The current plans call for at least 250 bicycles at 25 stations around Baltimore with $2.8 million in seed money already in place, according to city officials. Similar to car-sharing programs like Zipcar, bike-sharing infrastructure offers low-cost memberships for short trips and commutes, typically in high-density residential and commercial areas.

By any comparison, Baltimore’s plans are modest: Boston’s Hubway bike-share system, launched in 2014, hosts more than 1,300 bikes. Pittsburgh started its bike-share program this summer with 50 stations and 500 bicycles.

To date, bike-share programs are operating in more than 50 U.S. cities, with many more in the “pre-launch” phase. Worldwide, some 855 bike-sharing systems are now functioning, according to the Washington Post. Capital Bikeshare, considered the most successful programs—and one of the first in the U.S. when it began in 2010—now has more 3,000 bikes at 355 stations in D.C., Arlington County, Alexandria, VA, and Montgomery County, adding up to nearly 11 million trips since its start.

The announcement by Rawlings-Blake marks the fourth time that the city has tried get a bike-sharing program off the ground over the past four years. In 2011, Rawlings-Blake announced the approval of an exclusive negotiating contract between the City and B-cycle to develop a bike-sharing program in Baltimore—an effort that ultimately failed when B-cycle was unable to secure enough corporate and private institutional support.

In May of 2013, as part of Martin O’Malley’s “Cycle Maryland” initiative, the city’s bike-sharing plans were revived when the state provided a grant of $881,300 to fund the majority of the start-up costs a new program. But that effort failed as well when Bixi, the Canadian company contracted to supply the bicycles and equipment, filed for bankruptcy.

Then, in February 2014, Barry Robinson, then-Baltimore City’s transit and marine services chief, told Baltimore magazine at Bike Maryland’s annual state symposium in Annapolis, that the city had selected Social Bikes, a New York-based company bicycle supplier, to replace Bixi. That plan fell apart when the State Highway Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation required the city’s DOT to put forward another Request for Proposal (RFP) before identifying a substitute bicycle supplier—which essentially brings the story forward Rawlings-Blake’s announcement this week.

That 2014 initiative, presented by Robinson, also outlined a “Phase II” for Baltimore’s bike-sharing program, calling for a second, additional group of 25 stations and 250 bikes, which was to bring the Charm City Bikeshare program to 50 stations and 500 bicycles. City DOT director Johnson, however, indicated there was no formal “Phase II” plan in the city’s current plans—other than to say if the initial program goes well, efforts will be made to expand the project.

“Sometimes fumbling your way through and letting other cities make mistakes that you can learn from can be a good thing,” said Greg Hinchliffe, a board member of Bikemore, Baltimore’s nonprofit bicycling advocacy organization, after the press conference. “But it’s generally been frustrating [waiting for a bike-sharing initiative in Baltimore]. Other cities have built light rail systems in the time it’s taking.”

Lengthy delays have also marred the construction of the city-planned Maryland Avenue cycle track—a dedicated two-way lane that is supposed to a create bicycle route from The Johns Hopkins University in Charles Village to the Inner Harbor area. That project was originally planned to be completed by the fall of 2014, and now is projected for the spring or summer of 2016, according to city officials.

This past December, Robinson—who oversaw the Charm City Circulator bus system and water taxi service, and under whose purview the proposed bike-sharing network fell—pleaded guilty to two counts of bribery following an FBI investigation. At Tuesday’s press conference, Johnson said Robinson’s dismissal and/or performance had not slowed down the city’s effort to bring a bike-sharing program to fruition.

New proposals from potential vendors—such as B-cycle, Social Bicycles, Zagster, Motivate—experienced in managing bike-sharing systems are due by Oct. 21. In addition, the City is also seeking “expressions of interest” from businesses, institutions, and local organizations interested in becoming involved with Charm City Bikeshare through advertising opportunities and program sponsorships.

“There’s no higher priority than bike share, and establishing a program in Baltimore,” said Jon Laria, serving as chair of the mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Commission. “We need it here.”

A Google map of bike-sharing programs around the world can be found here.

