HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Bike Share AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 2/10/2020
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Emma Newman/DPW
Staff Phone No: 541.726.4585
Estimated Time: 30 Minutes
S P R I N G F I E L D
C I T Y C O U N C I L
Council Goals: Promote and Enhance
our Hometown Feel
while Focusing on
Livability and
Environmental Quality
ITEM TITLE: BIKE SHARE
ACTION
REQUESTED:
Receive brief introduction and presentation from City staff and PeaceHealth Rides
staff on bike share. Discuss Springfield’s interests around potentially further
expanding bike share in Springfield.
ISSUE
STATEMENT:
There may be an opportunity to further expand bike share in Springfield as soon as
April 2021. Based on input and a request from the Springfield Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Committee, BPAC City Council Liaison Moore brought
forward a request from the committee to discuss bike share. The Committee would
like to see bike share expanded in Springfield beyond the current Riverbend
Hospital area locations.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: Council Briefing Memo
Attachment 2: Bike Share Questions and Answers
DISCUSSION/
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
City staff will provide a brief introduction and be available for questions.
PeaceHealth Rides staff will be at the work session to provide information about the
existing regional bike share system and answer operational questions.
The Springfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee included further
expanding bike share into Springfield in the 2019 BPAC Work Plan. The
Committee looked into some initial questions and met with PeaceHealth Rides staff
to gain a better understanding of potential future possibilities to expand the existing
system further into Springfield. Bike share has evolved substantially, even
throughout just the last year as BPAC started looking into this. BPAC is interested
in expanding bike share to provide more access to biking for more Springfield
residents, which would improve accessibility within the City’s transportation
system and support healthier residents and visitors.
The Council Briefing Memo (Attachment 1) provides a brief overview of the
existing bike share system, an explanation about the potential for future expansion,
and questions for Council to consider while discussing this item.
Based on a discussion with Councilor Moore (the BPAC City Council Liaison) and
Council Leadership, staff prepared a Bike Share Questions and Answers document
(Attachment 2) to respond to initial questions. Council Leadership requested that
the full City Council discuss bike share in a work session to provide guidance on
future opportunities.
M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield
Date: 2/10/2020
To: Mary Bridget Smith, City Manager Pro Tem COUNCIL
From: Tom Boyatt, Community Development Director
Emma Newman, Senior Transportation Planner
BRIEFING
Subject: BIKE SHARE MEMORANDUM
ISSUE: There may be an opportunity to further expand bike share in Springfield as soon as
April 2021. Based on input and a request from the Springfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Committee, BPAC City Council Liaison Moore brought forward a request from the committee
to discuss bike share. The Committee would like to see bike share expanded in Springfield
beyond the current Riverbend Hospital area locations.
COUNCIL GOALS/
MANDATE:
Promote and Enhance our Hometown Feel While Focusing on Livability and Environmental
Quality
BACKGROUND:
Overview of Existing Bike Share in Eugene-Springfield:
Currently the City of Eugene owns 300 pedal bike share bicycles. City of Eugene contracts with
PeaceHealth Rides, currently owned by Jump/Uber, to operate the bike share system. The
bicycles are primarily located in Eugene in the University of Oregon, Downtown, and Whiteaker
neighborhoods. However, there are a few stations at PeaceHealth’s Riverbend Hospital in
Springfield. This is due to PeaceHealth being the title sponsor that funds most of the operational
costs beyond what is covered by membership fees.
Potential for Expansion:
Since PeaceHealth Rides launched in April of 2018, the way bike share systems are run has
changed significantly. Initially when early bike share systems were launching across the United
States, jurisdictions commonly purchased bicycles and then contracted with outside vendors to
operate the bike share systems. Now, more private companies are involved in “mobility as a
service” business models where they own and provide bikes and simply need a local
jurisdiction’s consent through a right-of-way use agreement to operate in the public right-of-
way. Due to these changes, the future of bike share in the region remains uncertain, but there
may be opportunities for changes including the number of bikes, type of bikes (e.g. electric-
assist bikes), operations, and where bikes are located. If expansion of a regional bike share
system becomes possible, staff would bring this topic back to City Council for more direction on
Springfield’s interest in expansion and the details of such an agreement.
Currently, there is uncertainty regarding potential opportunities to expand. However, the
Council’s discussion at the work session will help inform Springfield’s approach when
opportunities arise. The current model of bicycles used for PeaceHealth Rides are no longer
being manufactured. However, there may be an opportunity as soon as April 2021 to replace the
existing bicycles with an expanded fleet of electric-assist (e-assist) bike share bicycles. For more
details, see Attachment 2.
