The on-demand, fully automated bike share stations allow riders to pay by credit card to rent a bicycle, which can be returned to any other station in the system. Rental rates are determined by the length of use.
"We want Cincinnatians to be able to incorporate bicycling into their daily routine, and a bike share system will help with that," said Michael Moore, director of the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE), in a prepared release. "Bike share helps introduce citizens to active transportation, it reduces the number of short auto trips in the urban core, and it promotes sustainable transportation options."
A feasibility study, conducted by DOTE and Alta Planning + Design and released in October, analyzed market demand and public input to develop a 35-station, 350-bike system to be built in two phases. As part of the first phase, Downtown and Over-the-Rhine would include 21 stations – including Washington Park, Fountain Square, Findlay Market, the Purple People Bridge, Union Terminal, and Government Square.
The RFP closes on Feb. 15. Those interested in viewing the RFP should contact Mark Menkhaus, Jr at mark.menkhausjr@cincinnati-oh.gov.
In other bicycling news, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) is seeking public comment on its OKI Cincinnati Bike Route Guide, last printed in 2010.
The online "Flash Map" campaign allows cyclists to easily classify routes based upon safety and difficulty and to identify difficult locations, such as dangerous intersections. Cyclists can also identify the lesser-known routes that they use to ride to their chosen destinations.
OKI also is seeking people or groups to help them spread the word about the campaign and will detail its needs through a webcast tomorrow from 2 P.M.-2:20 P.M. (To register for the webcast and receive the link, click here.)
Comments will be accepted until February 17, with the updated guide available by National Bike Month in May.
Previous reading on BC:
Kennedy Heights bike lanes in limbo (12/21/12)
Bike share plan could come next month, launch next summer (8/2/12)
Bike shelter, sharing input wanted (7/16/12)
Local cyclists give City 'C' grade, but see progress (6/7/12)
Interactive OKI bike route guide now online (7/15/09)
