By Matt Tester, Project Associate.

 

…is increasingly called a bicycle.

 

American cities are warming to the idea that bike-sharing systems are a valuable means of generating downtown activity, providing viable alternative transportation, and encouraging healthy living. And this, despite their European roots! Several major cities debuted or announced major downtown systems in 2010, and some recent federal policy changes could continue building bike-sharing momentum.

 

I didn’t intend for my recent trip to Montreal to have anything to do with work, but I was so taken by the city’s Bixi bike-sharing system that it warrants a blog post. It works like this:

 

• Docking stations: Stations are located on sidewalks or roadsides in 500 locations throughout the city. They are truly everywhere. Some have fifty bikes, some have five or ten. Together, they store about 5,000 bikes. Each bike is parked in a stall with a sturdy electronic lock on the front fork.

 

• Bikes: Each bike is exactly the same as the rest, with an adjustable seat to accommodate riders of varying heights. The frames are heavy, made of sturdy aluminum in a cruiser-style (step-through, low bar) shape, and the tires are reinforced to prevent blowouts. They have three gears that can be changed at the handlebar.

 

• Payment: Users must purchase a “subscription” to use the Bixi service, of which there are daily ($5), monthly ($28), and annual ($78) varieties. Daily subscribers use an automated payment kiosk located at each station, which only accepts credit cards. Upon swiping a credit card, the user is given a code used to unlock any available bike at the station.

 

• Usage: A subscription gets the user an unlimited number of 30-minutes rides for the duration of the subscription. So, for $5, one could take as many trips as needed in a 24-hour period. Bikes can be picked up and dropped off at any station. However, if they are not checked in to a station every thirty minutes, additional fees pile up quickly. After checking in, a user must swipe the credit card again to receive another unlock code (no additional fee is incurred – this is only done so that the system recognizes the user). This policy ensures that stations are constantly refreshed and that more bikes remain in circulation.

 

• Maintenance: Montreal’s parking authority runs the Bixi system. Support crews redistribute bikes, if necessary, and maintenance crews fix damaged or vandalized bikes and stations. The stations are modular enough that the entire system is removed and stored for the snowy winter months.

 

The city of Montreal has aligned its policies and priorities to ensure the success of its bike-share system. The idea, once developed, was included as component of the city’s transportation plan. The plan broadly supports bicycling as a meaningful mode of transportation, and this support has materialized – many streets throughout the city have grade-separated bicycle lanes, with corresponding signage and signaling. All major destinations – universities, neighborhoods, parks, shopping districts, and subway stations – are accessible by bicycle, usually via multiple routes. Every subway stop in the core (which covers a vast portion of the city – not like Atlanta) has a Bixi station, providing a multi-modal solution to residents and tourists without cars.

 

The effect of this investment is not touchy-feely; it is transformative. The city is awash in bicyclists. They take them to work, to shop, to socialize, to eat, and to run errands. Every major destination is host to a great pile of bicycles. This is the way that many (dare I say most?) experience the city. It is absolutely an economic development and tourism engine. As a tourist, I can attest that the system makes the city infinitely more accessible, more familiar, and more attractive. For residents, it just makes life easier, healthier, and more efficient. While Montreal’s subway system also contributes to this dynamic, there are plenty of places in the city poorly served by mass transit. The Bixi bikes fill in many of these gaps.

 

I understand if, at this point, you’re saying, “I’m glad it works in Montreal, but most American cities don’t have the density to make this kind of investment work.” To that, I have two replies: 1) You’re right, it couldn’t work everywhere, but 2) It could work in a lot more places than you’d think. It’s a question of scale. Every single American city has an existing or desired activity center – a historic downtown, a shopping district, a university, a riverfront – something. Even a small-scale bike-share operation could become not only a means of accessing and navigating those assets, but a marketable asset in itself.
My third response to the question above would be, “look at what you’re American peers are doing.” Bike-sharing systems took off in America in 2010:

 

• Minneapolis: Became the first American city to launch a major system, called Nice Ride Minnesota, with 700 bikes and 65 kiosks. It was launched with public and private funding and is owned and operated by a non-profit organization set up by the city.

 

• Denver: Rolled out the second major system, B-Cycle Denver, on Earth Day, with 500 bikes at 50 stations. It was launched with funding support from Kaiser Permanente.

 

• Miami Beach: Plans to launch DecoBike in July 2010, with 1,000 bikes at 100 stations.

 

• Boston: Launching a system with 2,500 bikes at 290 stations in late 2010.

 

• Washington, D.C.: After a testing a pilot program in 2008, is launching a major system in Autumn 2010, with 1,100 bikes in 114 stations.

 

• Chicago: Begins testing a pilot program in July 2010.

 

The competition for federal transportation dollars requires that cities distinguish themselves from the pack and prove that they’re creatively aligning with transportation policy. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued a policy statement in March 2010 indicating a “sea change” in federal transportation policy. It recommends that state transportation agencies consider bikes on par with car and encourages them to go beyond the minimum standards in providing bicycle and walking facilities. The TIGER II grants issued through the Recovery Act are likely to go to those places that prove they are taking this policy seriously.

 

While developing a bike-share program is not cheap, it is attainable. Most American systems have obtained titling and advertising partners as well as federal and state grants. Excellent planning and placement of bike stations can ensure that the systems pay for themselves over time. And there are myriad benefits – better access to major attractions, alignment with transportation policy, a marketing edge for young professionals and active citizens, and healthy transportation alternatives, to name a few. Although my impartiality is questionable given my penchant for riding a bike to work, this is one strategy that should prove itself on the merits. Look to the cities above, and we’ll see.