Villaraigosa Announces Bike Share Program For Los Angeles

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has unveiled a new $16 million bicycle sharing program that aims to put thousands of rental bikes into use at kiosks across the city. So far the plan is being lauded by many residents in Los Angeles.

Villaraigosa announced the plans at CicLAvia, a bicycling event held this past Sunday that shuts down a path of streets for cyclists that stretches from downtown all the way to the ocean. The announcement comes after City Council approved measures for a new permitting process that should facilitate the bicycle sharing program.

"This is exactly what L.A. needs," CicLAvia organizer Aaron Paley said. "If you take the bus, or you take the train, or you're walking out of your house and you need to get somewhere, how do you accomplish that short trip in between? Bike share is definitely the way to do it."

Alexis Lantz of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition agrees with Paley. She believes that Los Angeles' streets have a lot more to offer than the horrible traffic that they are usually known for.

"We think bike sharing can really bring a lot to the city and greatly increase the number of people who use bicycles, especially for short trips, and introduce both Angelenos and tourists to how easy it is to bike around," Lantz said.

The rental system is run by Irvine-based Bike Nation and would put rental kiosks at strategic locations throughout the city. Customers would be able to check out a chainless, three-speed bike and would pay a fee based on the length of their trip. Some believe it could end up being quite the time-saver.

"Bike share is really, really good at first and last mile of transit," says Eric Bruins, planning and policy director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. "Imagine you're trying to get that last mile from Union Station to your job, and you don't work at Pershing Square. It's probably a lot faster to just take a bike than to take the Red Line."

Eventually, the goal is to have 400 rental kiosks and 4000 bicycles set up throughout the city at no cost to tax payers. Though initial enthusiasm from those in the cycling community was to be expected, it appears that local city officials are also seeing the benefit of adopting this bike share program on such a scale.

"Whether you're a user or not, if there are less people in cars it's going to make more parking spots available and ease up congestion, so everyone benefits," observes Fourteenth District City Councilman José Huizar.