Charles Boyd's Blogger: Explore Bike Share: Sign Up Now

Are you interested in a bike-sharing program in Memphis? That's the simple yes-or-no question that one local agency wants to ask you as part of its Explore Bike Share project.

Sara Studdard (Explore Bike Share project manager) tries out a possible prototype bike downtown. A bike sharing program in Memphis would not only benefit locals who need a quick, convenient way to get around, but also tourists who may not have cars.

This summer, Doug Carpenter and Associates held community meetings and gathered in-depth feedback from Memphians about a bike share program in our city: a program where citizens pay to use branded cruiser-style bicycles that can be checked out and turned in at different stations around town.

Now, over the next month they want to collect the names and email addresses of those who are interested in the project's process.

Sound good? Click here to sign up.

Rendering of what a bike share station might look like near the Greensward at Overton Park (above) or by the Overton Bike Gate (below). Provided by Doug Carpenter and Associates.

Signing up isn't about committing to use the bike, and you don't have to pay anything. Having a quantifiable list of interested Bike Share supporters, however, will help with the next steps of the project: selecting a bike manufacturer and project funder, selecting station locations, and project implementation.

Rendering provided by Doug Carpenter and Associates.

A few quick facts:
– There are about 50 bike share programs in the United States
– The tentative plan is for Memphis to have about 60 stations with about 600 bikes total
– There is a proposal out now to determine who will manufacture the bikes
– The project will not be funded by the City, but by private funds and grants
– The bikes will be cruiser-style and be equipped with GPS to greatly reduce chance of theft
– Costs for riding would depend on length of the ride and the plan you sign up for; there's also an opportunity for subsidizing costs for low income users through community partnerships

Are you down with a bike share program? Click here to add your name to the list of supporters.

If you want to check out the prototypes pictured above and interact with Explore Bike Share folks, they'll be out at several community events, including:

– Revolutions Co-Op “Bike to Dinner” on Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m., a ride from Revolutions Co-Op ride to Three Angels Diner
– Bikes on Broad on Thursday, August 27 at 6 p.m. at the Rec Room
– Orange Mound Neighborhood Ride with Revolutions Bike Co-Op on Thursday, September 3
– Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market on Saturday, September 5 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.