Attachment 1, Page 1 of 2
MEMORANDUM Page 2
Questions for Council to Consider:
• Does City Council support further expanding bike share in Springfield?
• Are there specific goals or objectives that bike share could help fulfill?
• Are there certain areas of Springfield that Council would like to see included in the
service area if bike share expands? Does this differ depending on if they are pedal
bicycles or e-assist bicycles (which allow people to ride further distances more easily)?
• Is there any further information Council would like on this topic?
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discuss Springfield’s interests around potentially further
expanding bike share in Springfield.
Attachment 1, Page 2 of 2
Bike Share Questions and Answers
The following Q & A responds to initial questions Council Leadership raised about bike share. City staff
and PeaceHealth Rides staff will be at the work session to answer additional or more detailed questions.
Q: What are the benefits of bike share?
• Bike share further expanding in Springfield could help fulfill the vision articulated in the
Springfield Transportation System Plan Goal 1, which states: “Community development –
Provide an efficient, sustainable, diverse, and environmentally sound transportation system that
supports and enhances Springfield’s economy and land use patterns.”
• Bike share increases accessibility for people to the transportation system in a way that can help
people get to work, appointments, or other activities, enjoy our community’s scenic beauty, and
improve their health through moderate physical activity. A reduced fare option provides a very
affordable form of transportation that increases equity and accessibility for people who cannot
afford to own their own car, buy a transit pass or a personal bike, or pay for another form of
transportation, such as a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.
• Bike share supports economic development and provides visitors with easier access to Springfield
businesses and the various regional multi-use paths along our scenic rivers and Mill Race.
• Bike share would help improve City of Springfield’s national Bike Friendly Community ranking.
• People do not need to know how to maintain a bicycle to use bike share, since maintenance is
performed by professional mechanics.
• Risk of bike theft is not a concern to individuals using a bike share bicycle.
Q: How would bike share work with the existing bicycle infrastructure network and are there any
key gaps in the network to fill?
• Bike share would increase access to biking in Springfield and enable more people to use the
existing bike infrastructure and transportation system in which Springfield has invested.
• As City Council heard during the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee interviews during
the January 27, 2020 work session, there are still missing gaps in the bike network. Bike share
may further highlight these gaps as more people start riding and finding out that it is difficult or
uncomfortable to navigate to certain parts of the city by bicycle compared to other locations. In
some cities that have launched bike share during the last decade, the increase in bike ridership led
to jurisdictions further investing in bicycle infrastructure projects to support safe, convenient, and
connected bike routes throughout their communities.
• The City of Springfield 2035 Transportation System Plan identifies a list of bicycle infrastructure
projects that would dramatically improve the bike network and fill many of the gaps. City of
Springfield seeks out grants and works on constructing the planned network as funding allows.
• Bike share systems collect trip data on where the bicycles are being ridden, which could help
inform future bicycle infrastructure improvement prioritization.
Q: How many PeaceHealth Rides bikes are there currently and how many could there be in
Springfield with expansion? Can bikes be added incrementally or is there only one opportunity
expand?
Attachment 2, Page 1 of 4
• There are currently 300 bikes in the PeaceHealth Rides bike share system.
• There is uncertainty regarding the ability to increase the size of the bike share fleet. At this time it
is not possible to get more of the pedal bikes that are currently in use in the PeaceHealth Rides
system since they are no longer being manufactured.
• As of the latest update, there will likely be a one-time opportunity in spring of 2021 to replace the
current fleet with electric-assist (e-assist) bicycles and increase the number of bicycles in the
system to around 500 total bikes across the region. It is challenging to have pedal and e-assist
bicycles in the same system since they use a different account platform and have different pricing
for membership fees.
• If Springfield wants bike share to further expand and the opportunity arises, there could be
approximately 50 bicycles in Springfield at time of expansion.
• The number of bikes typically depends on density and having a lot of users in a small geographic
area. It is also important to have bikes at key destinations. The number of bikes and the service
area may differ depending on whether they are pedal bikes or e-assist bikes.
Q: What does the Springfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) propose as an
initial service area and where would stations be suggested?
