LTC 090-2011 Bicycle Sharing _ MI.A BEACH R E C FmAl V E n,
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER 20 �( P `i : 58
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NO. LTC # 1 090-2011. LETTE 1t i , r c,Q, ,, §[Q N
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and
Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager. �-
DATE: April 19, 2011
SUBJECT: BICYCLE SHARING (DECOBIKE) LAUNCH - UPDATE
This letter to commission (LTC) serves to provide an update regarding the launch and usage
of the bicycle sharing program. Deco Bike and the City launched on Tuesday, March 14,
2011. Deco Bike has provided the following statistics for the first four (4) weeks of operation
(March 14 to April 12 For informational purposes, a "trip" is defined as any bicycle that is
undocked and a "billed transaction" is a trip that is assessed a rental fee regardless of
membership status. ;
Operational Data:
Number of Bikes: 485
Number of Operating Stations: 60
Number of Trips: 35,352
Number of Monthly Memberships: 715
Billed Rental Transactions (non- member): 13,526
Bikes - Lightly Vandalized: 3
Bikes - Heavily Damaged: 0
Bikes - Stolen: 0
Bikes - Not Returned /Deposit Retained: 2
Stations - Vandalized: 0
Accidents /Injuries: 0.
Financial Data:
Rental /Member Revenues $113,346*
Advertising Revenue: $ 14,600
Gross Revenues (Rentals, Memberships, Advertising): $127,946
*Subject to refunds and /or credits.
Revisions; Enhancements; and /or Challenges
As with any new- program, there were expectations that some minor operational revisions
and /or enhancement might be necessary. The following are some examples that have been'
effectuated:
• Station informational menu displays and printed receipts have been revised to
simplify its use, including reprinting and installation of new instructional decals on the
i
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front of all stations. This revision was based on user feedback to make them easier
to understand.
• AT &T, Deco Bike's wireless service provider had'a cellular tower failure on March
25 to 27th. This resulted in inconsistent communication with the.stations. This
prohibited some users from being able to immediately access a bicycle at a
particular station. Deco Bike is exploring alternate solutions to resolve this issue.
•
Residents may now use promo code "GODECO" to waive the security deposit. Deco
Bike . is awaiting a software update to remove it completely from "BeachPass" .
subscribers. Deco Bike is currently working on further reducing or eliminating up-
front security deposits for short -term renters.
• Deco Bike's customer service response time for telephone' inquiries has been
immediate or. a very brief waiting period: Email responses are within 24 Hours.
A discussion item on the Bike Sharing Program is pending at the 'Neighborhoods/
Community Affairs Committee. Part of that discussion will deal with the permitting process
and specifically the issue that arose regarding the type of bollards used at the Bike Stations.
The bike sharing program is administered through the City's Parking Department. The
following' City departments participated in the regulatory planning and permit process for
placement and installation of all bike sharing stations citywide: The. Public Works.
Department was the lead department from a regulatory perspective as a "Master' ROW
(Right =Of -Way) was issued for all locations. The Planning Department; Parks and
Recreation Department, Building Department; and Parking Department also reviewed and
provided comments and input for each station location'-and installation.
The "Master' ROW permit issued by Public Works for the installation of Deco Bike Kiosks
was initially specific for ten (10) identified locations, all of which were located in,green space,
sidewalk, parking lots or outside of travel lanes in the public right -of -way. It is important to
note that all of these locations were not located in former parking spaces adjacent to
vehicular travel These locations still required a ROW permit, as they all were located
on City owned property. Attachment "A" provides a list of specific Kiosk locations approved
with the initial ROW permit. The plan set provided with the permit application included
provisions for the construction of new, at- grade concrete pads with six (6), inch diameter
steel bollards embedded 2.5 feet deep in concrete encasement. Typically, non- frangible
structures such as the bollard design would not be allowed in the vicinity, of travel lanes
within City ROW's. However, since each of these initial ten (10) locations were away from
travel lanes, Public Works approved the installations
Subsequent to the initial permit approval, Public Works ROW inspectors observed non-
frangible bollards installed at Deco Bike stations, constructed within the public ROW, in close
proximity to travel lanes. There were two (2),such stations already constructed by the time
this observation was made.. These two stations were "red- tagged" as being hazardous to
the traveling public. The bollards were removed at the instruction of Public Works staff by
Deco Bike's contractor, and the contractor was informed that bollards. would not be allowed
in future installations.
Long standing policies of all ROW regulatory/permitting agencies (including the City)
mandates that only frangible (break -away) objects be placed within public ROW's adjacent
to travel lanes. if a non - frangible structure must be placed within a public ROW, it is typically
required to be set back from the closest travel lane by at least four (4) feet and grade
separated (behind a curb or on a median /bulb out). The bollard design provided by Deco.
Bike, Inc. falls into the category of non- frangible. The actual bike storage hardware provided
in the Deco Bike design may be allowed within the public ROW if the anchor bolts
connecting the kiosk base to new or existing pavement have acceptable shear thresholds
that will cause the hardware to give way in advance of injury to the occupant of a vehicle that
might inadvertently strike the kiosk. This evaluation must be made on a case by case basis
as each station is approved for construction.
If you should have any further questions and /or inquiries regarding the bicycle sharing
program, please contact Saul Frances, Parking Director at 305.673.7000, extension 6483.
JMG /JGG /SF
C: Jorge. Gomez, Assistant City Manager
Hilda Fernandez, Assistant City Manager
Saul Frances, Parking Director
f: \CMGR \$ALL \LTC 2011 \DecoBikeLaunchUpdateApr012011 Itc.doc