Plan to put 350 bikes on streets in Detroit gets backer

Detroit’s public bike share program has a title sponsor.

Henry Ford Health System/Health Alliance Plan has pledged a three-year commitment to the program that is expected to launch next year in a city that has seen interest in biking soar in recent years.

“It’s a tangible way of improving the health and wellness of the community and because of that we believe it is a worthy investment,” said Brenda Craig, spokeswoman for Henry Ford Health System.

Officials declined to say how much money the commitment represents. Lisa Nuszkowski, executive director of Detroit Bike Share for the Downtown Detroit Partnership, said the program, which will start with 350 bicycles at 35 stations around greater downtown, is expected to cost about $2 million to launch and $1 million annually to operate. Nuszkowski earlier said more than $2 million had already been raised.

The announcement of the program was reported by the Free Press in August.

The system would be designed so riders could use the bikes for short-distance trips. Riders would likely pay at the individual stations for passes, which could have a range of options, but details will not be finalized until after a system operator and equipment provider are selected.

Bike share systems are already in place in more than 70 cities across the country, according to a news release on the program. That number grew last week when Breeze Bikeshare launched in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Employees and affiliates of Dan Gilbert's companies in Detroit already have access to their own system, but the general public does not.

Nuszkowski said she was cheered by the recent announcement that the system in Salt Lake City, Utah, had hit 100,000 riders this operating season. She said that’s a good sign for Detroit, being a larger city, where ridership has been projected at 100,000.

A study referenced in the release found that about “250 bikes pass through greater downtown on a typical weekday afternoon.”

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.

For sponsorship information, contact Lisa Nuszkowski at bikeshare@downtowndetroit.org.