Calgary Council Approves Pilot Self-Service Bike Rental Program for Fall



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Bikes owned by the Dropbike Bike Sharing Corporation are stationed in Kingston, Ontario.


Elliot Ferguson / The Whig-Standard / Postmedia

Bike sharing services could reach the streets of Calgary in September council vote Monday night.

Coun. Evan Woolley presented the notice of motion asking the city administration to launch a two-year pilot program to allow licensed operators to launch fleets of bicycles, scooters or other devices of mobility "without dock"

. activated bikes or scooters that they can drop in specified areas when they are completed. The city is studying similar services in Dallas, Seattle, Montreal, Victoria and other cities.

The city will slowly increase the number of bicycles allowed on Calgary's roads during each year of the pilot, up to 10,000 bicycles allowed by "Judging by the number of companies that have us approached, there is certainly a lot of interest, "said Tom Thivener, active transportation planner for the city.

"We certainly have a better bike infrastructure than Dallas Texas, and more of a culture that embraces it … and think Dallas has taken away 10,000 to 20,000 bikes" says I & rsquo; It will be popular here. "

Contrary to past discussions surrounding the feasibility of such programs in Calgary, Woolley said, this one can be done at no cost since shore-less systems do not require public funds for additional infrastructure. [19659004Heproposedthatalltheadministrativecostsofthepilotprojectbecoveredbylicensesandfees

The city met with about 15 bike operators interested in participating in the pilot project, said Mr. Woolley. We hope the project could stimulate the city's tourism industry

"Really, it's about reducing the barriers that keep people from moving actively," said Woolley at Postmedia

.Gian-Carlo Carra supported the motion, but said that other investments in the city's cycling network are needed to make bike sharing useful to more only tourists

"We are starting to hear many things from the cycling community". I said. "They are satisfied with the bike path we have, but there are a few missing links that make the final connections to the trail systems and suburban roads. Will we be able to build that at the same time as deploying that?

"I think what we really need to do is put the right number in terms of the network of bike lanes and active modes of transportation in the area." (Budget) I'm just doing this ground. "

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Twitter: @mpotkins

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