Study gives Rochester bike share a green light

Rochester can sustain a bike-sharing system, according to a study released this week.

The report, commissioned by the Genesee Transportation Council, largely echoes and fleshes out a draft version released in January.

Consultants SRF Associates and Toole Design Group recommended rolling out a bike share in four phases, starting with the center city and nearby neighborhoods before spreading to more residential areas and inner-ring suburbs.

Each phase would likely have 25 stations for 250 customized bikes available for short-term, self-service rentals.

The consultants listed various potential benefits — mainly, it would offer people a healthy and environmentally-friendly option to get around without needing a car.

There's a price tag. It could cost between $2.5 million and $5 million to roll out all the equipment for the full system over five years, and about $3.3 million to operate it in the same time period, the study said.

Membership fees alone would not cover all that, and the report suggests various operating models with a mix of public and private funding.

The report compares the estimated first-year costs to buying two public buses, or building a quarter-mile of a four-lane urban highway. It's worth noting that gas fees and tolls don't cover the full cost of highways, either.

A bike share should have an $85 annual membership fee, or $8 to access the network for a day, the report said. It leaves technical details to be answered later, such as whether a bike share should rely on a system of docks or allow users to lock up GPS-equipped bicycles elsewhere.

The study explores bike shares in several other cities, including Nice Ride Minnesota, which serves Minneapolis and St. Paul. It's seasonal, running from April to November, and offers a $65 per year membership or $6 for one day.

The Minnesota program launched with $3.1 million in sponsorship and grant money, and later expanded with an additional $2.7 million in sponsorship funds and $5 million in public money, the report says.

Read the full study here.

DRILEY@DemocratandChronicle.com

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