Tell DDOT where you want a Capital Bikeshare location

Bicycling

Tell DDOT where you want a Capital Bikeshare location

by David Alpert • June 17, 2010 8:21 am

DC's Chief Technology Officer Bryan Sivak and his innovative, fast-moving agency have launched a new interactive survey to suggest DC sites for new Capital Bikeshare stations.

This extends the ideas in our experiment last year, where all of you placed a few hundred suggested locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia on a map. OCTO's version is more sophisticated, asking you to identify "origin" locations where you might want to pick up a bike, and "destination" locations where you'd like to drop one off.

This recognizes the fundamental use case for bike sharing: short-range transportation. Some people use a shared bike to bike around for fun or go use a trail, but the bikes are not generally designed as much for recreation and speed as short-range urban trips. They're also priced that way, free for a half hour with charges beyond.

People probably won't drop off a bike where they got it from. Instead, they'll pick one up somewhere they are, like near home or near a Metro station, and drop it off somewhere they want to go that's nearby. SmartBike users I know use it to travel between Dupont Circle and 14th and U, for example, which aren't very far apart but have no direct transit. Someone living or working in western Montgomery or Upper Northwest might get off the Red Line at Dupont and pick up a bike to go to U Street instead of having to ride all the way through downtown and change trains.

My own location suggestion is 17th between Corcoran and R Streets, near the Safeway, hardware store and many restaurants. That corner has enormous expanses of empty sidewalk, and I was disappointed the 17th Street streetscape reconstruction didn't put some street furniture here. A bike sharing station could utilize some of the space and draw shoppers.

What are the similar locations in your neighborhood? Take the survey!

Speaking of bike sharing, documents from yesterday's TPB meeting reveal more about the region's plans for a TIGER II grant for more bike stations. DC would get 1,000 more bikes for a total of 2,000, Arlington 750 in addition to their planned 117, Montgomery County 200, Fairfax County 100, Alexandria 60, and a still-undetermined number in College Park.

Governments have to match 20% of the total cost with the federal government potentially paying 80%. Arlington gets to count their 117 bikes as their match, but DC is using federal funds for its 1,000 and would therefore have to pay for 20% of the next 1,000 locally.

This totals $10 million in capital costs, the minimum size for a TIGER II grant. TPB staff believe that a minimum-size grant application is most likely to get funded since DOT will be trying to spread the money out more than in TIGER I. Local governments would pay for all operating costs that aren't covered by memberships and usage fees.

25 comments

Tags: bike sharing, DC, DDOT, OCTO

Arlington, DC announce 1,100-bike regional bike sharing (May 21, 2010)
DDOT selects Capital Bikeshare locations (Jul 20, 2010)
Capital Bikeshare, launching today, will change everything (Sep 20, 2010)
Let's stimulate with a major bike sharing program (Mar 6, 2009)
DC, Arlington to add 36 Capital Bikeshare stations (Dec 23, 2010)

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

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@David, SmartBike users I know use it to travel between Dupont Circle and 14th and U, for example, which aren't very far apart but have no direct transit.

Well, there goes the argument that adding bicycles to the mix will help relieve car traffic. Most people I know would nowadays walk that short distance. So, you're advocating that they instead help increase the traffic on our street?

by Lance on Jun 17, 2010 8:25 am • link • report

That's just a piece of the trip. Many people take Metro, then switch to a shared bike for the "last mile." Many of those people wouldn't want to take Metro if they then have to walk the mile distance. Bike sharing could make that appealing.

by David Alpert on Jun 17, 2010 8:30 am • link • report

Isn't there a Metro stop at 13th and U?

by Lance on Jun 17, 2010 8:47 am • link • report

@Lance Yes, but it's faster to walk from Dupont to U St.

by andrew on Jun 17, 2010 9:14 am • link • report

Kudos to OCTO for soliciting location suggestions this way.

by Eric F. on Jun 17, 2010 9:33 am • link • report

The app failed for me when I went to submit.

by DCbureaucrat on Jun 17, 2010 9:36 am • link • report

I, too, got an initial error message, but it worked when I limited my selection to only a few points. You can make multiple entries, as well.

by Alex B. on Jun 17, 2010 9:37 am • link • report

Ideally, this should be coordinated with any official slug lines DDOT is looking into creating.

by nevermindtheend on Jun 17, 2010 9:45 am • link • report

@andrew @Lance Yes, but it's faster to walk from Dupont to U St.

Okay, now we've entered the realm of circular logic.

1. We need 'disposable' bikes between Dupont Circle and U St/Cardozo 'cause it's faster to bike between the 2 stations than to take an indirect Metro ride.

2. But wouldn't most folks just walk between the two areas? and doesn't proposing a 'disposable' bike to get between the 2 stations just add to the traffic problem?

3. Oh no, it doesn't! It's not folks looking to go between the two areas who'll use it ... It's folks who would otherwise have to drive in to the area ... and will now use Metro instead and just take a disposable bike for the last leg of the journey!

4. But couldn't they then just take the Metro straight to U Street Cardozo instead of going first to Dupont and then taking a disposable bike to get to their final destination ... and thereby add to the traffic?

5. andrew: @Lance Yes, but it's faster to walk from Dupont to U St.

Encouraging more bicycle traffic just for the sake of having more bicycle traffic isn't necessarily a very smart idea. Like the streetcars, if you can't provide a separate infrasture AND DEDICATED LANES able to handle the volumes of bicyclists that are being encouraged, you're just begging for trouble ... and total gridlock for everyone.

by Lance on Jun 17, 2010 9:48 am • link • report

Seems like a perfect use case for me. For someone coming from, say, 21st & N, that's over a mile trip. Many people often don't want to walk that far, and during peak periods it'd be insane to take Metro on that route; there's no great bus option, either.

