Bicycle-Share for D.C.

The bike docks are locked and accessed by the swipe of a SmartBike card.

Driving less and alternative transportation options are of course topical subjects these days. LASN has written a number of news items in this regard, e.g., pedestrian-friendly design, cities adding “parking corrals” for scooters and light rail projects underway in various cities.

Washington, D.C. has instituted bike sharing, an idea borrowed from similar programs in European cities. For a $40 annual fee, city residents have access to three-speed bikes kept in 10 self-service racks (10 red bikes in each rack) located near bus stops or rail stations in the downtown area. The SmartBike subscriber places his card in front of a card reader and follows the instructions on a screen, which unlocks a bike …and off the rider goes.

The rider can keep the bike for up to three hours. As soon as the rider returns the bike, he or she can get another bike from the rack. The bikes are available 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon.-Sun. Riders must be 18 or older.

On the first day of the program, 20 bikes were used and all returned.

SmartBike DC www.smartbikedc.com is a collaboration between Clear Channel Outdoor and the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT). Clear Channel’s first self-service bike rental program was in Rennes, France in 1998. That city has 25 stations and 200 bikes. The program has spread to Scandinavia and Spain.

Clear Channel has a 20-year contract with D.C. that stipulates the company renovate bus shelters and implement and maintain the bike-sharing program, in exchange for advertising space. The bike revenues go to DDOT.

While there are safety and liability issues for cities with such a program it is raising interest in other U.S. metropolitan areas. Bikes are allowed on D.C. sidewalks, except in the downtown business district. Now, if only cities and the landscape architects that serve them can design and implement safe bike paths for cities.