Atlanta, Decatur Working Together on Bike Share Program
Decatur Metro | May 28, 2013
As the Saporta Report reports, Atlanta just put out a Request for Proposals on a bike share program that would eventually span to both Atlanta and Decatur. The initial Bike Feasibility Study (funded by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation) gives great background on the initiative, including the map above that shows Atlanta/Buckhead and Decatur as the “Phase 1 Market Service Areas”. (You’ll find a more detailed map on page 6 of the study.)
According to the study, Decatur would initially have 30 bikes at 3 different stations throughout the city, while Atlanta would have 540 bikes at 54 stations spanning the city’s core and up in Buckhead.
The executive summary of the study states that a bike share program “can work in Atlanta and Decatur” and estimates the initial capital and operational costs at $6 and 12.9 million over a six year period.
All this on the heals on the launch of NYC’s new bike share program over the weekend.
UPDATE: One additional point of clarification from Rebecca at Atlanta Bike…
the RFP is for a City of Atlanta system only. COA can’t issue an RFP for Decatur. Our hope is that Atlanta and Decatur will select the same vendor so that people would only need one membership to use bike share in Atlanta and Decatur.
Our bike share feasibility was a joint project between City of Atlanta and Decatur,
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Cheese is obviously of more interest than a bike-share program in Decatur.
I am surprised at the Buckhead inclusion. I know all about the Buckhead LCI and the 400 trail design, but *at present* the area is about as bike unfriendly as Atlanta can get. At least for casual bikers who would rent these kind of bikes.
I used these bike kiosks a lot in Washington DC 4 years ago – I’d grab a bike (yes, in my suit) and could get from Foggy Bottom to Metro Center faster than the train or circulator bus. This was their version 1 that failed financially (they are now on a new vendor; one reason it failed was that the program didn’t allow anyone to just walk up and swipe a credit card), but I certainly got my money’s worth for a $40 annual fee.
I just don’t see people in Buckhead grabbing a bike to do the same thing …
Also I think one of the most challenging aspects to overcome in terms of a Decatur/Atlanta system is the terrain, which has been brought up here before. Could you haul it all the way from Decatur to Downtown or Midtown on one of those heavy bike share bikes? Perhaps someone involved in the study or another knowledgeable individual could chime in and address that particular point.
Not to mention that it’s quite hot for much of the year. It is, of course, a very doable ride if you are committed to pedaling up the hills (and sweating — a lot). But let’s face it, most people aren’t so committed. There are many reasons why Atlanta is not now a major hub of bike commuting, and infrastructre is only one of them.
Regarding the question about people riding between Decatur and Midtown – these bikes are mostly intended for short trips within activity centers. A typical Decatur trip might be to Oakhurst or Emory. I’d expect someone who wanted to get to Midtown without a car would be more likely to hop on MARTA.
Thanks Rebecca. Then I guess it doesn’t really matter if Atlanta and Decatur used different services, right?
I guess Im wondering, Why the joint effort if there won’t be much overlap?
I always wonder about the quality of the bikes. We have a big old family argument whenever we do a long road trip to the beach. Hauling our own bikes is a pain. But what you rent is not fun to ride, even on flat beach roads/paths. For Atlanta, I need a lightweight bike with extremely low gears. Or an inheritance so I can quit work and keep in good cycling shape.
Terrain isn’t the only issue, of course. Motor vehicle traffic also plays a major role. I consider myself a decent bicyclist but still cringe during my daily commute when I see bicyclists braving Dekalb Ave.
On a very related note, looking at the map I wonder if there is a way to bridge the physical gap between Decatur, Buckhead and the downtown core by teaming up with MARTA? Wouldn’t it be great if the cost of a bike-share bike included free access to the system’s light rail and busses. Perhaps each bike could have a Breeze card-type chip hidden within its tubing so you just swipe your bike at the station or at a sensor near the front door of the bus. Could be a win-win for everyone.
