The Columbia Association, as part of a joint grant application with the County to study implementing a bikeshare system in the county, has created a short questionnaire. Your input would be greatly appreciated in understanding who would support a bikesharing program in Howard County and where users would like to go.
Eeeenteresting!What is a bikeshareing system? Think of it as a bike taxi for short, one-way trips. One is able to pick a bike for a short trip and return in to a station near your destination. Check out a bike for your trip to work, get to the bus or train, run errands, go shopping, or visit friends and family. The stations, usually with 5-15 bikes are strategically placed to allow users to walk to a station and bikes are also equipped with locks so if you want, you can lock it and comeback to it later.
Photo credit to daquella manera.
Bikesharing has been successful in urban areas (see: Washington DC), but it's something that suburban jurisdictions (see: Montgomery County) are also looking into. Even if we don't have the density of an urban area, many suburban trips fall into the one-three mile trip length that bikeshare systems support.
I do worry that we don't have enough bike infrastructure to support a bikeshare program-- stuff like bike lanes, bike racks, roads with slower speeds. Then again, maybe it's more of a Catch-22 type situation-- a larger number of cyclists leads to a demand for more bicycling infrastructure, and one way to increase the number of cyclists is by creating a bikeshare program.
It'll be interesting to see where this goes. If nothing else, it's a good conversation to get started, and good idea to check out that has succeeded in other areas.
Absolutely! Maybe I already said this to you - every time I drive down Snowden River Parkway I think of how great it would be if that corridor became bike and pedestrian friendly. Lately I've been envisioning a Hi-Line style park from basically Berger Road to Oakland Mills Road. And I don't even ride a bike, but I would love to live in a bike-friendlier place!
ReplyDeleteWas it you that mentioned the walkable possiblities of East Columbia beyond simply downtown? I think it was such a genius idea-- I think about it all the time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this Sarah. We are hoping to get as many survey reponses as we can by this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI envision rapid bus transit the length of Little Patuxent/Route 175 from Clary's Forest to Gateway and then bikeshare outlets at the Mall, and all the major intersections.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my daughter's bikes have already been, umm, "shared" with the Columbia community, locks and such notwithstanding. Curious if we have enough civility to make such a thing happen around here...
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this eeeenteresting piece. ;-) I know you included the link to the survey, but here it is, more blatantly, for others to see: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LQ79L3Q
ReplyDeleteOur bikepaths do still leave a lot to be desired. How about a walkable, bikeable, transit corridor in Columbia? See bridgecolumbia.org for a visionary, but very doable start.
ReplyDeleteBarbara-- Love your vision!!
ReplyDeleteOrdinary Joe-- I hear ya. I've had a bike stolen in Columbia, too. I think these bikeshare systems have great security-- consider that they are currently in place in a lot of urban areas, which generally have more petty crime than Howard County.
Karen-- definitely need to check that out. I've heard about it but haven't actually sat down and looked at it. I'm in favor of anything that makes Columbia more walkable, bikeable, and transit friendly.
Love your vision as well! I ride my bike to work in Howard County. Covered bicycle racks would help a lot. So too would bike lanes and a public push for giving bikes space and not TEXTING/talking while driving.
ReplyDeleteI think it's premature to think of Bikesharing before there are safe bikeways in Columbia. With hard curbs (no soft shoulders) on the main roads (e.g. Cedar Ln, Little Patux. Pkwy, Gov. Warfield) and drivers who ignore red lights and walk signals, it's scary to bike on the roads. I bike on the sidewalks, but they are too narrow for more than one pedestrian or bicycle. Maybe a bikeway on LPP first?
ReplyDeleteI am like Lisa - I don't bike but I would welcome more biking. But, supporting what Anonymous said (who is this guy? I think he is actually Ubiquitous), a lot of thinking has to go into making the roads bike friendly. The driving in Columbia is quite disconcerting - everyone is in a mad rush, rush, rush.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen. We won't get infrastructure until the demand rises. I'll look into bridgecolumbia.org
ReplyDeleteIt isn't premature to push forward for bike friendly roads in any form. Red bikes are a great way to motivate users and begin. To all the bikers out there already, hats off. If you waited for proper lanes you wouldn't be enjoying your bikes as much as you do.
Let's move forward rather than look for what won't work, shall we? Columbia was a vision and it's refreshing to see some visioning brought back. Thanks!
Dave: I agree with you...didn't mean for this to all come off so negatively! I am definitely in support of bikesharing.
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