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2,500 Bicycles Coming to Long Beach Via Big New Bike Share Program
A privately-funded bike share program will be rolling out in Long Beach early next year, and will make 2,500 bicycles available at up to 250 kiosks around the city.
The new bike share will be the result of The City of Long Beach teaming up with Bike Nation, and was approved Tuesday night by the Long Beach City Council.
From a media release issued by the City of Long Beach:
“This state-of-the-art Bike Share program will serve local residents, businesses and visitors,” Mayor Bob Foster said. “Bicycling is helping to promote business growth as well as a healthy, active lifestyle. And this new partnership will continue to move us forward to becoming the most bicycle friendly city in the nation.”
It's no secret that's Long Beach's goal; it's the city's current "vision," as articulated similarly by Bike Long Beach.
Here's how the Bike Nation bike share will work in Long Beach:
The system is made up of self-service kiosks where individuals can rent and return a bicycle anywhere within a network of stations. Stations are located in close proximity for quick trips where users live, work and visit. The usage fees for the bicycle share system are incentivized for quick turnover and trips of less than 30 minutes in duration with a single 24-hour membership priced at $6, with discounts for three-day ($12), weekly ($25), monthly ($35), yearly ($75) and yearly student/senior rentals ($50).
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And more about the bikes and kiosks:
The bikes are chainless and feature active GPS technology and airless tires, helping reduce the need for on-road service. The kiosks are modular, portable, wirelessly connected and solar powered so that monitoring and load balancing is easily managed.
Recently Bike Nation launched a program in Anaheim, hailing it the West Coast's first bike sharing system. In April of this year, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Bike Nation would be setting up a $16 million L.A. program with a whopping 400 bicycles at 400 kiosks, starting late 2012.
Long Beach's new bike sharing program is expected to launch in February 2013. It will begin in Downtown, and roll out to other neighborhoods. Kiosks will be located in "hubs" that are determined to meet the most need, and connect riders with Metro's Blue Line and local buses.
Related:
A Well-Organized Bike-Sharing Program Could (Finally) Be On Its Way to Los Angeles County
Really? Anaheim Says It Has The West Coast's First Bike-Sharing Program
Bicyclists in the LBC, Get Schooled on Safety at Free "Bike Rodeos"
SaMo Gets Pedaling Faster on Bike Share Plan
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