Houston's first bike share program will take to city streets Wednesday in an effort officials predict will transform how workers and visitors will travel short distances in the downtown area. Starting with 18 bicycles at three locations, plans call for adding 200 more bikes at sites between downtown and the Texas Medical Center by year's end.

Houston will join Chicago, Denver, San Antonio and 11 other U.S. cities in implementing the program. San Antonio's program began in April 2011 and quickly expanded to 20 stations and about 1,000 annual subscribers.

In Houston, patrons of the Houston B-cycle program will be able to access the three-speed bikes for as little as $5 a day. Weekly memberships will be available for $15, and yearly for $50. The first bike stations are at City Hall, Market Square and the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Mayor Annise Parker, an occasional bicyclist, called the federally-funded program "a quick, easy alternative to being stuck in traffic or walking long distances in downtown." She said the bicycles may help familiarize residents with downtown, an area she said many still consider "foreign territory."

Mobility alternatives

Bike Houston Chairman Darren Sabom said the new program may help dispel Houston's national reputation as an uncongenial, sprawling metropolis.

"People want to live, work, play and eat close to one another and not be in their car as much," city sustainability director Laura Spanjian said, citing a recent Rice University study that found most respondents wanted to live in compact, walkable communities. "The love affair with the car is finally over, and providing alternatives to help people get around in the urban environment will be increasingly important."

She said plans call for establishing stations, possibly connected to the light rail system, in the Museum District, Hermann Park and the medical center. Stations also may be located on Washington Avenue, in Houston Heights and at area businesses, she said.

Fitting features

The bikes are equipped with baskets, locks and lights and are easily adjustable to accommodate the height of riders. Users are encouraged to wear helmets, which can be purchased at City Hall's visitor center. Patrons may access the bicycles from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Daily membership can be purchased at a station or online at www.houston.bcycle.com; weekly and annual memberships are available only through the website.

With membership, the first 90 minutes of each ride are free. A rider returning a bike after 90 minutes may immediately check it out again for another free 90-minute ride. Rides longer than 90 minutes, however, incur an additional charge of $2 per half hour. A smartphone app is available for riders to locate stations and determine whether bikes or dock openings are available.

Houston B-cycle is joint project of the city, Bike Barn, which will provide maintenance, and Houston Bike Share, a nonprofit created to oversee the effort. Additional support comes from Bike Houston, the Downtown District and Houston First.

allan.turner@chron.com