A rendering of a section of the planned Maryland Avenue cycle track is below:

Source

The project first took a hit at the start of this year when Bixi, the Canadian company contracted to supply the bicycles and equipment, filed for bankruptcy. Fear not, city officials said at the time, funding for the project remained in place and a new supplier would be found. 

A month after Bixi’s bankruptcy filing—not completely unexpected—Robinson, at Bike Maryland’s annual state symposium in Annapolis, said Social Bikes, a New York-based company bicycle supplier (above photo), had been selected to replace Bixi. Although a contract hadn’t been signed yet, Robinson noted at the time, Social Bikes was partnering with Portland-based Alta, the company that will operate Charm City Bikeshare, in other cities and that he expected the deal to be finalized soon.

That’s not going to happen now. At least not right away.

Robinson said the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) had been working on the assumption after Bixi’s bankruptcy filing that the State Highway Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation would not require the city’s DOT to put out another Request for Proposal (RFP) before identifying a substitute bicycle supplier. That turned out not to be the case, Robinson said, adding that he expects the new RFP to be finalized this summer. The start up cost of Charm City Bikeshare is being funded through the state’s Cycle Maryland initiative.

The projected launch of Charm City Bikeshare is now June/July 2015.

Robinson said Social Bikes still remains, along Bixi, recently purchased by Quebec businessman Bruno Rodi, B Cycle, whose previous attempt to bring bike sharing to Baltimore never came to fruition, and the new Bicycle Transit Systems, among the handful of companies likely to respond to the RFP. “It’s not like there are a lot of companies out there that do this,” Robinson said.

Phase I of the Charm City Bikeshare project calls for 250 bikes at the 25 stations. Phase II, which would double the size of Charm City Bikeshare, doesn’t have a firm timetable, Robinson said, adding that the city needs to find a lead sponsor, or several sponsors, to support the project before it can move forward with Phase II.

Capital Bikeshare, also operated by Alta, now has more than 300 bicycle docking stations in Washington, D.C. and surrounding metro area, with 2,600 bikes, 24,000 members—and 6.1 million trips under its belt since launching more than four years ago. According to Bikeshare.com, almost 50 U.S. cities now have bike-sharing systems, with more than two dozen, including Baltimore, in the works. New York City’s new bike-sharing program, Citi Bike, already has surpassed 7 million rides and has more than 100,000 members.

A Google map of bike-sharing programs around the world can be found here.

Source

At Bike Maryland’s annual state symposium in Annapolis on Tuesday, Barry Robinson, Baltimore City’s transit and marine services chief, said Social Bikes,
a New York-based company, has now been selected to replace Bixi.
Although a contract hasn’t been signed yet, Robinson noted that Alta,
the Portland-based company that will operate Charm City Bikeshare, has
partnered with Social Bikes in other cities and that he expects the deal
to be finalized soon.

“It’s a little like changing horses in
mid-stream, if that metaphor makes sense,” Robinson said, noting the
sudden switch in bicycle suppliers with a scheduled summer launch date
for Charm City Bikeshare. “But it might also be a blessing in disguise.
This is a much less expensive platform and allows for a flexibility that
we didn’t really have before.

“The Bixi deal was much more
expensive,” Robinson said, adding the savings will help defray initial
start-up and operating costs. “This will be about a one-third of the
cost.”

In terms of cost and flexibility, Robinson noted that the
Social Bike “stations” look more like traditional bike racks than the
heavy duty docking stations that Bixi manufactured, such as the ones
used in the Washington D.C. metro area Capital Bikeshare
program. And, bicyclists will be able to lock rented Social Bike
bicycles for short periods of time to other generic racks, railings,
parking meters, and sign posts, for example, while renting and using the
bikes. Ultimately, Social Bikes will have to be returned to one of the
25 planned official Social Bike stations around the downtown commercial
area.

Generally, once a bike-share membership is purchased, the
first 30 minutes of usage is free, with costs going up each subsequent
half-hour. Bike-sharing systems, designed for short urban trips, are now
in 650 cities worldwide, according to Bikeshare.com.

