By early 2018, New Haven’s bike share program could be up and running, according to the city’s top transportation official.
“I've seen them in D.C., New York, Paris, Boston,” said Robert Jacobson, who works at College Street Cycles. “You can get to point A, point B a lot faster, not waiting on bus schedules, staying healthy while you’re at it.”
Jacobson had some advice for bringing a system of sharing 300 bikes to the Elm City.
“Make sure the bikes stay in good shape so you’re not putting anyone in danger and keep it affordable to that everyone can actually do it,” he said.
According to New Haven’s Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking Director Doug Hausladen, the pricing would be similar to bike shares in other cities, like New York and Hoboken, New Jersey.
“We’re looking at an annual price, a monthly price and a daily price as well,” he said.
Hausladen said the environment will benefit from the bike share and it will offer residents a more cost-effective way to get to and from work.
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“To make someone spend over $10,000 a year just to own a car so they can get to work is not doing transit right,” Hausladen said.
Christen Quijano said she hopes one of the bike share stations will be located near where she works at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
“If there’s bikes there, and I know I can drop it off down here on Howard avenue, yeah I would definitely use it,” Quijano said.
Through the See Click Fix app and a city website, transportation officials are taking suggestions on where to set up the 30 bike share stations.
The Board of Alders will hold a public hearing to review the contract for the company being considered to operate the bike share Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., there is the third community meeting on the bike share program at the Fair Haven School.
