The development of a bike share system has been a priority for the Town of Carrboro since the 2009 Bicycle Transportation Plan. Now, the town is one step closer to selecting a bike share service provider to create a unified system alongside Chapel Hill and UNC.
At Carrboro’s town council meeting Tuesday night, council members received an update on the project’s Request for Proposals – which will eventually determine which bike share provider would be the best fit for the community. The towns are requiring a fleet of at least 100 operational vehicles located in established UNC and surrounding hubs.
Per the draft proposal, the company chosen will not require a driver’s license, smartphone, or bank account to access vehicles. The company is also asked to target use of its vehicles to community members over the age of 16.
Carrboro town council member Susan Romaine said she hopes to alter the proposal’s language to make the target age limit a requirement rather than a recommendation.
“The way the language to me reads right now, if you’re a middle school student and you really want to get on that e-bike that can go 25, 28 miles an hour, you don’t need any form of identification,” Romaine said. “You can pay for it with cash. I don’t see anything here that prevents that from happening.”
The majority of vehicles in the new bike share program will be electric assist bicycles, or e-bikes. The possibility of three and four-wheeled vehicles has also been discussed for those with limited mobility and senior citizens. Bike share companies with scooters and solar charging options will also be prioritized.
Additionally, per the town’s draft guidelines, the company chosen must prevent vehicles from blocking sidewalks, rights of way, greenways, bus stops, and other access points. They must also remove vehicles left on private property or other inaccessible locations within six hours of notification. Bikes requiring repair must be collected with 24 hours of reporting and subsequently stored in a company location.
Council member Damon Seils said he expects this new bike share program will create greater connectivity between the towns and campus community.
“One of the values of a system of this kind is it helps sort of close that last reach to a bus stop,” Seils said. “So, for someone who maybe is in a neighborhood that doesn’t have great access to transit, having access to a service of this kind would offer them better access to transit.”
Bikes would be placed at hubs near prominent locations around town such as transit stops, the future site of the 203 Project, Carrboro Town Hall, and the Orange County Public Library. At Tuesday’s meeting, council members also requested the addition of Winmore and Lake Hogan Farms as additional hub locations.
Bike share interest areas (photo via Town of Carrboro)
Carrboro town staff are now set to finalize the bike share’s Request for Proposals in conjunction with Chapel Hill and UNC staff. An official proposal is expected to be issued to possible vendors by January 2022.
Currently, UNC has a bike share program called Tar Heel Bikes, where people cant rent e-bikes for a limited time. The contract for that program, however, is expiring in May of 2022.
Lead photo via UNC/Jon Gardiner.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
