UI to begin bike-share program this fall

Sustainability proponents at Iowa's three public universities have been working for years to develop programs that allow people to rent a bike at one area of campus and drop it off at another.

It appears, however, that a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation will help the University of Iowa win the race to transform a bike-share proposal into actual gears, pedals and locking docks.

The Iowa City area already has a long-term bicycle rental program in Iowa City Bike Library, as well as rental options primarily for recreational cycling, such as through UI's Touch the Earth Outdoor Rental Center and local bike shops. And last fall, UI became the first university in the state to earn the Bicycle Friendly University designation from the League of American Bicyclists.

The new program would be geared toward short-term rentals, primarily one hour or less, for commuting through the campus and downtown areas.

"It fills a niche that is not being served right now," said Liz Christiansen, the director of the UI Office of Sustainability. "We know Iowa City has a strong bike culture. We know that the program will be used and supported. We hope that this is only the first phase, so that as many people as possible have access to a bike."

UI learned in mid-January that the Iowa Department of Transportation approved its application for a $135,300 grant to begin a program on campus. The UI group also has received commitment for funding from several local groups.

Because the grant money won't be released until October, the UI program can't begin until then. The university has yet to begin the public bidding process to choose a vendor, and it's not clear when the program will be allowed to hire someone to serve as a liaison between the university and the vendor.

The first phase will include 30 bicycles — each one featuring full fenders, front baskets, GPS tracking, front and rear dynamo-powered lights, Nexus 3-speed gearing and fully adjustable seats, according to the program's grant proposal.

The first hour will be free, and additional fees will be required if the bicycle is kept longer. Users also will have to pay a replacement fee if the bicycle is not returned within 24 hours.

Amelia Neptune, manager for the Bicycle Friendly Universities program, said 30 to 50 bikes is the typical size for a pilot program.

"We have a lot of schools that start out with a smaller system to make sure it is viable and that there is enough demand," Neptune said. "As they become self-sustaining, hopefully all those those program will grow to have more bikes."

Neptune said such programs on college campus around the country range from the low-tech (painting a few dozen bikes bright yellow and leaving them around campus for students to use) to the high-tech, GPS-enabled, kiosk-based model that UI is moving forward with.

The UI program is designed to benefit students and staff who do not have a place to store a bicycle long-term or who are visiting the downtown/campus area for a short time. The program, likewise, would be available to anyone else needing access to a bike on campus for a short period.

"A lot of visitors tend to use these services," Christiansen said. "Imagine someone coming to see a football game and having some time and wanting to take a bike ride around the community."

The bike stations will be automated and available 24 hours a day.

In the grant application, the stations are proposed to be at the east-side residence halls, the Seamans Center and the entrance to the downtown Iowa City pedestrian mall. But those locations could be re-evaluated, Christiansen said, as the program moves closer to implementation.

In the grant proposal, UI's program has support from the Iowa City Council, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors and Think Bicycles of Johnson County, a local cycling advocacy organization.

Brian Loring, a spokesman for Think Bicycles, said he had initial worries that the Iowa City area might be too small to support such a program.

"But everyone's now totally behind it," Loring said. "Not only is it a good thing to try, but because of the layout of the campus, it might be a very successful model here."

The program, in its various iterations over the years, also has been backed by leaders of UI student government.

"There has been pretty strong, continuous support from UISG," said UISG Vice President Jeffrey Ding. "The hope is that the bike-sharing program would involve people who otherwise wouldn't have used bikes in the first place. That brings in new people and will further expand the culture of biking on campus."

Neptune said there isn't a minimum size requirement for universities to make a bike-sharing program work. Institutions that might consider themselves "too small, can always partner with the community around them," she said.

Making the program accessible to as many people as possible is the best way to ensure is viability, Neptune said.

In addition to the state grant, the UI program has received several local matches: The UI Parking and Transportation Department pledged $20,000, the city of Iowa City pledged $13,700, the UI Staff Council pledged $4,000, and another $4,000 came from the UISG Green Initiative Fund.

That brings the expected total project revenue to $177,000 — with the bulk of expenses ($163,000) going toward the purchase of equipment and supplies.

Iowa State University

Proponents of bike sharing at Iowa State University have been working for more than two years to implement a student-initiated, student-designed program on campus.

The program received funding last year from the Government of the Student Body, the College of Design and the Division of Student Affairs. ISU students have developed several custom designs for the bikes to be used with the program, and ISU engineering students have created a prototype as well.

"The deliverables we were able to provide last semester (were) a feasibility study and a bicycle prototype," said former GSB president Hillary Kletscher.

This semester, Kletscher said, another group of students is working on plans that include options for involving the city of Ames in the initial phase, as well as for expanding into the city during a later phase of the project.

With so much growth at ISU over the past few years, Kletscher said there are a number of other updates that need to be made to the university's transportation plan before a bike-sharing program can begin. She expects the student-designed program will be operating within the next few years.

"It's better for us to take the time and do everything right rather than rush into it," Kletscher said.

University of Northern Iowa

This spring, the University of Northern Iowa student government kicked off a bike rental service for students that — if it proves successful — might develop into a bike-share program one day.

Paul Anderson, student government vice president, said student government and UNI officials looked into the possibility of bringing a bike-share program to campus, but found it was cost prohibitive.

Instead, Anderson said student government has been working with UNI public safety to purchase about 25 impounded bicycles. Those bikes have been repaired and refurbished and are being made available to students to rent for $25 per semester.

Given that students are more than halfway into the current semester, Anderson said the rental program probably won't be kicked off fully until the fall — after more time to gather and repair additional impounded bicycles over the summer.

Anderson said it's unlikely the program would develop into a bike-share program within the next year or two, but that is the long-term goal of some of the organizers.

Reach Jeff Charis-Carlson at 319-887-5435 or jcharisc@press-citizen.com. Follow him at @jeffcharis.