(Washington, DC) – The District Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), in partnership with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), has created an interactive online survey to solicit suggestions for station locations for Capital Bikeshare, the new regional bikesharing network.
Residents, workers and visitors can go online at links.dc.gov/capitalbikeshare and indicate where they would like to be able to pick up bikes and where they would like to drop them off. Several hundred people have already filled out surveys since the site went live on Thursday.
Also, a link is now prominently featured on all 600 computers at the District’s public libraries, to ensure everyone across the city has access to the survey (www.dclibrary.org).
“Our online survey is a government-to-citizen collaboration to make bikesharing as convenient and efficient as possible,” said District Chief Technology Officer Bryan Sivak. “We’re excited at the great response we’ve received in just two days.”
The survey results will help DDOT map out the first Capital Bikeshare stations in the District, and plan for the future expansion of the network. Capital Bikeshare is scheduled to launch later this year with roughly 1100 bikes at 114 stations in the District and Arlington, and will be the largest of its kind in the US.
“We’re not saying every suggested location will necessarily get a bikesharing station,” said Lance Schine, Director of DDOT’s Office of Innovation Technology Information, “But using this simple crowdsourcing tool will help us ensure we don’t miss any spots where there’s high demand for the service.”
For more information, please see our fact sheet [PDF] about Capital Bikeshare.
Background
Building on the success of DDOT’s SmartBike DC program, launched in 2008 and concentrated in the downtown DC area, Capital Bikeshare will now make it possible for residents and visitors to conveniently pick up a bike and traverse throughout all 8 wards in the city and Arlington. With 100 stations in DC and 14 in Arlington the bikeshare program will now become a true regional transportation system. Plans are already underway to expand the network further in Virginia as well as Maryland.
The new system will be similar to the one the Public Bike System Company (PBSC), based in Montreal, produced, commonly known as BIXI. The BIXI system has been running in Montreal since 2009 and recently launched in Minneapolis and Melbourne, Australia. BIXI bikesharing stations are solar powered and use wireless technology to allow for easy installation and adjustments. It may look different, but the BIXI bicycle has many of the same features as the Smartbike: 3-speed, internal hub gears, fenders, chain guard, lights, and a front rack. Annual, monthly, and daily memberships will be available for area residents and visitors.
Alta Bicycle Share will operate the system. Alta Bicycle Share is a US-based company focused on management and operation of bicycle share systems globally. Its sister company, Alta Planning + Design, is the largest bicycle and pedestrian consulting company in the United States. Alta Bicycle Share is implementing or consulting on similar programs in Australia, Europe, China, and other locations in the United States.
Visit the following websites for more information on the partners and their bike programs or products mentioned in this release:
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