Cedar Rapids eyes bike share program

CEDAR RAPIDS - A public bike share program could be coming to Cedar Rapids.

The Cedar Rapids City Council development committee on Wednesday authorized city staff to find a consultant to study the feasibility of a bike share program, in which citizens rent bikes for short periods of time from kiosks around the city.

'These aren't Tour de France bikes, but it will get you out on the trail,” said Bill Micheel, assistant director of the city's community development department.

It would be the first bike share program in Cedar Rapids. Des Moines has had a bike share program since 2010 and is in expansion mode. Iowa City and the University of Iowa received funding for a bike share program that was supposed to launch in 2015 but has yet to materialize.

Bike shares have been gaining popularity around the nation.

'Increasingly I've noticed - not just in large cities, but in medium-sized cities - we are seeing these,” said Scott Overland, a member of the development committee.

In Cedar Rapids, a bike share would fit in well with various city initiatives, such as expansion of bike trails and bike lanes, promotion of the Blue Zones health and wellness kick, and a growing and active bicycling community, Micheel said.

A number of community stakeholders - including Coe College, the MedQuarter District, cycling and transit advocates and economic and business leaders - have expressed interest in starting a Cedar Rapids bike share. College students, tourists and visitors, among others, could benefit, and it would be another amenity in the effort to attract and retain workers, they say.

Micheel cited examples of how the bike share could be put to use, such as biking on Third Street SE between New Bohemia District and downtown, between downtown and Kingston Village or Czech Village, and on the bike trails.

'The bike unlocks, it comes out and off you go,” Micheel described.

Bike share programs elsewhere include multiple stations where bikes can be picked up or dropped off, bike lights and baskets. Customers pay through a smartphone app or a debit/credit card depending on the provider.

Cedar Rapids would look for a for-profit or nonprofit firm to run the bike share and provide the equipment, and seek sponsors to help offset the kiosks and other costs, Micheel said.

A tentative timeline calls for the study being delivered to City Council this summer.

If the study determines a bike share program is economically feasible, the program could be up and running by next spring, he said.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com