CO2 emissions,” he said. 

“Bike share is one element in a group of travel modes (walking and transit) that allow people to get around town without a car–avoiding traffic congestion, noise pollution, air pollution, and traffic danger posed by cars.” 

Buehler noted that the pandemic drastically increased the use of bikes at its height, for exercise, stress relief, and being outside.  

“In the longer term, cycling levels generally increased from 2019 to 2021, mainly due to growth in cycling for recreation and exercise,” he said. “In contrast, daily trips to work and education declined because of remote working and learning.” 

More cycling has been facilitated by increases in government support of cycling, both in funding as well as in infrastructure. 

Bikeway networks were expanded and improved, usually with protected cycling facilities that separate cyclists from motorized traffic, he said. Other pro-cycling measures included restrictions on motor vehicles, such as reducing speed limits, excluding through traffic from residential neighborhoods, banning car access to some streets, and reallocating roadway space to bicycles.  

“Car-restrictive measures became politically possible due to the COVID-19 crisis,” he added. “The cities that made these changes permanent saw the most sustained growth in cycling. Others saw declines again.” 

Below are some bike share programs making progress toward greater environmental use and ease of use for residents: 

Bike Share Programs Around the United States

Redding, California

On May 12, the city of Redding launched a secured, indoor public bike parking and the Redding Bike Share system at the new Shasta Bike Depot. 

While increasingly common in large U.S. cities, public bike garages and bike share systems are still rare in small cities like Redding. 

Even more rare is the kind of public, private, and nonprofit partnership that has embraced the Shasta Bike Depot as an integral element of community revitalization.

The Shasta Bike Depot is part of the $111 million mixed-use residential project called California Place being built in partnership by K2 Development Companies, the City of Redding, and The McConnell Foundation. 

Redding Bike Share provides electric bikes for errands, commuting, and recreation, much the way public transit provides seats on a bus. Over the summer, Redding Bike Share will deploy 70 bikes from 25 locations in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. 

The Twin Cities

In Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul have bike sharing programs. To date, hundreds of thousands of trips have been logged through Nice Ride Minnesota, a nonprofit program. Nice Ride Minnesota boasts several benefits, including helping eliminate vehicle congestion, less dependence on fossil fuels, better interactions with the city and people, and a sense of civic pride. It started in 2010.

Lyft operates Nice Ride Minnesota via the local subsidiary Motivate Minnesota. Lyft is the largest bike share operator in the U.S. 

Washington D.C. 

More than 5,000 bikes and more than 700 stations make up Capital Bike Share in Washington D.C. and surrounding areas. There are seven jurisdictions within the system. 

The program offers traditional bikes as well as pedal-assisted ebikes. There is an ebike with a front LED light and reflective paint for those riding after the sun goes down. 

In March, Capital Bike Share announced it was adding up to 850 new ebikes to the program. The new bikes feature an adaptive design with a single-gear transmission and have a more powerful motor. They also include safety sensors to self-monitor parts, including brakes and batteries. 

The new ebikes last longer too. The battery lasts 60 miles on a single charge. 

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Charlotte, N.C. 

Charlotte Joy Rides is Charlotte’s nonprofit bike share system that launched in 2012. It includes 343 bikes and 34 stations spread throughout Center City. The program started with 200 bikes and 20 stations, so it was one the largest bike providers in the Southeastern U.S. at its launch. 

Local developers, grants from the Federal Transportation Administration, and the City of Charlotte made the program possible. 

Seven Charlotte artists have added their mark to new bikes. The bikes come in three speeds and have automatic lights to keep people safe. 

Chicago 

Divvy is a fast way to get around and see Chicago and Evanston. In addition to the ease of getting around, people report saving money using Divvy versus other transportation methods. 

Divvy is a program of the Chicago Department of Transportation. Funding for the program initially came from federal grants. The program expanded to Evanston in 2016. 

Divvy is operated by Lyft, which also has similar programs in Boston, Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, Oregon, among other locations. 

Read the Good, Good, Good article here.

BY KIRAN HERBERT, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

The Northern California town’s new bike share system is first and foremost geared towards low-income residents living downtown.

“Some people just tag things on at the end — they say, “We’re going to do a little equity here and there,” says Anne Thomas, the executive director of Shasta Living Streets in Redding, California. “We’ve done so much engagement work over the last year prior to our bike share system launching.”

Founded by Thomas in 2010, Shasta Living Streets provides programs and services to deliver on a vision of a more livable and equitable community, one where more people have affordable, sustainable options for everyday travel. The transformation of downtown Redding, which has a population of just under 100,000 people, has always been a priority for Shasta Living Streets but the organization’s work will reach a major milestone on May 12 with the soft launch of Redding Bikeshare at the new Shasta Bike Depot.

