Bike Share

What is it?

Bike share is a dense network of publicly available, easy-to-use bikes, used for short urban trips. Think of it like public transportation by bike, mainly used to get from point A to point B. It’s generally a subscription-based system, but walk-up users are also welcome. Bike share stations are automated – you check out a bike using a credit/debit card, and return it to any station within the system.

A few examples of bike share systems in the U.S. and around the world:

Cities like New York and Chicago are getting ready to launch large-scale programs in the near future.

Why here?

A bike share system in Seattle could:

• Extend the reach and attractiveness of transit
• Create a mainstream biking constituency
• Support the Bicycle Master Plan’s safety and ridership goals
• Encourage active, healthy living and compact development

Background

For the past few years, SDOT staff have been working with King County Metro and a number of other partners (called the Bike Share Partnership) to bring bike sharing to Seattle and King County, potentially by the summer of 2013.

In 2011, with the help of federal funds, the Bike Share Partnership was able to hire Alta Planning and Design to develop a business plan to determine what it would take to make bike sharing a reality here. You can find the final business plan and executive summary at http://pugetsoundbikeshare.org/.
 
Prior to this formal business planning effort, in March 2010, University of Washington graduate students from the College of Built Environments issued a Seattle Bicycle Share Feasibility Study Report. The UW Bike Share Studio work involved demand analysis, policy considerations, and suggestions for implementing a phased system. This study received recognition at the American Planning Association’s 2011 National Planning Awards in the category of “Contribution of Planning to Contemporary Issues".

Interested in learning more?

• Contact Ann Sutphin at ann.sutphin@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8374
• Visit http://pugetsoundbikeshare.org/ to learn more about current planning efforts and next steps
• Check out http://bike-sharing.blogspot.com/ to keep up-to-date on bike sharing news around the world