Chris Sikich

IndyStar

Carmel's bike-sharing program has nearly quadrupled in size since debuting a year ago, and has expanded to its northern neighbor Westfield.

The program started in March 2015 with 22 bikes and two stations. With the additions in May of stations at Market District grocery store and Allegion, Carmel now has 80 bikes with 10 stations. Westfield in May also added one station downtown with six bikes.

Mayor Jim Brainard said the program has been more successful than even he imagined. Since partnering with Cambridge, Mass.,-based Zagster to launch the program, 3,682 rides have been recorded in Carmel.

"It's been very successful," Brainard said. "It's gone faster than I thought it would. As tourism in the area continues to evolve, it will be even more successful, I think."

Bike sharing began to build momentum when Paris launched a program in 2007 and Washington, D.C., followed in 2010, according to research by Zagster. Now, more than 1,000 cities worldwide participate in various programs.

The Pacers Bikeshare program launched in 2014 and rents 250 bikes in 26 stations along the Cultural Trail in Downtown Indianapolis. Greenwood also bought eight bikes and cable locks with a $3,900 grant from the Johnson County Community Foundation.

Through its contract with Zagster, Carmel owes the company $1,320 per year per bike, or $105,600 annually, and paid a one-time fee of $8,600 to set up the docks and equipment. The city is sponsoring the cost for 44 of those bikes, Hamilton County Tourism Inc. is sponsoring 16, and Allegion, Carmel-Clay Parks and Recreation, Clay Terrace, Clay Township and Market District are sponsoring the remainder.

Hamilton County Tourism Inc. also pays half the cost for Westfield's six bikes. Westfield officials did not return messages seeking information on that city's cost. IndyStar has filed an open-records request under state law.

People who check out a bike must download an app to use the service. Users pay $3 an hour to rent a bike with a limit of $24 for 24 hours. Users also can buy monthly passes for $15 or yearly passes for $75. Carmel keeps 93 percent of the net revenues from the rental fees, which so far has generated enough to cover one-third of the city's total annual cost, city officials say.

Many in the city of 80,000 are only recently discovering the program.

Adam Blake, 34, parked with his wife and 7-month-old triplets recently at the Rohrer Road lot along the Monon to walk a mile or so to Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream for dinner. He realized too late, when they had arrived at Bub's, that he had forgotten a baby bottle in the van. He spied a bike-share at the Monon and Main Street, quickly downloaded the app, checked out a bike and rode back for the bottle.

"There were actually about five teenagers setting up the app at the same time I was there," he said, "and it sounded like they were going to ride along the Monon to Central Park. I think the bike share is a good idea. People who live in the area who don't have bikes can just jump on them and go."

Bryan Strawbridge, 32, and his wife, Katie, 29, do a lot of dining and socializing at restaurants along the Monon and only recently became aware of the bike share. They plan to check out the bike rental soon.

"While riding is fun, I don't have the zeal to purchase my own bike," he said.

Stations in Carmel are located along the Monon at both Central Park and Main Street; Clay Terrace shopping center; Market District, 11505 N Illinois St.; Clay Township offices, 10701 College Ave.; Allegion's headquarters,11819 N Pennsylvania St.; Hamilton County Tourism Office, 37 E. Main St.; Springhill Suites, 11855 N Meridian St.; and Residence Inn, 11895 N Meridian St.

David Littlejohn, the alternative transportation coordinator for Carmel, said he envisions bike-sharing stations to expand farther east and west from the Monon over time, in neighborhoods throughout Carmel and in city parks, potentially adding two to three every few months.

Market District, a 120,000-square-foot grocery store that opened in October at Illinois and 116th streets, asked to be included in the program. Since the Zagster station opened there May 20, executive store leader Jim Griffith said the service seems to have been most popular with dine-in customers.

"The Carmel community is one that recognizes the importance of exercise and good health practices, and we felt confident that our guests would be eager to utilize this program," he said.

The bikes also may be available at some point throughout Hamilton County. Brenda Myers, president of Hamilton County Tourism Inc., which his funded largely by hotel taxes, hopes to expand the program. She said the agency has offered to pay 50 percent of the cost, up to 16 bikes, per city.

She said the bike-sharing program is convenient for both residents and tourists. She's hoping to partner, over time, for locations in both downtown Fishers and Noblesville, Grand Park in Westfield and near a cluster of hotels at 96th Street and Hague Road in Fishers.

"It's a really great program for the community," she said. "We are big believers."

Call IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich at (317) 444-6036. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisSikich and at facebook/chris.sikich.

How to use Carmel's bike share