Bike-sharing arrives in Chicago

Barcelona, Mexico City, and of course, Paris, have launched bike-share (or public bikes) programs. And U.S. like cities Denver, Minneapolis, Washington D.C. have followed suit. Now it’s Chicago’s turn.

Later this month Chicago will wade into the water of bike-sharing when a new, privately financed program will provide 100 bikes for public use at six different stations in downtown Chicago.

Active Trans is eager to see the program catch on and give a boost to the total number of bike trips in the city. After all, legions of cycling advocates around the world believe that bike-sharing is not just the next big thing, but is virtually required if cities want to integrate biking as transportation into the fabric of their communities.

B-Cycle rolls onto the scene
After years in the making a bike-sharing program is about to arrive in Chicago, due in large part to the efforts of Josh Squire, owner of Bike and Roll, a local bike rental business. He is doing everything he can to make sure Chicago is not left behind in the race to provide bike-sharing.

When progress on an earlier bike-sharing program in Chicago stalled, Squire started to explore other options. That’s when B-Cycle caught his attention. B-Cycle – started by Trek, the health insurance company Humana and the Crispin Porter advertising agency – provided bikes for bike-sharing programs in Denver and at Chicago's Loyola University campus.

B-Cycle’s system is similar to a car-sharing program like I-Go, but you can return it to any bike station. The system is also designed for short bike trips – the first 30 minutes are free. Think about all the places you can go within a 30-minute bike ride!

The funding hurdle
Many projects never surface because the money's not there. Bike-sharing is no exception. Because successful bike-sharing systems effectively blanket a city, major capital investments are required – and that gets pricey.

“To serve an area in Chicago that includes the Loop and destinations like UIC, it would take about 2,000 bikes at 200 stations at a cost of $5-$10 million,” said Randy Neufeld, Active Trans board member and bike-sharing authority. “That’s not a lot in the world of transportation projects, but it’s huge in light of the city’s current financial struggles.”

So it isn't a surprise that there's zero public money funding Chicago’s bike-sharing system. The financial backing for the launch is a business loan to Bike and Roll, and it will fund 100 bikes at six stations.

Nurturing the program
“It’s not clear that public bikes are the kind of thing you can start small and grow,” Neufeld said. “Starting small with no public funding is risky, but it is inspiring.”

Maybe Chicago and its residents will see the potential and work to make a full-scale investment happen. Maybe new federal funding possibilities will emerge.

As the program evolves, we will do our part to help this set of 100 bikes be a catalyst for a robust, integrated bike-sharing network throughout Chicago. Active Trans will stay on the case to ensure that this launch is the first step in a major undertaking that requires backing from the city and buy-in from Chicago residents.