The fact is, bikeshare is a neither-fish-nor-fowl phenomenon. Sometimes it displaces car trips, but sometimes it displaces transit, walking, or the rider's own bike. Even in the latter cases, it still does two important things: adds another mobility option and puts more bikes on the road, building a cycling climate.

I think bikeshare could be a great "last mile" for destinations that are a long walk from Metro. Hillwood comes to mind -- an easy bike ride from Metro but kind of a boring walk (a bit over a mile).

by Gavin on Jun 17, 2010 9:49 am • link • report

I think a no brainer is to put some at higher ground. If there were some at Columbia Heights Metro people might opt to hop on a bike and coast downtown rather than metro. Same with Tenley to Georgetown.

by John on Jun 17, 2010 9:49 am • link • report

*AND DEDICATED CYCLE TRACKS
(painted 'lanes' offer no real protection to cyclists. cycle 'tracks' provide real physical barriers between the different modes of traffic.)

by Lance on Jun 17, 2010 9:51 am • link • report

BTW, has DC said if they'll be soliciting contributions from businesses or BIDs? Seems to that some of the universities, embassies (especially the "green" countries), etc. might be willing to chip in for a station nearby (maybe especially if they can be listed as a station "sponsor").

by Gavin on Jun 17, 2010 9:57 am • link • report

@Lance

That may indeed be some circular logic, but you should pick another trip to prove your point. Except for the circle itself and a short stretch of 13th between T&U, there are bike lanes along slow speed residential streets the entire length of that trip. Try again.

by jeff on Jun 17, 2010 10:09 am • link • report

I think as a rule of thumb each Metro stop should have one (perhaps there are some stops that shouldn't but I can't think of any of the top of my head in DC/Arlington). After that, the survey should ask where else should there be stations. Georgetown comes to mind, perhaps somewhere on H St NE, Potomac Yards, Shrlington, etc. I personally suggested Ballston as an origin and a theater I volunteer in as a destination.

by Steven Yates on Jun 17, 2010 10:58 am • link • report

@Lance

I'm not sure how that's circular logic--walking OR biking between U St and Dupont is quicker than taking a long Metro ride that requires a transfer. That's a no-brainer. As for traffic, a street can accommodate a heck of a lot more pedestrians and cyclists than cars in the same amount of space.

by Matthias on Jun 17, 2010 10:59 am • link • report

Don't forget that we are dealing with some pretty significant crowding issues on the metro. A station in Cleveland Park, for instance, could keep some people who are heading downtown off the already crowded trains. Moreso if the contractor that manages the system is good about replacing bikes during rush hour. Ditto for the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor (if/when stations make it that way). Using bikes for intercity travel where metro may suffice could help alleviate crowding for suburban train commuters and those who cannot or choose not to bike.

by JTS on Jun 17, 2010 12:53 pm • link • report

@John, how do we get the bike back up the hill? If we want downhill transportation, we should install slides.

@Lance, the purpose of bike lanes is not to protect cyclists from car traffic. It is to encourage people to bike (which they do quite well). It also makes cycling better as it makes it easier to filter forward. So your correct that they don't provide protection. Nor do bike lanes make toast. Would you care to complain about that?

And likewise, adding "bikes to the mix" serves a few purposes - one of which is increasing mobility to save time. The trip mentioned in this article is one such trip. Do you doubt that there are other trips where bike sharing will replace car trips (another purpose of bike sharing)? Or that it will replace transit trips (another purpose)? Or that it will increase bike riding for fun and exercise (another purpose)?

by David C on Jun 17, 2010 12:58 pm • link • report

David C- I'm sure the less lazy among us would make the return trip. (myself not included) But for the likely pooling of bikes at certain hubs is there not already in place a van that shuffles bikes from one hub to another as needed? I thought there was.

by John on Jun 17, 2010 2:04 pm • link • report

I work downtown (Dept. of Commerce), where the closest Smartbike kiosk is four blocks away. As my interest in bike sharing is for running errands during the lunch hour, the walk to get a bike and then to get back to the office after returnng one takes almost as much time as I have available.

I'd like to see a kiosk at the south side of Pershing Park, Penn Ave. between 14th and 15th Street. It will provide access for those of us working at Commerce (which houses 3500 people), along with tourists visiting the WH Visitors' Center on Penn Ave across from the park, and those going to the National Aquarium at 14th Street and D Street NW.

by Eric R on Jun 17, 2010 3:24 pm • link • report

We are really excited about the interest in making DC more bike friendly through the use of bike sharing and new bike lanes. Last week my wife biked to work for the first time!

We would love to see a sharing station at 14th and Taylor. (There's also an empty lot at 13th and Taylor). It would also be a really good idea to re-paint some of the bike lanes; fresh paint will remind drivers that they are sharing the road.

by Carl L. on Jun 17, 2010 5:12 pm • link • report

@John, I was teasing you a little, but I do think the system works better on flatter ground and I'd like to avoid the costs of pooling as much as possible. That being said, we shouldn't ignore any place that needs service just because of hills.

by David C on Jun 18, 2010 12:27 am • link • report

You can now sign up for their newsletter at http://capitalbikeshare.com

by Sean Gates on Jul 19, 2010 9:39 pm • link • report

How exciting! I hope this comes with improved (and more) education for drivers on how to share the roads.

by Suzette on Jul 29, 2010 10:58 am • link • report

What about sites along the orange line like Clarendon or one near the Safeway near Ballston on Wilson Blvd?

by Alice on Aug 12, 2010 11:33 am • link • report