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Austin Bike Share Coming in December – 11 Downtown Area Hubs

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It has been a long time coming, but the the first 11 bike share locations in Austin, opening next month, were announced last week.

As expected the bike locations are all located in and around downtown, with nothing north of 11th St.

B-Cycle, the bike provider, has launched an official website — austin.bcycle.com —  touting the official launch as Dec. 21. The website also has an interactive Google-hybrid map of the bike share locations.

I have no bone to pick with any of the install choices, but do lament that they will not have kiosks planned in the initial phase at parking-challenged Barton Springs Pool and the Rainey Street District. (*cough* Put one at the MACC. *cough*).

The website says that the entire 40 station system, which is still in the planning stage, will be completely online and available for bike check out by March 1, 2014.   In the near term, buildings with the closest access to the bike kiosks are the Spring Condos, W Hotel Residences, 5 Fifty Five, and the Plaza Lofts.

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Crowdsourcing A Road Map For Austin Bike Share

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Austin’s bike share program is finally really beginning to roll.  This is a monumental achievement for Austin’s urban core.

Later this year, the first 10 stations with about 100 bicycles will be in operation. The remaining stations will follow in Spring 2014. In total, the system will have approximately 400 bikes, 600 docks, and 40 stations.

potential-austin-bike-share-color

This bike share system, long passed off as a novelty, will become integral to City of Austin decisions regarding mobility and transit policy in the urban core.  I’ve been advocating since 2010 that the return on investment is huge.  For distances of less than one-mile, these are cost-effective systems of getting urban-Austinites and visitors where they want to go.  The system encourages users to spontaneously decide to “go further” than they would have otherwise gone on foot – an amazing recreational amenity for our city.

The city just launched a new website (http://www.votebikeshareaustin.com) soliciting feedback for where the public (that’s you!) would want to see bike share kiosks placed around the city and and a number of public engagement events are scheduled – including one today at City Hall.  The nifty little website (produced out of the Open Austin collaborative) lets anyone suggest a location and others vote on the location.

Below is a screen grab showing where people have suggested locations.  I’ve highlighted a few “no-brainer” locations with green dots.

Very exciting stuff.

potential-austin-bike-share-locations

B-Cycle Chosen For Austin Bike Share Program

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The Downtown Austin Blog has confirmed that B-cycle is the bike company of choice for the new Austin Bike Share program.

DAB reported last week that three companies had submitted proposals to supply Austin Bike Share equipment. We don’t know who yet else applied, but there is some small comfort in knowing that the people in San Antonio seem quite pleased with B-cycle, where they are growing from 30 stations to 45 stations. (Check out their San Antonio rates and coverage here.) B-cycle implementation has been successful in 15 other major cities, including Denver, San Antonio, and Houston and the city aims to have the bike share program operable by late spring 2013.

Here’s Here are some more details on what to expect in Austin:

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Austin Bike Share Enters the Homestretch

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It’s been almost two and a half years since I started advocating for Austin Bike Share in the state capital.  It became the highest rated of any SpeakUpAustin initiative, ever.  Because of incredible grassroots support, generous financial support by several local businesses, and hard work by City staff, Austin Bike Share is finally happening for Austin.

Austin City Council this week is expected to approve an important step in the process, which will allow the city to form a partnership with nonprofit Bike Share of Austin to operate the bike share program.

The City and Bike Share of Austin are aiming to have the bike share program up and running by spring 2013. A separate contract with a bike share vendor for the purchase of bicycles, kiosks, and the bike share system network is scheduled to come to City Council for approval at the next scheduled council meeting, which would be Jan. 31.

It has long been rumored around town that Austin is going to pick B Cycle, the same bike share operator as San Antonio, to supply the bike share system for Austin.  San Antonio’s system is a phenomenal success and expanding.

According to the City, the bike share will bring about 40 bike share kiosks, with as many as 400 bikes, to Central Austin area.  That’s a good start.

jude-bike-shareIt was around 2009, when traveling in Montreal, that I was first introduced to a robust bike share system. That system was called BIXI, but it was the same bike design used in Minneapolis.  The system works impressively well.  You can become a member, or pay-as-you-go. The three-geared bikes are comfortable and well maintained.

That Austin’s Bike Share initiative seems to be heading for the final stretch is superb news, and I’d like to thank all of our City Council members and all the folks at the city who are working to make this happen.

We can expect a draft map of the locations within the next couple of months.

I’ve learned that City staff’s process of identifying possible sites for bike share kiosks is based on several criteria:

  • Proximity of bike infrastructure such as bike lanes or cycle tracks
  • High employment density
  • Nearby parks, recreation facilities, tourist attractions, or other destination
  • Favorable topography
  • Public transit services

Get it out there.

For the sake of getting bike share off the ground, I really hope the City doesn’t let perfection get in the way of progress.  I, myself, would be in favor of a phased launch and the City says, “we are putting half the stations in these spots. Deal with it.  However, we would like to hear from the public about where we get the other stations set up at.”

That would get Austin Bike Share rolling, with kiosks being put into the ground, instead of letting all the zealots debate the minutia and delaying having something the public can actually use.

-Jude

Austin Bike Share Gets A $1.5 Million Boost

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In an announcement by the Austin Transportation Department, we learn that CAMPO has approved $22 million for Austin transportation projects, including $1.5 million for Austin bike share!

The $1.5MM grant required matching funds of at least 20%. Mellow Johnny’s, GSD&M, and a growing roster of local businesses are stepping up to raise an additional $500,000.

Ever since seeing a successful bike share in action (Minneapolis and Montreal), I’ve been an apostle for bringing a robust, managed, convenient, and predictable system to Austin.

For years a managed cycle program was not even part of the transit discussion.  The reason for the surge in broad based popularity comes down to money.  For a fraction of the cost of buses, a managed bike share system can solve many of the same last-mile challenges.

Now, because of leadership at City Hall and the financial commitment by local businesses, Austin bike share is integral to discussions of last-mile and urban transportation options in Austin, Texas. [Read more…] about Austin Bike Share Gets A $1.5 Million Boost