Follow us :

Bike-sharing programs move forward in South Florida

time2011/03/23

You're not going to find this in a suburban setting," he said. "You have a lot of people who come to visit an area and you want to discourage them, for all the right reasons, to use motor vehicles in your downtown."

Clemente said the programs originated in Amsterdam, where city officials decided to block traffic from downtown and make available free bikes they had salvaged and refurbished.

"Looking at the modern programs, they are in areas like Miami Beach, Denver or New York City," Clemente said. "If you can get people to arrive in an area like that without their cars or arrive by car and park once and get around the district without their vehicle, that's best."

Clemente said short trips around a city are most expensive, in terms of fossil fuel use and environmental impact.

With gas prices expected to rise to $4 by summer, Clemente, who rides his bike 1-1/2 miles to work very day, said biking is the best option, especially for short trips.

The bike-sharing program in Broward will reward riders who use the bikes quickly and turn them in for the next person.

The system is similar to other bike-share systems: A rider swipes a credit card at a B-cycle station to rent the bike for a quick trip or the entire day, returning it to any B-cycle location.

A one-day rider would pay $5 membership, plus 50 cents for the first half hour and $3 for each additional half hour. The tab could run up to $65 for riding all day.

Someone using the bike all week would pay a $25 membership and the same half-hour pricing. A one-year membership is $45, with the first half hour free. Additional time is discounted.

In Miami Beach, DecoBike charges riders $5 for 60 minutes and $10 for two hours. A half-hour ride is $4, and there are membership programs for as little as $15 a month with a three-month subscription.

Tracking devices help the company prevent theft, and credit cards add accountability.

"They will charge $675 to the credit card if you don't return the bike," Rodriguez said of Miami Beach's DecoBike.

Miami Beach's new program uses 150 solar pay stations, with plans to add 500 bikes.

Clemente, an expert in transportation planning, said the benefits of bike sharing programs include getting people to live healthier lifestyles and lessening the environmental impact and water pollution associated with cars.

"The other benefit of equal importance is cars take away space for important things," Clemente said. "Would you rather have a parking lot or a café or a park?"

Clemente said it takes about $15,000 for a developer to build a parking space when it could be using the same space to build housing or infrastructure for the community.

"If a city or municipality can incentivize and create opportunities for people not to drive, it reduces the pressure on the developer, the consumer and raises the value of their urban property," he said. "It's a win-win situation."