Boulder, CO (May 10, 2016) — The Better Bike Share Partnership, a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, PeopleForBikes Foundation and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has awarded $532,000 in grants to make bike share programs more equitable in cities across the country. The Better Bike Share Partnership, funded by The JPB Foundation, strives to increase the accessibility and use of bike share in underserved communities.

This is the second round of grant funding that PeopleForBikes will administer as part of the Partnership. “Every year, more cities are adding bike share to their menu of transportation and recreation options,” said Zoe Kircos, Director of Grants and Partnerships at PeopleForBikes. “We are looking forward to working with systems and their community-based partners to develop and test strategies to make bike share more accessible and comfortable for everyone.”

“We’re excited that this funding will enable nine cities to become innovators in this field,” said Carniesha Kwashie, Grant Manager with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems and the Better Bike Share Partnership administrator. “Lessons learned from their experiences will guide future efforts to enhance the bike share industry’s potential to significantly improve how people move throughout their communities.” 

The following projects received funding:

Atlanta Westside Bike Share Champions: $67,000

Atlanta, GA

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is partnering with the City of Atlanta, Cyclehop, WeCycle, Urban Perform and Red, Bike & Green Atlanta to create a bike share champion program that provides pathways to employment while building a strong base of bike share users in Atlanta’s westside neighborhoods.

Movimiento en Bici: $41,000

Basalt, CO

In conjunction with its expansion beyond Aspen to the town of Basalt, WE-cycle will collaborate with the Valley Settlement Project and other local partners to provide access to bike share as a link between transit, employment centers, neighborhoods and recreation areas. Additionally, the program will offer subsidized membership, a Spanish language helpline, bike safety and riding classes, community outreach and a process for continuous feedback and improvements.

Hubway Master Plan: $10,000

Boston, MA

Boston Bikes has been a leader in placing gender, income and race equity at the forefront of its bike share priorities. With this funding, the system will invest in a long-term business plan to guide system expansion so it balances reach, ridership and revenue throughout greater Boston.

Better Bike Share in Brooklyn: $75,000

Brooklyn, NY

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation will expand their efforts to promote the use of bike share through a three-pronged approach that includes community engagement activities and events, promotion of discounted and employer-subsidized memberships, and policy recommendations. They will leverage strong partnerships with Citi Bike, New York City Departments of Health and Transportation, other community-based organizations in Brooklyn, as well as local employers including Interfaith Medical Center and Woodhull Medical Center.

Downtown LA Bike Ambassadors: $75,000

Los Angeles, CA

Working with partners Multicultural Communities for Mobility, the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation and LA Metro, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition will conduct surveys, interviews, community outreach and engagement in order to further define and refine equity goals and strategies to guide the bike share system as it expands beyond the downtown pilot.

Whistling Wheels: $64,000

Milwaukee, WI

The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, together with Bublr Bikes and DreamBikes, will provide assistance, encouragement, and events to promote the use of bike share within two public housing developments and the surrounding neighborhoods. Programing will include neighborhoods rides and demonstration sessions at Bublr Bikes stations. A key goal of this grant-funded work is to provide guidance on collaborating with public housing programs.

Sending Our Roots Deeper: 2016 Urban Outreach: $50,000

Minneapolis, MN

Nice Ride Minnesota will strengthen and expand partnerships with community-based organizations centered in the African American, Hmong, Latino, Native American, and LGBTQ communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul through neighborhood rides, listening sessions, bike repair events, bike share demonstrations, games and events. As one of the longest-running systems in the U.S., Nice Ride’s experience and efforts will provide critical guidance to newer programs.

East Bay Bike Share Membership Roadshow: $75,000

Oakland and Berkeley, CA

TransForm’s history of deep community engagement will help them work with Bike East Bay, the Cities of Oakland and Berkeley, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, and Motivate to navigate the challenges of encouraging ridership among people traditionally underrepresented in bike share. This grant will leverage other investments to educate residents about the system, encourage use, and advocate for stations in specific neighborhoods. TransForm and partners will also establish a bike share Equity Fund to provide free low-income memberships especially to those affected by growing displacement pressures.

Portland’s Grass Roots Approach to Bike Share: $75,000

Portland, OR

 When Portland's BIKETOWN system launches in July, the Community Cycling Center will initiate grassroots outreach and education efforts to introduce this new transportation option to Portlanders living on low incomes. In addition to offering very low-cost memberships through workshops, they will also use community feedback to improve and guide the system through launch and its first year of implementation.

 

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