Newstrack: University of Iowa, Iowa City bike-share program slowly moves toward reality

Background

The Iowa Department of Transportation awarded a $135,300 grant through the Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program in January 2015 to cover 76 percent of the cost for phase one of a University of Iowa-Iowa City bike share program.

The phase one proposal called for 30 bikes at three different east-side bike stations - each with 15 docks - at the entrance to the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall, near the UI's Seamans Center and student residence halls in downtown Iowa City. A bike share allows customers to rent and return bikes from different stations across a community.

The application grant targeted June 30, 2015, to complete construction.

What's happened since

The bike share has yet to materialize.

By the time Iowa DOT awarded the grant, the project timeline was pushed back to fall 2015.

In the summer of 2015, Iowa City Council passed a resolution for the city to accept the grant money rather than the UI to avoid a conflict of interest in having one state agency giving money to another. Chris O'Brien, Iowa City parking and transportation director, and Liz Christiansen, UI sustainability director, were co-listed as project sponsors on the application.

Also that summer, UI got an 11th-hour surprise. The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded UI a $50,000 grant for the bike share, which brought the total budget for phase one up from $177,000 to $227,000. The project also has commitments of $20,000 from UI Parking and Transportation, $13,700 from Iowa City, and $4,000 each from UI Staff Council and UI Student Government.

Before the Iowa DOT grant money became available in October 2015, bike share plans were pushed back again to spring 2016.

Until just recently the project has been at a standstill, though.

Just this month Iowa City requested proposals from vendors to operate the bike share.

The request-for-proposal (RFP) document, which was released on Aug. 2, clarifies some details and signals the bike share becoming reality is on the horizon.

According to the RFP, the bikes should be new with at least three gears, front and rear lights that are ideally self-powered, puncture-resistant tires, fenders, a bell or other warning system, a basket to carry personal gear, one-size fits all design with adjustable seat heights and ideally a lock. In addition, the bikes should also be able to withstand outdoor weather for nine months a year.

Also it explains how the program would function. Each bike station would be equipped with a pay station interface so users could make reservations, payments, memberships and report maintenance issues on the spot, along with the ability to accept UI's student ID card, according to the document.

The document invites bids for four 40-bike-station, five 50-bike-station and six 60-bike-station options. UI envisions a much larger, $3 million bike share program eventually, with several more bikes and locations around campus and the community, according to Iowa DOT documents.

Vendor applications are due on Sept. 13, and Iowa City will chose a vendor within 120 days thereafter. Brenda Nations, Iowa City sustainability coordinator, said 'after a vendor is chosen, the bikes won't be installed until spring due to the winter weather.”

Zac Bitting, the clean air program manager at Iowa DOT, said no funds have been claimed at this point, and the funding agreement requires the project be bid or have construction started by Oct. 1, 2017, but six month extensions are available for cause.