• The BPAC Planning Subcommittee has had an initial conversation about this and brainstormed
the following draft list:
o Service area: west of 14th
o Station locations:
▪ City Hall
▪ PublicHouse
▪ Plank Town
▪ Springfield Station
▪ Gateway Mall/apartments
▪ Centennial Marketplace/shopping center
▪ Swim Center/Willamalane Park
▪ Willamalane Adult Activity Center
▪ Meadow Park
▪ Mill Race Path Booth Kelly Trailhead?
▪ Boat Ramp on Northbank Path?
▪ Island Park?
▪ Bob Keefer Center?
▪ Grocery Outlet?
▪ Prime Time?
▪ Paramount Center?
• During the discussion, committee members noted that some of their brainstormed station
locations would vary depending on whether the bikes are human pedal-powered versus if they
have the electric-assist “boost” that can help people go further with less effort. It was noted that
electric vehicle policies may need to be considered in this discussion also.
Q: How often are bikes retrieved/rebalanced? What is the system for rebalancing bikes within the
system?
Attachment 2, Page 2 of 4
• The current system is rebalanced daily, throughout the day (7AM – 7PM). Rebalancing
redistributes the bicycles that have accumulated in certain areas.
• Some rebalancing is done with a van and some is done with an e-assist bike trailer, which is a
bicycle that can carry other bicycles.
Q: What would prevent bikes from being left all over the place?
• When someone uses a bike, they have to unlock it with a bike share account. People are charged
for the time the bike is unlocked.
• Bike share bicycles are heavy and difficult to move without being unlocked.
• Users are incentivized to return the bikes to docking stations/certain locations since it costs more
money to lock up outside of a station and outside of the service area (see more details under fee
structure below).
• Additionally, all of the bikes have GPS locators embedded in them which enable PeaceHealth
Rides staff to know where each bike is.
Q: How is theft reporting handled? How often has bike share bicycle theft occurred in Eugene?
• No bike share bicycles have been stolen in Eugene so far (bike share started in April 2018).
• PeaceHealth Rides worked with Eugene Police Department (EPD) to register the bicycles through
the city’s registry and installed stickers on all of the bikes. The GPS system on every bicycle
makes tracking down a bike easy.
• There have been about five theft attempts since the launch in April 2018. In total, it is estimated
that around five hours of EPD time has been contributed to tracking down bike share bicycles.
• It is possible that bike share could be helping to reduce bike theft in general as people choose to
use a shared bike instead of using a personal bike that needs its own secure locking mechanism.
Q: What is the true cost of bike share? How does the PeaceHealth Rides budget work?
• Bike share has evolved rapidly over the last several years. Currently, the business model involves
a private company (i.e. Jump/Uber) providing the bike share system as a service and operating it.
The local jurisdiction is in charge of establishing an agreement and specifying anything that is
allowed or not allowed within that agreement.
• The City of Eugene bought the existing pedal bicycles and other equipment with a grant. They
own the equipment and contract with Jump/Uber to operate the service.
• The City of Eugene also funds a subscription membership for City of Eugene employees at a
group rate (using Risk & Safety funding) and it pays for staff time to work on the PeaceHealth
Rides project (maybe 2-5 hrs/wk max).
• A contract between City of Eugene and Jump/Uber specifies a level of service that needs to be
provided and that it is up to PeaceHealth Rides (owned by Jump/Uber) to recover operational
costs. The PeaceHealth sponsorship and membership fees mostly pay for operational costs.
Q: What is the current membership fee structure? Would it stay the same with further expansion?
• There are several different membership types:
o Per trip: $1/15 mins (10 cents/min after first 15 minutes, prorated by minute)
Attachment 2, Page 3 of 4
o Monthly: $15/month (includes 60 minutes of ride time per day, additional time billed at
10 cents/min)
o UO Student: free 15 min/day or $5/month
o Reduced Fare Plan: $20/year, available to people with SNAP accounts
• Users get $1 credit for each bike returned to a station that they pick up from a non-station
location. Users who lock up a bike in the service area, but not at a station, are charged $1.
• If the bike is locked up outside the service area, the user is charged $25.
Rates would change if the system switches to e-assist bicycles. Other markets price e-bikes at $0.15/min
with no monthly plan option.
Q: How does charging e-bikes in a bike share system work?
• There are two different options for charging e-assist bikes. Either the bikes can recharge in a
station or a person can swap batteries manually.
• If the charging was station-based, it would require a willing business or the City to partner and tie
the station to the electrical grid.
• With the battery swapping option, more jobs are created for people who swap the batteries and
very little infrastructure is needed.
Attachment 2, Page 4 of 4