Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
L.A.'s Bike-Sharing Program Will Debut In DTLA With 1,100 Bikes
It's officially happening: Metro just approved the first contract for our long-awaited bike-sharing program. The $11 million contract will bring 1,100 bikes to downtown Los Angeles in 2016.
Bike-sharing programs allow you to check out a bike from a kiosk for a short trip before dropping them off and docking them at another kiosk. These bikes will be available 24/7 and you will be able to check on availability with a smartphone app, according to Metro's blog The Source. They're popular in other cities, like the Twin Cities, Anaheim and New York, which got CitiBikes in 2012.
Metro Board Member and City Councilman Mike Bonin released a statement saying that he's happy we're no longer behind the curve: "I am tremendously excited that we are moving forward with bike share in L.A. and that we are focusing on developing a system that will connect our neighborhoods through interoperable systems. It defies logic that snowy cities around the country have had bike share for years, but a city like Los Angeles, with our wonderful weather and communities begging to be biked, still hasn’t gotten this done yet."
The inaugural roll-out of bikes will include 65 stations from Union Station to USC. Locations include other Metro stops, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Grand Central Market, Pershing Square and the Arts District. Bicycle Transit Systems Inc. won the contract.
Mayor Eric Garcetti who also sits on the Metro Board released a statement praising the program: "We are building new ways for Angelenos to get around. Riding a bike is another option people can use to commute to work or explore the region. Today marks the first step in Metro's plan to bring bike share to cities across the county."
The next hub in the bike-sharing program could be Pasadena in 2017. The ultimate goal is to make 4,000 bikes available in 10 communities around the county.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?