Politics & Government
Westside Looks at Bike-Share Program
Representatives from the Westside Cities Council of Government are studying bike-share programs already in place in big U.S. cities.
Pedaling across cities on the Westside, be it to get to work in Beverly Hills or a lunch date in West Hollywood, could be a lot easier with a bike-share program like those popular in Washington D.C. and Montreal, a coalition of local government representatives said Monday.
The Transportation Committee of the Westside Cities Council of Governments is studying D.C.'s Capital Bike Share Program and Canada's BIXI as potential models for the Westside.
“It’s essential that, in whatever program we develop, somebody can get a bike in West Hollywood, ride to Santa Monica, drop it off there and then, if they wanted, get a bike in Culver City and ride back to West Hollywood,” West Hollywood Councilman John Heilman said.
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The Capital's is the largest in the U.S. With an annual membership of $75, users have 24/7 access to 1,100 bicycles that can be ridden across Washington D.C. and Arlington, Virg. and dropped off or picked up at more than 110 stations.
Such programs have reported quick success. In its first month, the bike-share in Boston sold 2,319 annual memberships and saw 36,612 station trips—more than similar operations in Denver and Minneapolis, which each drew 100,000 riders in about six months, the Boston Globe reported in September.
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Santa Monica city staffers are carrying out the Transportation Committee's study. Last month, Santa Monica , a hub for bike rentals, repairs, classes and storage in downtown.
The Transportation Committee said Monday that it also intends to close the gaps in bike lanes across multiple cities, such as the lane on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood that stops when it reaches Beverly Hills but resumes again in Los Angeles.
“The cyclist gets on the road and suddenly the bicycle lane drops off the planet,” said Westside Cities Council of Governments Executive Director Maria Rychlicki.
The committee will discuss these plans further at its next meeting, which could be scheduled before Christmas.
The committee's recommendations will be brought to the entire coalition's board in January for a vote on whether to adopt them as formal recommendations for the member communities.
The coalition is a collaboration between the cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood and Santa Monica as well as Westside portions of Los Angeles and unincorporated Los Angeles County.
