With the rapid rise of bike share systems across the world, ITDP today released the first comprehensive guide to planning a bike share system, addressing the key components of how to build a high quality bike share. The Guide, accessible to industry professionals as well as anyone interested in biking, identifies techniques and practices for planning and implementing a bike share system and lays out the system elements that are most critical for its success.
Bike sharing has quickly established itself as a key part of modern urban transport. According to ITDP CEO Walter Hook, “the vast majority of bike-share systems have all been implemented in the last 10 years. As world-class cities increasingly strive to remain competitive, we wouldn’t be surprised to see continued exponential growth in the next 10.” The reasons for its popularity are clear. In addition to being low-emissions and promoting a healthy lifestyle, bike sharing addresses pressing urban mobility issues, including traffic, air pollution, transit finance, and the “last mile” problem of getting commuters to and from rail and bus stops. An estimated 400 cities on five continents have already implemented bike share, with many more on the way.
This video from Streetfilms discusses the success and spread of bike share systems around the world.
The Bike Share Guide presents case studies and best practices, as well as metrics and data analyses, to determine the best models and techniques for a bike share system. Though each city makes bike share its own, adapting it to the local context, many of the most successful systems share certain common features. The Guide provides important standards and insights into best practices for building bike shares, and will help cities plan and implement new systems around the world. “It’s no longer true that a huge investment in a big new bridge or highway brings the most growth to a city”, said Colin Hughes, ITDP’s Director of National Policy and Project Evaluation, “it is often smaller, more strategic investments in quality of life and sustainability that makes a city a desirable place to live and work.”
Click here to download the Bike Share Planning Guide
If you are a member of the press, contact Dan Klotz for more information or to schedule interviews with the authors.