Jax Bike Share

[thelakelander]

A few weeks ago I joined the bike share program in Oklahoma City (www.spokiesokc.com).  For $70 a year I get unlimited 1 hour bike rides using 8 downtown and downtown-adjacent stations.  There is a station 2 blocks from my apartment and one right outside my office so I ride to and from work every day I am in town.  I also use it just to get around downtown (dinner, movie, sightseeing, etc...).  I have a fob on my keychain so I just swipe the lock on the bike I want, it unlocks, and away I go.  Finally, the membership is good in about 30 other cities.

So what would it take to get something like this in Jacksonville?  Has there ever been effort of any kind to bring it here?

It's been discussed and debated a ton over the years. Here's a few links to threads and articles about bike share on this forum:

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-may-extending-the-skyway-and-bike-share-in-jaxs-future

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-aug-bike-sharing-in-jacksonville-why-not

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-jan-the-countrys-largest-bike-sharing-systems

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-jan-bike-sharing-in-urban-jacksonville

There have been a number of threads about this over the years. I think there was a story, too.

I'd love to see some sort of bike sharing programme in Jax, but I think it will need a significant investment in infrastucture (like proper bike lanes) and maybe more density/development downtown.

We have more than enough density, street network and bike facilities in place to make it work.   Even smaller cities like Lakeland have them now:

Zagster and the City of Lakeland have partnered to bring Swan City Cycles — a public bike sharing program. The Lakeland program includes 35 cruiser bikes that are available at seven locations around the City for riders to checkout for on-demand, local trips. Riders can become Swan City Cycle members by purchasing an annual, monthly or hourly pass. Rides for system members are free for up to an hour and a half, then $3 per hour after. An annual pass can be purchased for $25. Visit their website at zagster.com/lakeland.

The program is made possible by sponsorship from the City of Lakeland's Community Redevelopment Authority, Lakeland Downtown Development Authority, as well as: Lakeland Vision, Citrus Connection, , Polk Museum of Art, Lake Morton Neighborhood Association, First United Methodist and Florida Southern College.

https://www.lakelandgov.net/bike-share-program

If we want one, some...or a few.... local entity will have to partner up with a bike sharing company.  At this point, it's not rocket science.  It just isn't a local priority.

[Adam White]

...and cyclists being hit by dickheads who don't know how to share the road.

This is the part that would scare me.  Drivers who aren't used to bikers (like those in FL) sometimes act very aggressively towards interlopers in "their" space.

That hostility is mostly aimed at the team kit wearers that are using the public street for their personal exercise equipment.  I hate those guys as well.

I've been on the receiving end of it on more than one occasion and I am not a team kit wearer or a MAMIL.

Yea - not saying that there aren't people who hate bicyclist of all varieties, but as a pedestrian I have also had drivers see how close they could get to me while I was in crosswalk.  They are just ***holes and probably treat other drivers they same way they do bicyclist and pedestrians.  Typically, jerks are jerks full-time.

Ain't that the truth.

I also think there is an issue where people just don't have much familiarity with driving around cyclists. And that's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation (or is it a Catch 22?) - the only way they will figure it out is to drive with cyclists on the road or whatever.

[Adam White]

A few weeks ago I joined the bike share program in Oklahoma City (www.spokiesokc.com).  For $70 a year I get unlimited 1 hour bike rides using 8 downtown and downtown-adjacent stations.  There is a station 2 blocks from my apartment and one right outside my office so I ride to and from work every day I am in town.  I also use it just to get around downtown (dinner, movie, sightseeing, etc...).  I have a fob on my keychain so I just swipe the lock on the bike I want, it unlocks, and away I go.  Finally, the membership is good in about 30 other cities.

So what would it take to get something like this in Jacksonville?  Has there ever been effort of any kind to bring it here?

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-may-extending-the-skyway-and-bike-share-in-jaxs-future

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-aug-bike-sharing-in-jacksonville-why-not

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-jan-the-countrys-largest-bike-sharing-systems

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-jan-bike-sharing-in-urban-jacksonville

There have been a number of threads about this over the years. I think there was a story, too.

I'd love to see some sort of bike sharing programme in Jax, but I think it will need a significant investment in infrastucture (like proper bike lanes) and maybe more density/development downtown.

We have more than enough density, street network and bike facilities in place to make it work.   Even smaller cities like Lakeland have them now:

Zagster and the City of Lakeland have partnered to bring Swan City Cycles — a public bike sharing program. The Lakeland program includes 35 cruiser bikes that are available at seven locations around the City for riders to checkout for on-demand, local trips. Riders can become Swan City Cycle members by purchasing an annual, monthly or hourly pass. Rides for system members are free for up to an hour and a half, then $3 per hour after. An annual pass can be purchased for $25. Visit their website at zagster.com/lakeland.

The program is made possible by sponsorship from the City of Lakeland's Community Redevelopment Authority, Lakeland Downtown Development Authority, as well as: Lakeland Vision, Citrus Connection, , Polk Museum of Art, Lake Morton Neighborhood Association, First United Methodist and Florida Southern College.

https://www.lakelandgov.net/bike-share-program

If we want one, some...or a few.... local entity will have to partner up with a bike sharing company.  At this point, it's not rocket science.  It just isn't a local priority.

