Shifting Gears:A Guide to School-Based Bike Share

By PLACEJanuary, 2011

Who We Are

Our goal is to create a comprehensive last-mile bike share plan to be implemented across a variety of environments, beginning with a pilot program at the Catlin Gabel School (CGS). Through extensive research of the CGS community as well as of comparable programs worldwide, we are able to make recommendations relevant not only to CGS, but to other communities and institutions looking to expand their own transportation options.

Project Goal

Portland is renowned throughout the United States as a city where people bike and walk. As the city strives to balance the needs of its transportation system into the future, active transportation will play an ever-more important role. Making it safer and more attractive for people to walk and ride their bikes helps us accommodate growth in the metro area without creating more traffic. Our residents will be healthier, our communities will become more tightly knit, and we will move closer to reaching our carbon emission reduction goals. In this context, the PLACE Team at Catlin Gabel School has demonstrated that they understand the key transportation issues facing the city – and they have provided a thoughtful analysis of bike sharing systems that will help Portland move this important innovation forward.  

-Sam Adams, Mayor of Portland Oregon

Bike Sharing In The Portland Metro Region

Bike Share Systems

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The Catlin Gabel School

The Catlin Gabel school was founded in the early20th century

It is now a nationally recognized independent school with 737 students in preschool through 12th grade.

The Community

Not only are we dedicated to our community, but we focus on keeping it sustainable too by:

-educating our students about sustainability

-modeling sustainable practices

-partnering with other communities

Sunset Transit Center and Catlin

TriMet, Portland’s public transit agency, asked students to draft a plan and guide for a bike-share between the Sunset Transit Center (STC) and CGS, about a ¾ mile distance

Our Methodology

Interviews-head of Bike Transportation Alliance (BTA)-head of Alta bike share

Focus Groups

-students-faculty-parents

Surveys-students-faculty

Case Studies

-international -domestic

Findings: Cost The initial start-up costs of any Bike Share will

exceed the operating costs.

However, ridership fees rarely fully fund public transit.

The cost of the system will influences the behavior of people in the community and inspires other green efforts.

Findings: Incentives

Adding incentives would encourage bike share use. The most popular options within the Catlin community were:

PE course credits

Discounts at campus stores

Tokens for the cafeteria

Free bus passes

Findings: PerceptionThe public’s perception of biking, good or bad, will determine if the bike share is successful in the community.

A “last-mile” plan, but “first-mile” problem

An overwhelming 68% of Catlin student respondents and 67% of faculty respondents listed helmet use as one of their top concerns.

In order for bike sharing to be successful, public opinion must be positive.

Findings: Culture

The culture surrounding the bike share program might have a influence upon the public perception, and therefore the usage.

What we found was very positive.

93% of Catlin Gabel students and 100% of faculty responded that a bike share program would fit into the Catlin Gabel culture.

Findings: Safety

One of the most prominent questions asked during the development of the bike share program was the question of safety.

To answer this, we researched how other programs had tackled safety.

Both NYU and the Denver University require users to take classes on how to operate the bike-share bicycles, and how to be safe on the roads.

Catlin Gabel Bike ShareShifting Gears

it’s a revolution.

Recommendations: The Catlin Gabel Bike Share

Types of Bikes •Standard Bike: Hiland Spark (with fenders and racks)•Internal Hub Bike: Shogun Eagle Ridge Cruiser•Electric Bike: eZip Trailz**

Number of Users

•10 Users daily•Number of users will vary based on: Weather, Day of the week (traffic, etc.). After school schedule (sports, clubs).

Profile of Ideal User

•Interested in biking•In decent physical shape•Does not have anybody depending on him/her to get to school (child, carpool, younger sibling(s)).•Willing to modify their daily schedule•Have easy access to a MAX/bus stop from home

Education & Training

Three groups of people to educate:•The biker •The Driver •The Student/Faculty Member

Marketing & Advertising

•Visual Art,internet,oral Communication

Liability & Safety

•The program will require a waiver formed signed by participants.•Host a bike safety meeting that is mandatory for all users.•Helmets will be required for use.

Incentives •Physical Education credits.•Discounts at campus store.•Cafeteria tokens.•Free/reduced price transit passes.

Cost and Funding

Start up cost is $8,000•Includes: 10 bikes, storage fees at TriMet “Bike-and-Ride” stop.•Funds from: CGS fundraising and grants.

From Catlin To The Broader Community

After thorough research we concluded a Bike Share at Catlin would be very small.

Although we will continue planning for Catlin, we decided to broaden our research to creating a guide for other communities.

How To: Bike Share

Implement Step-by-Step

Feasibility Report

Partner with local transit authority

Work Plan and Research

Funding

Advertising

Education CREATE A PLAN!

Aspirations For The Future

Acknowledgements

Alta Bike Share; Brodie Hylton

Catlin Gabel Community; Eric Shawn – Facilities Manager; Nadine Fiedler and Karan Katz - Editors; Focus group participants; Survey participants

Mayor Sam Adams

Katja Dillman: Transportation Advisor to Mayor Adams

Our teacher: George Zaninovich

Client: TriMet

Colin Maher: Bike Programs Planner

Informative sources:

BTA: Bicycle Transit Alliance; Rob Sadowsky – Head of BTA

Questions?

Thank You!email: place @catlin.edu

web: www.catlin.edu/place