Redding is the second sunniest city in America and a place where people of all socio-economic backgrounds love to be outside. Still, Shasta County has unacceptably high rates of debilitating health outcomes directly related to inactivity, along with some of the highest levels in the U.S. of death and life-altering injuries from car collisions with people walking and biking. Like many similarly-sized American cities, it’s a car-centric place and with an underfunded and inconvenient transit system.

“People leave town if they can’t afford a car, it’s crazy,” says Thomas, adding that for many low-income residents the cost of maintaining a personal bike, let alone a car, is unaffordable. “Bike share just makes sense.”

For the last decade, Thomas has been involved in helping create the Shasta Bike Depot, of which bike share is just a small part. The Shasta Bike Depot is part of more than $400 million in investments Redding has poured into housing, commercial space, and transportation improvements. Located next to the downtown transit center, the Bike Depot has been envisioned as a social and practical gathering space, complete with events, indoor, secure long-term bike parking, an e-bike charging station, and bike share. There will also be a staffed mobility hub at the transit center, where locals or visitors will be able to ask questions.

“People don’t know the routes or they might need help riding — it’s important people have someone they can talk to,” says Thomas. “This is especially important for equity.”

A rendering of the new Shasta Bike Depot, which will house a bike share station.

For visitors, the Bike Depot and Redding’s new bike share system will be just one part of a new revitalized and people-oriented downtown area, although it was designed first and foremost for those living there on low incomes. Prior to designing the system or procuring bikes from a vendor (in this case, BCycle), Shasta Living Streets teamed up with The McConnell Foundation and Alta Planning+Design to conduct an equity analysis and design a system that best serves the needs of the historically underserved.

As a result, the new system’s footprint falls within an “opportunity zone,” where a greater number of people are experiencing poor air quality, don’t have access to a vehicle, and make less than 80% of the statewide median income. Redding Bikeshare is also funded by two state grants dedicated to affordable housing, clean transportation, and serving those living with low incomes. Naturally, Redding’s largest affordable housing complexes are situated squarely within the system’s footprint — the 300-plus people that call them home are Redding Bikeshare’s target market and its primary stakeholders.

“We’ve spent 13 years talking to people and we’ve had engagement from our community at all levels,” says Thomas, specifically naming public engagement, surveys, and in-person conversations as key communication strategies. “Our staff site is two blocks away [from these affordable housing complexes], so it’s not hard to know every single person.”

Thomas says that almost everyone is excited about the bike share system, which will have all-electric bikes that include baskets for carrying goods. The system’s footprint has also been designed to take people to the most essential locations: grocery stores, medical facilities, childcare, schools, jobs, the post office, the housing authority, parks, trails, community centers, and the transit center. Other equity considerations include the ability to accept cash payments, as well as a pricing scheme that works for everyone.

“Free isn’t always the best way to go, so we’re aiming to have it cost $30 for the year [for those on low incomes],” says Thomas, explaining that charging something helps build investment in the system and ensure it gets used. For visitors and those capable of paying more, the membership will cost $125 for the year and the hope is that those users will help pay for the system long-term. “Anyone who wants to use the system can, and that will help the system grow.”

Once Redding Bikeshare is officially up and running, Thomas and her team will be looking to residents to tell them what they want, whether that’s route planning assistance, learn-to-ride events, or one-on-one rides to help people get comfortable on bike share. 

“We can tailor services,” says Thomas. “Everyone has a different way of getting around by bike and it’s nice to be able to dedicate the time to meeting people where they’re at.”

Thomas is already thinking about adding adaptive bikes down the road, as well as figuring out a way for residents under 18 to use the system (unfortunately, insurance currently makes that cost-prohibitive). As the full system is rolled out this summer, Shasta Living Streets will continue to directly engage residents, exploring the ways in which their organization can help ensure that bike share is working for everyone.

What’s cool is that as the system matures, Redding’s downtown will only continue to transform, gradually becoming a better place to bike. There are plans for the City of Redding to install protected bike lanes on more than two miles of city streets that connect downtown and the Sacramento River Trail, as well as neighborhoods to the north, east, and south. Once complete, the bike lanes will comprise more than half of a 5.1-mile loop along the River Trail and downtown — a route that anyone will be able to ride using bike share.

The Better Bike Share Partnership is funded by The JPB Foundation as a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and the PeopleForBikes Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or sign up for our weekly newsletter. Have a question or a story idea? Email kiran@peopleforbikes.org.

Read the article on the Better Bikeshare webpage here.