The popularity of bike-share programs in the U.S. has exploded in recent years, with 28 million bike-share trips taken last year. Other midsize metro areas, such as Indianapolis and Kansas City, have rolled out popular programs. But can such the trend gain traction here in St. Louis? For the moment, the chances appear slim.
The Bi-State Development Agency, which operates MetroLink and Metro buses, recently applied for a $1.4 million federal grant to seed a bike-share program that would include 540 GPS-equipped bicycles, 60 docking stations, and 15 rental kiosks.
In early August, however, a staff committee of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, which administers the grant money, did not include the bike-share in its proposed list of grants. The reason, according to East-West Gateway executive director Jim Wild: Bi-State hadn’t secured the estimated $2.1 million needed for operation costs during the first three years. “You’re basically putting money to a project that may or may not happen,” Wild said.
At press time, Bi-State and other members of the bike-share working group, comprised of approximately 50 people from a range of local organizations, were looking at other avenues. “The regional partnerhsip will explore other possible options that could include private funding sponsors, other types of available grants, or private bike-share programs,” said Bi-State spokesperson Patti Beck. “This is just the first avenue that we focused on.” Bi-State’s board requires that both capital funds and finances for the first three years of operational costs be in place—without using Bi-State money—before launching a pilot program, adds Beck.
“I think it’s a project that—if done right—could be of benefit to the region.”
This isn’t the first time that plans for a bike-share program have hit the brakes. In 2015, after conducting a study to determine how bike-sharing could work in St. Louis, Great Rivers Greenway lost a similar bid for a federal grant. GRG’s proposal had also called for an initial 540 bicycles and 60 stations, with projected capital costs of $1.8 to $3.3 million. Operating costs were estimated to be $1.3 to $1.9 million annually. “Some systems record a high-enough demand such that user revenues cover the cost to operate the system,” the report noted, citing D.C. and Chicago. “While this is not possible in every city, user-generated revenues will likely provide a significant level of income (40–50 percent of operating costs) in St. Louis.”
In the meantime, other cycling advocacy groups are working to make St. Louis bike-friendly in other ways. GRG continues to develop greenways across the region, and Trailnet is hoping to assemble a network of protected bikeways modeled after the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, an 8-mile on-street bike and pedestrian path. Its bike-share program has been popular, says Trailnet executive director Ralph Pfremmer, in large part because it was proposed as part of the trail.
“The likelihood of this bike-share being a tremendous success increases,” he says, “if we have significant infrastructure in place.”
Wild also sees the potential upside of such a program: “I think it’s a project that—if done right—could be of benefit to the region.”
By the Numbers
55: Bike-share programs in the United States
42,000: Total bikes among those programs
12: Average time, in minutes, of a trip for bike-share members
25: Average time, in minutes, of a trip for casual users
25: Approximate percentage of programs that offer subsidies to low-income riders
Source: National Association of City Transportation Officials
