Shared from the 5/10/2019 American Press eEdition

OUR VIEW

Bikeshare program could benefit area

Bike share programs have been a topic of discussion locally for some time. And a new study suggests that Lake Charles and McNeese State University are good locations to introduce such systems.

Making Lake Charles a more friendly place for bicyclists, while giving residents another option when it comes to transportation, are certainly welcome ideas. Bike share programs may be the solution for both issues.

Nearly two years ago, Lindsey West, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge-based Bantam Strategy Group, spoke about how bike share programs have worked in cities like Birmingham, Ala. At the time, she said she felt Lake Charles was ready to discuss the possibility of rolling out a system.

Work on the Bayou Bikeshare Plan study began last fall. It recommends starting off with 151 smart electric bicycles and 32 hub locations in Lake Charles, then adding 184 more bicycles and 39 new hubs three years afterward.

According to the study, this approach is easy to use and wouldn’t rely on larger dock-based stations and kiosks.

The study suggests a different approach in Sulphur, specifically allowing residents to pay a small fee to check out a fleet of bicycles from staffed locations. A central hub would open with roughly 10 to 20 bicycles.

This approach is being recommended because Sulphur has fewer people and a lower demand for bike share than Lake Charles. It also states that the program caters more toward longer trips. For instance, a resident or student could check out a bicycle for a month as another form of transportation.

Bike share programs are growing in the U.S. A dozen cities had them in 2010, according to West. Now, more than 150 cities either have them or are working to introduce them.

Plenty of steps remain before bike shares are a reality in Lake Charles or Sulphur. Funding has to be secured, and a bicycle vendor would need to be chosen.

Knowing that a bike share system could work in the local area is encouraging. Still, we have to make sure the program is rolled out the right way so residents can get the most benefit from it.

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