Vancouver’s proposed bike share system will begin with 125 stations and 1,500 bikes, according to a city report.
If approved, the bike share system will initially span downtown Vancouver, the central Broadway area and will potentially extend from Alma Street to Victoria Drive.
Stations will be located in busy pedestrian areas every 300 to 400 metres. Locations will focus on shopping areas, public transit connections, parks, tourist attractions, schools and universities.
Bike share users will be able to rent and return a bike and a helmet for short one-way bicycle trips.
Deputy City Manager Sadhu Johnston said a helmet solution will likely come in the form of a vending machine.
“You would check out a helmet from a vending machine and when you’re done, you return it and the helmet is sanitized and checked for damage and put back in the machine,” Sadhu said. “You want to make sure it’s clean.”
The report, which will be submitted to city council Tuesday, said bike sharing will provide an easy and convenient option to travel, while helping Vancouver reach its “Green Transportation” goals.
The city has been working with Portland-based Alta Bicycle Share to implement the system, but the city will have to chip in an estimated $1.9-million per year to fund the program.
Sadhu said the pricing structure for users will be determined by the company contracted to run the program.
Bike share systems are already in place in more than 300 cities worldwide, including Toronto, Montreal, New York, Barcelona and Paris, and many of those places have seen significant increases in the proportion of people using bikes for transportation, according to Vancouver staff.
By 2020, Vancouver is projecting that 50 per cent of commutes will be made on foot, bicycle or transit.
If approved, the program is slated to launch summer 2013.
