Savannah will be joining the growing list of cities around the country with bike share programs in the coming weeks.
Chatham Area Transit is preparing to roll out a pilot bike share program to begin in conjuction with the completion of renovation work to the downtown transit center on Oglethorpe Avene in September.
A bike dock/station that can hold up to eight bicycles is to be housed at the transit center. Customers will be able to rent a bicycle short-term through a solar-powered kiosk, Ramond Robinson, CAT’s chief development officer, told CAT board members this week.
The bicycles themselves will be three-speed without chains and individually equipped with GPS tracking devices.
Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte and Portland, Ore., are among cities that have either already launched bike share programs or are in the process of doing so. It’s a growing movement.
John Bennett, executive director of Savannah Bicycle Campaign, a nonprofit that encourages bicycling, said after examining other cities, the success of a bike share program depends on the number and placement of bike stations. Savannah, he said, has “great potential.”
“Data from a multitude of sources indicates Americans, and especially young people, are increasingly drawn to places where they can walk, ride bikes and use public transit,” Bennett said in an email.
“Compared to many other cities, Savannah is in a good position to attract young professionals and others seeking a more livable, less automobile-centric community.”
Officials here see the bike share program ideally used for trips less than three miles, whether for errands, meetings or recreational activities. The rental price has yet to be determined, but officials say it will range between $3.25 and $9 an hour. Daily and annual memberships that come with perks will be offered.
The overall cost of the bike share program is approximately $70,000 and is categorized as an amenity to the renovated transit center, according to CAT. Rental revenues will go toward preserving the program, Robinson said.
As a pilot program, the transit agency doesn’t see the operation as a moneymaker per say. Instead, it hopes to expand the bike share concept in partnership with the city of Savannah and Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Robinson told me that bike sharing is great because it provides “vibrancy” to our community, improves access to businesses and creates recreational options for visitors and local users.
He envisions a resident looking to eat downtown taking a CAT bus to the transit center, getting off and renting a bicycle to travel to the restaurant, then returning to go home.
“That is the new CAT we’re talking about creating,” Robinson told CAT board members on Tuesday. “That’s the multi-modal trip and business component of how we shift and get people to do things.