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Metro Wants You To Vote On Where They Should Build Bike Share Stations
We're moving a step closer to getting a bike share program in Los Angeles that would allow folks to borrow a bicycle for short trips and return them at different bike share stations throughout the city. And Metro, which is in charge of the program, wants you to vote on where they should place them.
Metro is studying which locations would be best suited for these bike kiosks that are scheduled to be implemented in 2016 in downtown, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Long Beach. (These areas were chosen because they're more heavily populated with cyclists and also because they have or will have rail stations.) They'll be looking at the "availability of space, right-of-way, ADA access, demand, support and numerous other factors," according to Metro's The Source blog.
As for the voting process, you can visit their website here and drop a pin on a place you think needs a bike share kiosk or "like" a spot someone has selected, up until September 8. They suggest that the best areas for them would be near rail and bus stations, as well as close by to other bike share stations.
Other cities like San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and New York City have already established these bike share programs. The L.A. Times reported in February that it's taken our city some time to implement this program because of a few setbacks. Private company Bike Nation was originally going to invest $16 million into bringing 4,000 bicycles to the city. However, they planned on advertising on the bike kiosks, but the city had already sold the rights to advertise to another company on street furniture, which would also include the bike share stations. Metro has since taken over and will study costs and a business model.
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