Editorial: Bike sharing not a high priority

Program not a bad idea, but the city has better ways to spend a few million dollars right now.

It’s no surprise that a paid consultant has conducted a study that indicates a bike-sharing program would be feasible in Lawrence. What would be a surprise is if the Lawrence City Commission pursues such a program when there are much more pressing needs facing the city.

Consulting firm Toole Design Group analyzed city layout, transportation infrastructure and survey results to determine the feasibility and scope of a bike-sharing program in Lawrence. The resulting 70-page report was presented to Lawrence city commissioners at a meeting last week. The study was paid for with a $40,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation and $10,000 in city funding.

The study found that downtown and the University of Kansas campus area would be the best core location for a network of short-term bicycle rentals, with additional rental stations at city trail systems and parks. Lawrence-Douglas County Sustainability Director Eileen Horn said a bike-sharing program would provide local residents with more activity options and would perhaps boost tourism.

The consultant recommended 64 bicycle docking stations and 538 bikes equipped with tracking devices. The capital cost to implement a program of that size was estimated at $2.4 to $4 million over five years. There would be additional operating costs annually, a portion of which would be covered by user fees.

The consultants recommend that the next step be for the city to form a committee to work on program implementation and funding. Consultants recommended a partnership with KU, whose students would be expected to be heavy users of the program, or a nonprofit to serve as the operator of the program.

Identifying an outside operator to fund the program is the only way the city should proceed. While a bike-sharing program might have some merit in the future, it’s an awfully expensive proposition for the city to take on when it has more pressing priorities on which to spend $2 million to $4 million. A couple that come to mind include addressing the $6 million in sidewalk repairs that are needed throughout the city or finishing the last quarter of the Lawrence Loop, the 23-mile concrete biking and hiking trail around the city.

City commissioners should keep the sidewalk and loop projects top of mind as they weigh how to proceed with the bike-sharing idea.