Welcome to the Thursday, August 16 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Seattle City Council votes unanimously to expand the city’s bike-sharing program
- Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer concedes to Kris Kobach
- Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate selects running mate
Seattle City Council expands its bike-sharing program
The number of bike-share programs worldwide has doubled since 2014. But not all cities are moving in that direction.
Some cities and municipalities are ending their bike-sharing programs (Baltimore and Camden, New Jersey, among others). Meanwhile, companies like Ofo are pulling out of major urban areas like Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
Seattle is making an effort to attract other companies in an effort to expand its program. But will it attract the bike-sharing companies needed to make this happen?
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to expand the city's bike-sharing program two weeks ago, making permanent a pilot program launched in 2017. The council's ordinance authorized the operation of up to 20,000 bikes in the city, doubling the 10,000 authorized under the pilot program. The ordinance also provided for up to four bike-share companies to operate in Seattle, each paying $250,000 for the right to deploy as many as 5,000 bikes in the city. The council also approved a nonbinding resolution setting a deadline (the close of 2019) for the construction of additional bike lanes.
LimeBike, one of the three companies that participated in the pilot program, indicated that it would apply for permits to participate in the expanded bike-share program.
Lina Feng, general manager of Ofo Seattle, a Chinese company that likewise participated in the pilot program, announced that it would no longer operate within Seattle, citing $50 per-year bike registration fees: "The exorbitant fees that accompany these new regulations — the highest in the country — make it impossible for Ofo to operate an effectively serve our riders."
Spin, the other company that participated in the pilot program, had not, as of July 31, 2018, announced its plans with respect to continued operations in Seattle. Joel Miller, manager of Seattle's bike-share program, said that five to 10 companies had expressed interest in participating in the expanded program.
In the top 100 cities by population, Ballotpedia tracks issues that the cities address, including noteworthy votes taken by city councils, decisions by mayors, and administrative actions.
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