As Plant City pledges to become more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, the commission is also looking to bring a bike share program to the city’s downtown area, much like those in nearby Tampa, Saint Petersburg and Lakeland.
The commission Oct. 9 reached a consensus to move forward partnering with CycleHop, a company that funds and operates bike share programs throughout the country and has headquarters in California and Miami, as well as a call center in Tampa.
The company already operates a 200-bike system in Orlando, 300-bike systems in Tampa and Saint Petersburg and a 100-bike system at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus.
A program in Plant City would be much smaller and could begin within six months, Mark Hudson, Plant City’s director of planning, said.
“Some of the bigger cities, like Tampa, have several stations with a multitude of bikes. We would start out with one location and a couple bikes to see how it goes,” Hudson said. “There’s no estimated time, but a good goal would be within six months. That’s what I would like to see.”
Eric Trull, CycleHop’s regional director for Florida, said he is working with city staff to determine the feasibility of putting a bike share program in Plant City. A program, he said, could be put together with little-to-no financial commitment from the city and smart bikes, which can be used with or without docking stations, do not require additional infrastructure.
Trull also said the GPS feature of smart bikes can help track usage points and serve as a tool for future city planning. CycleHop, he said, is a full service “soup to nuts” company responsible for operation and maintenance of the program.
“The commitment from the city will be determined based on scale and feasibility,” Trull said. “We’ll see if there even needs to be a financial contribution. Ultimately the goal would be to operate at no cost to the city.”
Lakeland went with Zagster to operate its Swan City Cycles bike share program, which has been operational for nearly two years and has seven stations throughout the city. Kevin Cook, communications director for Lakeland, said the program has created a user-friendly and inviting atmosphere for the city’s downtown, as well as lending to its downtown core having a sense of place.
Swan City Cycles is supported by sponsors and the program itself is operated with no cost to the city. However, Cook said, there are associated costs and investments a city must make in order to maintain a successful program, including enhancing walkability and bikeablity of city infrastructure.
“Along with the bike share program, there has been a concentrated effort with our transportation planners to create a bike friendly atmosphere and there is a cost to that,” Cook said. “As we plan new roadways or complete roadway renovations, these projects now include bike lanes and bicycle safety features. As we construct new trails, they are designed to not only accommodate pedestrians but also bicycles. There is a cost to that but what is gained is a sense of place and an improved quality of life for our citizens.”
Lakeland’s implementation is similar to current Plant City plans where planners are working to incorporate a Walk/Bike program into future city improvements.
“It is a plan that will take some time to fully implement, but we will start taking small portions to incorporate the overall goal,” Hudson said. “With the acceptance of Walk/Bike plan there is significant commitment from the city to improve these facilities.”