New investment to bring regional bike share program

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Bicing in Barcelona. Photo courtesy pedbikeimages.org / Ryan Snyder

A $4.29 million Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) grant for a regional bike share program was announced Wednesday. The program will add another 1,000 bikes onto the 100-bike pilot program that Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority (VTA) had been designing for the past year. Though the new investment will delay the start date of the VTA program, the expanded capacity will bring a cohesive program that will span Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco Counties.

From Streetsblog:

“VTA is committed to smart, sustainable strategies that invest in the urban cores and transit corridors that promote walking, bicycling and transit,” said VTA Board Chair and San Jose City Council Member Sam Liccardo. “The pilot bike-share program will make the commute for Santa Clara County residents greener and more affordable.”

With the $4.29 million MTC grant announced today, the program will increase to approximately 1,000 bicycles at up to 100 kiosk stations, including nearly 500 bikes at 50 kiosks in San Francisco and the remaining 500 at Caltrain stations in Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and San Jose. The VTA will coordinate with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), SamTrans, San Mateo County and Redwood City. The total project cost is approximately $7 million with $1.4 million in funding provided by the BAAQMD and $1.3 million in funding from the other partners.

An expanded bike share program will make it easier for cyclists to use regional public transit, while giving non-cyclists a great way to try going car free for an errand or two. SVBC is very pleased to see that a promising pilot project begun in Santa Clara County will be adopted on a much larger scale.