Phase
I of the Charm City Bikeshare project calls for 250 bikes at the 25
stations, and remains scheduled to launch July 1, Robinson said, to
coincide with the new fiscal year. Phase II, which would double the size
of Charm City Bikeshare, doesn’t have a firm timetable, Robinson said,
adding that the city needs to find a lead sponsor, or several sponsors,
to support the project before it can move forward with Phase II.

Anne
Root, Montgomery County’s bikeshare program manager, said the recent
expansion of Capital Bikeshare there continues to grow in membership.
Overall, she said, Capital Bikeshare now has 308 docking station, 2,600
bikes, 24,000 members—and 6.1 million trips under its belt since
launching four years ago. Capital Bikeshare is also expanding to College
Park and Prince Georges County.

Ideally, said Chris Merriam, executive director of Bikemore,
Baltimore City’s nonprofit bicycling advocacy organization, Charm City
Bikeshare members will be able to use Capital Bikeshare bikes—and vice
versa—making travel, whether for work or visit, that much easier between
the two metro areas, particularly now that MARC train service is available between Baltimore and D.C. seven days a week.

Source

At
a standing room only public meeting at the downtown Pratt Library
earlier this week, representatives from the Baltimore Department of
Transportation presented plans for a dedicated, two-way cycle track that
will run north and south on Maryland Avenue from 29th Street to Pratt
Street. The cycle track (see above image for an idea what part of the
track will look like) is designed to separate bicyclists and cars, in
some areas by parked cars, in other areas by flexible posts, as well as
painted striped lines, particularly at interesections.

Also
included in the plan are several new east-west midtown bike lanes
(unlike cycle tracks, bike lanes only include painted lines and symbols
on the street without physical barriers to traffic).

The DOT
expects the Maryland Avenue cycle track to be completed by fall at the
latest, said Frank Murphy, deputy director of the Baltimore DOT.”This
is going to be important because this is going to be the backbone of
what we are working toward — a citywide, world-class system of protected
bike lanes,” said Chris Merriam, executive director of Bikemore,
a nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization in Baltimore. “This is not
going after one of those things that is just low-hanging fruit.”

Currently,
the only cycle track in the city is the short, north-south Fallsway
stretch on the east side of Charles Street, which then links to the
Guilford Avenue bike route. The new Maryland cycle track will give
bicycle commuters a north-south option in a busier, commercial side of
town, with the expectation that it will also encourage more bicycle
commuting, said city bike planner Caitlin Doolin. She noted that bicycle
volume on 15th St. NW in Washington, DC, increased more than 200
percent — and is still increasing — after the implementation of a cycle
track there.

Doolin said that the implementation of the cycle
track, the first in the city on a high-volume downtown street, will
minimally affect the number of current parking spaces on the street.
Approximately 10-20 spaces will be removed, she said, or about one for
every 100 on the Maryland Avenue corridor. Doolin added, however, DOT
does expect the cycle track infrastructure will slow down traffic
exiting south from I-83 during peak hours. “Think of it as a piece of
world-class infrastructure in exchange for a couple of seconds of
delay,” Doolin said.

Murphy and Doolin also talked briefly about
the city’s planned bicycle sharing system, which will include 25 bike
stations around downtown and 250 bikes. The current effort to bring
bike-sharing to Baltimore, in partnership with Alta, a Portland-based
company which will operate the program, which was to launch this
spring, is being delayed, in part, because of financial problems with the Bixi, the supplier of the bicycles.

Capital
funding for Charm City Bikeshare infrastructure and implementation
remains in place, however, while city officials and Alta search for a
new bike supplier. Baltimore City is also looking for a lead sponsor to
support the operation of the system.

Murphy said he expects decisions on the locations of bike stations to be finalized by July.

Merriam
said he believes the city is doing its due diligence, in terms of
putting together a successful Charm City Bikeshare launch and utllizing
its state grant money for the program wisely.

“The mayor
[Stephanie Rawlings-Blake] has seen bike-share’s effectiveness in other
cities,” Merriam said. “This is what forward, progressive looking cities
are doing.”

Source