photo by Dominique Hildebrand
Bike sharing will increase the ease and access to alternative transportation methods in Downtown.
Pittsburgh’s new Bike Share Program will provide Point Park students with another way to get around the city by simply swiping a credit card or purchasing an online pass.
“You may be on campus and want to go to the Strip, but you don’t want to wait for a bus,” said Beth Hazlett, president of the Board of Pittsburgh Bike Share. “With the Bike Share, you can just grab a bike and zip down and back.”
The new program coincides with the bike lanes that were installed throughout the city last year, providing cyclists with a physical separation from drivers. The Bike Share Program itself will open this spring with 50 docking stations and 500 bikes spread around the city, including Downtown, the Strip District and Oakland.
“When we proposed the idea, the hope was to launch with 100 stations and 1,000 bikes,” Hazlett said. “But hopefully, we’ll be able to expand to that by 2016.”
The program is currently set for a soft launch on Apr. 21 with the entire system fully operating in May. The closest bike station to Point Park’s campus will be located in Market Square.
While the city already has stores where bikes can be rented, Hazlett insists the program is not in competition with the rental stores.
“The idea is that it’s public transportation,” Hazlett said. “We aren’t competing with bike rentals, but we want to provide another way to get around the city.”
The program is designed to be easy to use. Online passes will be available when the Bike Share’s website debuts this March. Kiosks and even a smartphone app will be available for other forms of payment. Once a bike is rented out for either a 30-minute ride from point to point or a full day rental they can be returned to any one of the 50 stations around the city.
Aaron Stein, co-owner of Kindred Cycles on Penn Avenue, believes the new program is good for the city.
“I’ve used the program in other cities and it works really well,” Stein said.
He also noted that it may take time for people to get used to seeing more cyclists on the road.
“There’s always a challenge sharing the road, but people are beginning to get used to it,” Stein said.
The heavy, seven-speed bikes will include step-through frames, front and rear lights, fenders and a front basket. The seats on the bikes will be adjustable to fit riders of all heights. The bikes will also be available for rent 24/7.
The exact prices for renting the bikes is still under debate by the board, but according to Hazlett there will be student discounts available when the prices are released.
“I think it’s good for the city,” Bischer Barmada, a sophomore cinema production major who rides his bike to and from class, said. “The bike lanes will be a big help especially because there isn’t a lot of parking down here.”
Stein also said he would use the bikes despite owning his own.
“I may not use it as much because I have my own bikes down here, but I can see myself using it in a pinch.”
Stein noted that more Pittsburghers have taken up interest in biking lately, and expects the Bike Share Program to be successful.
“If all goes well, we’re hoping to grow,” Hazlett said.
