VANCOUVER - Details of Vancouver's proposed bike-share system, including a timeline for the rollout, were introduced to city council this morning.

Five years after council began musing about a bike share program in the city core, staff presented a long-awaited report on the program which could launch partially in early 2014 with 24 stations and 250 bikes, and launch fully later that spring with 150 stations and 1,500 bikes.

Deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston revealed the proposed look of the stations, costing and addressed some of the concerns with the proposal, which recommends Portland-based Alta as the preferred vendor. After a $6-million one-time contribution from the city for infrastructure costs and $500,000 annually, the third-party vendor will be on the hook for all financial risk, Johnston said.

Cycling advocates have long complained about the provincial mandatory helmet law as a barrier to widespread participation in the bike share system, pointing to low take-up rates in Australian cities with similar laws.

But Johnston said other cities, including Seattle, are looking to Vancouver's solution of an integrated bike helmet dispensing, return and disinfecting vending machines.

A helmet rental would cost $3 for a 24-hour period for riders who paid the $95 annual fee and those who were taking a quick trip.

An integrated GPS in each bike will help the city determine the most popular stations, relocate them as required and track usage, said Director of Transportation Jerry Dobrovolny, who added TransLink is considering looking at integrating bike sharing into broader public transportation.

"We know cycling infrastructure investment boosts cycling trips," he said. There are 67,000 bike trips per day in Vancouver if the bike share program is successful, the city expects to see "thousands of additional bike trips on top of that."

Some bike rental store owners were concerned the bike share system would negatively impact their business, and Johnston said ideally the bike share stations would be located no closer than 50 metres to those businesses. The city would have to provide Alta with permits for each of the stations, which would be given in consultation with local businesses in close proximity to the docking stations.

As for why the stations are located between False Creek and 12th Avenue and Arbutus and Main streets - not the east end - Johnston said Alta was responsible for determining their locations.

Bike sharing is ideal for trips of 30 minutes or less, meaning the stations must be close together in "nodes" for it to work properly, he said.

Speakers are expected to present to council later this afternoon before a vote.