The concept of bike sharing originated in Europe, and has been gaining popularity in communities and college campuses around the United States. Bike sharing programs are a form of public transportation that allow riders to rent bikes for short trips and provide a first-mile last-mile connection to public transit. Benefits of bike sharing identified in published research include traffic congestion and greenhouse gas reductions, increased public awareness and support for bicycling, increased transit usage, economic benefits for businesses and public health benefits.
TAMC completed a Monterey County Bicycle Sharing Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan in 2013 that evaluated the potential for establishing a bicycle sharing program. The Feasibility Study identified Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula cities of Seaside, Monterey and Pacific Grove as communities in which a bike share program would be successful. At the time, docked bike share systems were the only models that were being implemented across the United States. Docked bike share programs require ongoing financial support for installation and maintenance, and require users to pick up and drop off bikes at designated stations.
In 2017, dockless bike sharing systems emerged in the US as an alternative to the docked stations. Dockless systems are unique in that they operate at no cost to the cities in which they operate and don't require the infrastructure of stations. Dockless systems allow riders to pick up and drop off bicycles in appropriate areas of the public right-of-way. The main issue with dockless bike share systems is parking of bikes in unwanted locations. However, the service area of dockless bike share is much broader than docked bike share systems.
The Cities of Salinas and Seaside are initiating bike share programs with the company Ofo. Ofo will cover the deployment, maintenance and operations costs of the new bike share programs. Staff from the cities will present on the anticipated timeline and target areas for implementation.