CITY
OF NEW ORLEANS RELEASES BICYCLE SHARE SYSTEM 'REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS'
Affordable
and accessible transportation option for residents
NEW ORLEANS — Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu
announced the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the
private operation and financing of a comprehensive bicycle share system. The system is expected to serve a wide range
of residents and visitors across neighborhoods and provide year-round,
equitable access to worksites and destinations. All
proposals must be privately financed. No public dollars will be spent
on the implementation, operation or maintenance of the system.
As the local community celebrates the 5th Annual New Orleans Bike to Work Week, bike share has been identified as an affordable and effective tool for increasing
urban mobility and improving economic, environmental and health-related
indicators when integrated with the current transportation network. New Orleans expects to be one of over 500 cities
around the world, including some of the oldest, to offer bike share as an
equitable mode of transit.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, “The City of New Orleans is ready to
support a bicycle share system that meets resident, worker and visitor mobility
needs. We developed this RFP after many years of input from the community and support
from public, private, neighborhood and nonprofit partners. This is an opportunity for a world-class partner
to introduce and fund a transformational and equitable resource for our city.”
A bike share system is a low-cost and flexible form of transportation
with on-demand access to a fleet of specialized bikes across a defined service area at fixed stations or hub locations. This system is also widely praised as a convenient, healthy and sustainable way to
get around densely populated areas. The
RFP sets the parameters for the system, such as the service area including the Claiborne and
Biomedical Corridors.
This
RFP is the result of many years of planning and outreach. In 2014, the Regional
Planning Commission jointly funded a Bike
Share Feasibility Study and Business Model with the City of New
Orleans. This
comprehensive report was generated after national consultant Nelson\Nygaard engaged
with City officials and community stakeholders. In 2013, the City received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities grant to investigate beginning a
bike share program. In 2012, Bike Easy released a preliminary feasibility study sponsored by the UNO Transportation Institute. Additionally, Resilient NOLA, the City’s
resilience strategy and the Livable Claiborne Communities Study Final Report
both cite bicycle share as a tool for connecting people, employment
and essential services.
According to all three studies, New Orleans demonstrates a high level of
bike share readiness. Based on the
experience of existing bike share systems and their metrics for success, New
Orleans is well equipped to support a successful and viable system. Recent studies have also shown that bike
share is actually safer than regular biking.
This RFP is being released following additions to RTA service and
ongoing roadway improvements aligned to the 2011 complete streets ordinance. With the completion of the Lafitte Greenway
in 2015, New Orleans exceeded 100 miles of completed bikeways, including
trails, shared lanes and bike lanes. The latest bikeways include bike lanes on
Lake Forest Boulevard, Mayo Boulevard and L.B. Landry Avenue and a two-way
cycle track on Old Behrman Highway.
District D
Councilmember Jared C. Brossett, City Council Transportation and Airport Chair, said, “Bike
sharing is an innovative transportation program that is successfully making its
way into the transportation system of cities across nation. The ultimate goal
is to create a more sustainable transportation landscape that provides new
mobility options for short trips and to improve connectivity to other modes of
transportation by implementing a bicycling service that is fully integrated
into our improving public transit system. Issuing this bike sharing RFP is an
important step forward in increasing bicycling visibility, providing access to
underserved residents who depend on public transportation, and promoting New
Orleans as a vibrant and progressive city.”
Regional
Planning Commission Executive Director Walter Brooks said, “This is
a significant day for bicycling in New Orleans. As we’ve seen in cities around
the country and the world, bike share provides people with new mobility
options, introduces a wider audience to bicycling, and increases bicycle
safety. Bike share will be an exciting new addition to our regional
transportation network and RPC looks forward to continuing to work with the
City and other stakeholders to bring a successful and sustainable bike share
system to New Orleans.”
“Bike Easy is very excited to see
New Orleans take this step towards a bike share system with a strong focus on
equity that will increase affordable, accessible transportation options for
everyone," said Dan Favre,
Executive Director of Bike Easy. “We especially look forward to bike share
in New Orleans becoming an easy, healthy choice for the many citizens who
currently lack viable ways to get to work, the grocery store, the park, and
other destinations."
RFP respondents must provide significantly more information on pricing, design
and station/hub locations. The RFP calls for the first major phase of the system to
be installed by the second quarter
of 2017 and is asking respondents to
fund the system with private dollars. No public dollars will be used. Final selection notification is scheduled for
June 23, 2016.
To download the RFP, click here.
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