Why would you want to drag a bike-share bike from one core area to another? Why not just ride MARTA to the general area you need to be and then grab a bike to use while there?
Guys, read the feasibility report. They did a complex GIS analysis to determine where demand will be the greatest. Buckhead and Decatur pop up big time, based on their metrics. I don’t think the intention is that people will ride from Decatur to downtown, or to Buckhead, but will ride around here. It says we would support 3 stations with 30 bikes. Also, the bikes would be “7 speeds.” Also, they used Minneapolis (not a larger/more dense city) to compare Atlanta. I know this is easy to armchair quarterback, but clearly much thought has been put into this. Great thing for us is that there are enough of these programs throughout the nation that we can learn lessons and adjust. I look forward to this.
Thanks!
I read it. Like others said, people (including me when I was in DC) will find these convenient for short hops — going a half mile or a mile+. I use the startup bike share system located in and around GT/TechSquare about once/month for similar reasons.
I’m still skeptical about Buckhead. They might have done lots of demographic analysis, but there is more to it — the people, the traffic, how inviting the community itself is to travel by bike. Time will tell. I do hope it succeeds.
I could see a bike share station in: Oakhurst, Post Office/Marley area, and downtown – on the square or close by. It would be neat to have sister stations in Kirkwood, Chandler Park, Little 5, the Belt Line/Freedom Trail, and Piedmont Park.
Yes I agree this could work. Walking from W Ponce shops (Marlay area) to Church St can be a good 15 minutes. And there’s really not a great way to get to Oakhurst from downtown except MARTA bus. I wonder if a stop by the Marriott hotel would be good, too.
The best route to Oakhurst from downtown is S. McDonough – Ansley – Oakview. Only bad thing is it is all up hill going to downtown. One could even take the bike lane on Commerce, jump on the trail, cross over the tracks where many roads come together – College – Mead. By the time someone sits there and waits on the bus/train they could be there.
I biked that route when my kid wanted to bike to FAVE on bike to school days. Great gradient … in one direction.
Personally, I rarely ride MARTA to work because my place of employment is about a mile from the nearest MARTA station and walking just takes too long. If I could hop on a bike at the MARTA station and ride that last mile, I’d use it regularly. Same with the Marlay in Decatur. I’d be there a lot more regularly if there was an easier way to get to/from from MARTA.
Also, I used the Capital Bikeshare system in DC two years ago when there on business. It worked beautifully. The bikes are heavy and slow, but surprisingly comfortable to ride in the city. The kiosks were well thought out too. It’s very easy to check a bike in and out.
This really is an additional public transportation asset, and it’d be great to see it in Atlanta and Decatur.
While I am happy that Decatur is becoming a bicycle friendly community a change in drivers’ attitudes and behavior will be needed before casual cyclists use a bike share program. Through traffic is a bummer in this town.
I am saddened that Oakhurst is not included in this program.
Having a bike share connecting the Oakhurst Business District and Downtown Decatur would probably be one of the most popular uses for bike sharing in Decatur.
Marty – what makes you believe that one of Decatur’s stations would not be in Oakhurst? I don’t think its gotten to the point of deciding things to that level, unless I missed something.
Since home values in Oakhurst seem to rise every day, attracting ever more well-off professionals, extending the bike share program there reminds me of this:
http://reason.com/blog/2012/06/20/washington-dcs-capital-bikeshare-tax-for
On the other hand: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/05/surprising-diversity-american-cycling-community/5737/
I have used these bikes multiple times in different cities, they are solid and decent rides. They don’t seem to be used to go from region to region, but inter-region – like low-catur to Agnes Scott or even just up to the square. A big option in many cities is to go from a neighborhood to the metro. If a full deployment, you might grab a bike from Decatur heights, ride to the train station hop a train and then grab another bike to somewhere in downtown or midtown etc. The bike stations usually fit in the equivalent of one parking space so they are fairly low impact in that regard. The biggest problem I see is inattentive motorists and a lack of bike lanes. But it could be a nice addition to the area if it worked out.