Atlanta kicked off its bike share program at Woodruff Park Thursday with sunny pageantry and a ride through downtown under police escort.
The pilot program, called Relay, will offer 100 bikes at 10 locations across downtown Atlanta. By the end of the year, the program will include 500 bikes at 50 stations, serving an area roughly bordered by Lee Street, Atlanta University Center, Georgia Tech, Piedmont Park and the Carter Center. The city would like to see the program eventually expand to more than 1,500 bikes at 150 stations.
Relay is operated and financed by a partner called CycleHop, which is still working to find corporate sponsors. The city contributes staff resources and time, according to Atlanta's Chief Bicycle Officer Becky Katz.
At Thursday's event, Katz joined Mayor Kasim Reed and Tim Keane, the city's Planning and Community Development Commissioner, for speeches before joining the inaugural bike ride.
This opening day was long in the making, but Mayor Reed said that he expected the city to catch up quickly to similar programs across the country. "Quite frankly, I expect to leave those other cities behind," he said. "We've done our homework, we've studied the other programs and we know what works and what doesn't."
Katz said that the city is on track to make their goal of 50 stations by the end of the year but that there's a lot of work to do. The biggest challenge — she smiled and called them opportunities — is station placement. "It's challenging when you have limited right of way," she said. A total of 18 stations have been permitted, including the ten installed.
City leaders hope that Relay will extend the reach of the city's existing transit. In a speech punctuated by clangs from the Atlanta Streetcar, Reed said, "Relay will provide another link in providing first mile and last mile connectivity that will increase the range of destinations served by Marta."
Equity is another key goal for the program, and Keane stressed that "bike share clearly is for everyone. It is not for a particular demographic." He promised that "you'll see the plan for bike share touches every part of this city."
As for braving Atlanta's streets, Reed noted that the city has added over 30 miles of bike lanes, including four miles of buffered or protected lanes in the city. Katz added that "lots and lots" more bicycle infrastructure projects are on the way and that new bike lanes are being striped as streets get resurfaced.
Riders can find more safety resources at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's website. The ABC includes a city map that shows the most suitable roads for bike trips. Another site called Ride the City lets users plot the safest bike route on an interactive map.
The 100 cyclists in Thursday's ride briefly shut down parts of downtown, as police closed intersections and directed the riders through a figure-eight loop lined with cheering onlookers, in what looked like a lunchtime parade.
The bikes are sturdy enough to handle most bumps in the pavement. They come equipped with a basket and three gears, which is a must when getting around on Atlanta's rolling piedmont. Several riders were seen getting used to the gears on the gentle slopes and watched like hawks for rough patches in the pavement or for police escorts zooming ahead on the left. Everyday users will likely have a different experience navigating the downtown streets — particularly without the police escort — but the event's fun was undeniable.
To rent a bike, users create a Relay account and enter their PIN number to release a bike from one of the 10 hubs. One-time riders can rent a bike for $8 an hour (prorated), while regular users have two monthly payment plans to choose from. Another plan is aimed at students, which will come in handy for GSU customers.
Keane said he expects that riders will enjoy the benefits. "When you ride a bike, you see things in the city that you don't see otherwise. … You appreciate the city in a different way."
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