I don't know anything about Lakeland, other than where it is and the fact that it is smaller than Jax (amongst a few other minor facts). But how dense and/or compact is the area covered by the bike sharing?

Jax has pockets of density and I could see something like this working in Riverside. I just don't know how successful it would be across the city. And I could be totally wrong. I just think revitalizing downtown and working on other stuff is probably more of a priority. And you kind of mentioned that - a matter of priorities.

Edit: I came across this http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/2/22/lakeland_bike_share_.html

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/2/27/officials_hopeful_of.html

[Kerry]

If we want one, some...or a few.... local entity will have to partner up with a bike sharing company.  At this point, it's not rocket science.  It just isn't a local priority.

Okay - so how do we make it a local priority?  Anyone have any ideas.  I would like to do more than just talk about it on a community forum.  Anyone interested in meeting to discuss it more?  When I get back to OKC next week I'll contact the Spokies manager and see what insights he can provide.

[Adam White]

Get Shahid Khan to do it. He's got deep pockets and apparently wants Jacksonville to succeed.

[Kerry]

Get Shahid Khan to do it. He's got deep pockets and apparently wants Jacksonville to succeed.

I would rather walk.

[Adam White]

Get Shahid Khan to do it. He's got deep pockets and apparently wants Jacksonville to succeed.

I would rather walk.

LOL.

[thelakelander]

If we want one, some...or a few.... local entity will have to partner up with a bike sharing company.  At this point, it's not rocket science.  It just isn't a local priority.

Okay - so how do we make it a local priority?  Anyone have any ideas.  I would like to do more than just talk about it on a community forum.  Anyone interested in meeting to discuss it more?  When I get back to OKC next week I'll contact the Spokies manager and see what insights he can provide.

JTA tried to do it with TIGER Grant Funding a few years back, so it advanced to more than a community forum discussion.  I believe their plan and station locations were included in one of those links I posted. Unfortunately, they didn't win a grant that year.  Ultimately, bike share stations are located on public property.  You can't get them without COJ being on board.  Since an initial system would be best formed in and around the downtown core and skyway stations, your natural public partners are going to be JTA and COJ/DIA.

[thelakelander]

I don't know anything about Lakeland, other than where it is and the fact that it is smaller than Jax (amongst a few other minor facts). But how dense and/or compact is the area covered by the bike sharing?

Jax has pockets of density and I could see something like this working in Riverside. I just don't know how successful it would be across the city. And I could be totally wrong. I just think revitalizing downtown and working on other stuff is probably more of a priority. And you kind of mentioned that - a matter of priorities.

Edit: I came across this http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/2/22/lakeland_bike_share_.html

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/2/27/officials_hopeful_of.html

I grew up there. In short, all of Lakeland's urban core could fit within Riverside/Avondale.  It's also, less dense than Jax.  With that said, they've done of remarkable job of making themselves more livable and bike friendly. If you want to pull a bike share starter system in urban Jax off, it most likely would only consist of the DIA's boundaries with small parts of Riverside, Springfield and San Marco added.  Anything outside of that would be overkill.

[Adam White]

I don't know anything about Lakeland, other than where it is and the fact that it is smaller than Jax (amongst a few other minor facts). But how dense and/or compact is the area covered by the bike sharing?

Jax has pockets of density and I could see something like this working in Riverside. I just don't know how successful it would be across the city. And I could be totally wrong. I just think revitalizing downtown and working on other stuff is probably more of a priority. And you kind of mentioned that - a matter of priorities.

Edit: I came across this http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/2/22/lakeland_bike_share_.html

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/2/27/officials_hopeful_of.html

I grew up there. In short, all of Lakeland's urban core could fit within Riverside/Avondale.  It's also, less dense than Jax.  With that said, they've done of remarkable job of making themselves more livable and bike friendly. If you want to pull a bike share starter system in urban Jax off, it most likely would only consist of the DIA's boundaries with small parts of Riverside, Springfield and San Marco added.  Anything outside of that would be overkill.

Somehow I guessed you were from Lakeland. Don't ask me how.

I'd like to see bike lanes - not "sharrows". It's probably too much to ask for segregated cycle paths, but then again - dowtown is so empty that just about anything is possible.

[thelakelander]

All you need to do with downtown's wide streets is apply some extra paint and have a willingness to give up a lane for bikes.  It really is that simple.....if  being multimodal friendly is a true priority.  Here's a few images of new bike facilities in urban Norfolk:

[JaxAvondale]

With the building of the new pedestrian/bike path, maybe the city will get more onboard with a bike sharing program.

[thelakelander]

The Fuller Warren? That won't be open until late 2020. If it is something Jax truly desires, there's enough bike/transit station infrastructure and low traffic corridors already in place to kick something off.  Half of the cities that already have bike share simply issued a request for proposals and then worked together with winning response.  If there's no market, the private sector companies specializing in it will let you know by their lack of response.

[Kerry]

I am going to check with the Director of the OKC system next week and see what kind of info he is will to share.  I do know the OKC system started out bare-bones and few years ago with bottom of the barrel bikes but they got BCBS to sponsor it and it really opened things up.  Jax is home to BCBS of Florida so there is a natural sponsor right there.

https://okc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1856/140

The $304,000 upgrade is possible through the collaborative efforts and funding of the Central Oklahoma Transportation & Parking Authority (COTPA), the City of Oklahoma City, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, and the Federal Transportation Administration