Bellevue considers bike share permits, take their survey today

With thousands of bikes already in operation in Seattle and construction on a second cross-lake bike trail wrapping up in just a couple months, the City of Bellevue is considering its own permits to allow private bike share companies to operate on their streets.

As Seattle's biggest nearby neighbor, Bellevue is a key launching point for a truly regional bike share system. The 520 Bridge Trail opening this autumn will start a new era for regional bike transportation. Bellevue is also a city with quality express transit, but often slow or incomplete local transit connections. So bike share could be very useful to a lot of people.

The biggest challenge for bike share success is the city's lack of a connected bike network. The Bellevue City Council in February approved a "rapid implementation" effort to make some of their most-needed bike lane connections in the next couple years. This is a great step forward for the city, and bike share is the perfect way to help more people use the new lanes to get around. But they have a lot of work ahead of them.

Only so many people can bike all the way to their Bellevue jobs or put their bikes on buses. So having $1 bikes around to make short trips around Bellevue makes a lot of sense. I hope all the other major Eastside cities are working on bike share plans, too.

Bellevue has launched an online bike share survey and will host an Eastside Bike Share Vendor Fair at Bellevue City Hall September 27. More details from the City of Bellevue:

The City of Bellevue is exploring the public's interest in privately run bike share services as part of the Pedestrian & Bicycle Implementation Initiative. Tell us what you think about bicycling in downtown Bellevue, your familiarity with bike share in other cities, and your interest in seeing bike share come to Bellevue. Take this short survey:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BVUEBIKESHARE

For more information about what bike share is, how it works, and the different kinds of programs now operating in more than 100 cities across the country, visit our PBII Bike Share webpage.

And, to learn more about the diverse array of bike share products offered by a variety of companies, including free-floating stationless bikes, e-assist bikes, and more, come to the Eastside Bike Share Vendor Fair on September 27at Bellevue City Hall. Several bike share companies have expressed an interest in introducing bike share to Bellevue and will have representatives available to demo their products and answer questions. Staff from the Bellevue Transportation Department and its Eastside bike share partner jurisdictions will also be present to describe how bike share could expand local mobility options.

Event Details:

September 27, 2017

5:00-7:00pm

Bellevue City Hall

Concourse and Council Chamber