Biketown | Portland's Bicycle Sharing

[MarkDaMan]

Portland officials: Much-delayed bike share system launching in 2016. Promise.
By Joseph Rose | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on April 16, 2015 at 4:37 PM, updated April 16, 2015 at 4:46 PM

http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/...l#incart_river

Just when it looked like the chain might have slipped off Portland's $4 million bike-sharing system, the Bureau of Transportation has released a document promising that the much-delayed project will, without a doubt, launch in 2016.

The information was buried in PBOT's lengthy response to a group of hair-shirted bicyclists who want the League of American Bicyclists to strip Portland of its elite "platinum" ranking.

Among other things, the grassroots petition says the city's lack of a bike-share network should exclude it from the upper echelon of bike-friendly cities. As of Thursday afternoon, 437 people had signed the petition.

But PBOT Director Leah Treat has apparently directed her staff to have bike sharing up and pedaling next year. "We're intent on launching in 2016," said Dylan Rivera, a PBOT spokesman. "We can't say more at this point. We'll keep you posted."

Portland's bike-sharing system, featuring 75 stations with 750 bikes, is supposed to be funded with a $2 million federal grant and $2 million from local sponsors. It was originally scheduled to be up and running in 2012.

After a series of embarrassing delays, however, PBOT stopped offering up a possible launch date, saying only that the idea needed further research.

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