Bay Area Bike Share asks "Where do you want Bike Share in Emeryville?"

PRESS RELEASE – San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and Emeryville Mayor Ruth Atkin [recently] announced a proposal working together with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to expand the Bay Area Bike Share program, increasing the number of bikes in Bay Area Bike Share from 700 to 7,000, and growing the program from a successful pilot to a robust transportation option for Bay Area residents, at no cost to taxpayers.

“The City of Emeryville is thrilled to have regional bike share serve Emeryville. With no hills, attractive destinations, and large residential, employment and shopping centers, we are well situated to embrace bike share,” said Emeryville Mayor Ruth Atkin. “With three neighboring BART stations, we continually support transit and active transportation with the Emery Go-Round, carsharing, and integrated bike routes. Bike share is a critical and timely service for our more active population, allowing flexibility and complimentary routes to the shuttle, while allowing overcrowding on shuttles to be reduced. We could not be more pleased to consider up to a dozen stations and 100 or more bikes in Emeryville, complementing our award-winning Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and model shuttle program.”

The planned expansion would be accomplished through a public-private partnership with Motivate, the nation’s largest bike share operator, at no cost to the taxpayer. Motivate is the current operator of the Bay Area Bike Share pilot, having won a competitive bid to do so in 2013.

Under the proposal, bike share station locations would be developed in consultation with residents and local businesses, through a series of open forums and outreach events. Twenty percent of stations would be placed in MTC-designated Communities of Concern, putting equity at the core of the program’s design as it expands throughout the region. Discounted passes would also be made available to customers enrolled in Bay Area utility lifeline programs.

“I’m encouraged by the efforts of Motivate and the cities to put equity concerns front and center,” said MTC Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese. “I think my colleagues will give the proposal very serious consideration, and I look forward to it coming before the Administration Committee and later to the full Commission.”

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) launched the Bay Area Bike Share in August 2013 with a 700 bike system. Bike stations in San Francisco have accounted for about 90 percent of all trips during the pilot phase.

Motivate’s proposal includes bringing a total of 850 bikes to Oakland, 400 to Berkeley and 100 to Emeryville, and boosting the number of bikes in San Francisco to 4,500 from the current 328, and the number in San Jose to 1,000 from the current 129. Motivate plans to add 150 more bikes to the Bay Area Bike Share fleet after the four-phase expansion is complete in late 2017. While the locations of these bikes have not been identified, Motivate proposes to keep at least 50 of them in the East Bay.

The MTC’s Administration Committee [considered] the proposal at its meeting on April 8th, with consideration later in the month by the BAAQMD Board of Directors to the transfer of the existing pilot system to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Later this Spring, the proposal is expected to go before the full Commission, which must approve the terms of the contract. The system will be brought to scale gradually, with installation of new stations occurring throughout 2016 and 2017.

Bay Area Bike Share operator Motivate Inc. has created an interactive map that allows you to suggest, vote and share ideas for where best to install the forthcoming bike share stations.

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The Bay Street Shopping Area has been a popular choice thus far with 19 “supporters” as of press time. The Amtrak station is also being given heavy consideration.