Bike-Rental Plan Gets City Council Approval
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Chicago will have 3,000 bicycles to rent from 300 stations this summer — and 4,000 bikes at 400 stations by next year — under an ambitious plan approved by the City Council Wednesday to provide the "missing link" in mass transit.
Former Mayor Richard M. Daley's dream of creating a Paris-style bike rental program in Chicago is about to take off with a grand plan even bigger than Daley envisioned.
The bike sharing program passed 46 to 1.
Alta Bicycle Share, an Oregon company that once hired Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein as a consultant, got the go-ahead to operate the system until 2027, despite a rival bidder's claim that the path was greased, in part, because of Klein's past ties to the company.
"The commissioner completely recused himself from this procurement," Klein's managing deputy Scott Kubly has said.
As Traffic Committee Chairman Marge Laurino (39th) touted the benefits of bike sharing, protesters concerned about the consolidation of mental health clinics row and started shouting at Emanuel. They were escorted from the City Council Chambers.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported last month that the city issued an RFP last fall with a quick, 30-day turnaround, attracted only three bidders, then cancelled the bids and issued a second RFP without releasing the first-round proposals or explaining why they were cancelled.
Josh Squire, owner of Bike Chicago, has also charged that Klein did not disclose his prior relationship with Alta and did not really recuse himself from the selection process as he claimed.
Currently, bike sharing in Chicago is a small private venture limited to 100 bikes at six stations at popular tourist destinations including the Museum Campus, Buckingham Fountain, the John Hancock Center, McCormick Place and Navy Pier.
The new program would be geared more toward everyday Chicagoans interested in making short trips by renting a bike at one location and dropping it off at another.
Bicycle enthusiasts would pay $75 for an annual membership and $7 for a daily membership that gives them unlimited rides under 30 minutes. The cost to members will be $1.50-to-$2 for every hour after the initial 30 minutes.
Solar-powered docking stations that resemble gas stations for bikes—complete with advertising panels--would be located a quarter-mile apart near CTA and commuter rail stations and in other high-density areas that enjoy at least two hours of sunlight.
Bikes featuring multiple speeds, front and back lights, a cushioned seat and basket will have sponsorship logos on the fender.
The city expects to use $18 million in federal grants earmarked for reducing air pollution to purchase the bikes and build stations, along with $3 million in matching funds from the city.
The network will then be turned over to Alta for the next five years—with a pair of five-year renewal options--for an annual operating fee. Advertising and sponsorship revenues would go to the city.
The contract will also include bonuses for high usage and strict performance standards—including bike maintenance, snow and graffiti removal and a stipulation that Alta vans roam the city to make certain no station is either full or empty for longer than fifteen minutes.
The system will launch this summer--in an area that stretches from Montrose to 43rd Street and the lakefront to Western. Next year, the program will grow north to Devon, south to 63rd and west to California.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
