Good morning, Here's how Chicago is trying to get city bike rentals at no cost to the city. One of their bus contractors is offering to renegotiate an existing bus shelter contract to include bike rentals. Nick
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/812569,CST-NWS-bike26.article
New option for city bike rental program French company offers to renegotiate bus-shelter deal to provide cheap rentals
February 26, 2008
A French company awarded a bus shelter contract in 2001 -- after City Hall bypassed a more lucrative offer -- has offered to renegotiate its deal to incorporate a Paris-style, downtown bike rental program being pushed by Mayor Daley, Chicago's No. 1 cyclist.
The Daley administration is entertaining the offer from JCDecaux after a "request for proposals" last year attracted only two competitors. Neither JCDecaux nor London-based OYBike met the mayor's mandate to operate a bike rental program "at low-cost or no-cost" to Chicago taxpayers.
JCDecaux then came back with a more novel approach. Why not renegotiate the 2001 contract to include more bus shelters, newspaper boxes and city information panels? That way, there'll be enough advertising revenue to pay for as many as 1,000 bikes at 80 downtown stations, and bike rental fees can remain affordable.
"You can make it more expensive and risk that less people will use it. Or it can be free, which promotes usage. You have a lot of options," said Nicolas Clochard-Boussuet, chief operating officer of JCDecaux North America.
Rob Sadowsky, executive director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, said he hopes the rental fee will be "similar to Paris, where the first half-hour is free and it's $1.50 for every 30 minutes after that. It can't just be a bike rental for tourists. It has to be attractive financially -- and competitive with the CTA -- so people see it as a true transportation option."
Transportation Department spokesman Brian Steele noted that the 2001 "street furniture" contract provided 2,100 bus shelters, newspaper racks and information panels at no cost to the city "and that's what we're trying to achieve through the bike rentals. ... We want a program that provides great amenities to Chicago residents."
In Paris, JCDecaux offers 20,000 bikes for rental at 1,400 locations and charges a $200 deposit to the user's credit card only if the bike is stolen or damaged. The program has been credited with doubling bike use almost overnight.
Clochard-Boussuet said he's confident the same thing will happen in Chicago.
"Except for the first [winter] quarter, I don't see why not. Chicago is very bike-friendly. It's easier to ride a bike because of all of the bike paths," he said
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