Baton Rouge residents may soon enjoy a bike share program if the city government chooses to act on reports presented by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.
A bike share program is a form of public transportation that allows residents to rent bikes daily or register for annual memberships on the stipulation that the bikes are returned to another station. Bike share programs in cities the size of Baton Rouge often involve multiple bike stations that are mobile and can be placed to fit the demand of the community.
Representatives of the EPA met with Baton Rouge residents July 28 at the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum to discuss the impact a bike share would have on various aspects of city life. The meeting was organized following a successful bid by the city parish for a Technical Assistance Award from the EPA.
Sarah Dale, a representative from the EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities, began the meeting by explaining the agency’s role in Baton Rouge’s bike share planning. The EPA is researching what a possible bike share program would bring to the area and will present a technical report to the city.
The award does not include funding for program implementation, but provides the city with professional expertise from organizers with experience introducing bike share programs. A bike share in Baton Rouge would be funded by the city, Dale said, and potentially by private donations and sponsorships and paid access.
Baton Rouge received a competitive award, beating out over 150 applications from towns nationwide, Dale said. The award is designed to provide research and recommendations to kick-start implementation, but does not make decisions for Baton Rouge or require any further action.
Don Kostelec, a private consultant working with the EPA, has helped to organize many town bike share programs. Many cities use bike sharing to supplement public transportation for commuters, residents, and tourists, Kostelec told the group, “It’s kind of catching on, isn’t it?”
Kostelec said the EPA’s involvement is to facilitate the communication between communities in Baton Rouge about their hopes for a potential program.
“We won’t tell Baton Rouge what to do,” Kostelec said, “We just offer a report based on what we hear and see in the community.”
Residents who attended the meeting were largely in favor of beginning a bike share program in Baton Rouge, citing the extreme traffic and scarcity of parking in many areas, including Downtown and around the University campus.
A potential bike share program would serve the University by providing affordable transit to students and visitors around various parts of campus and beyond. Organizers stated they would work with the University to determine the demand and impact of a bike share program on public transit there.
Students can currently bike routes around campus including the designated levee path and along the lakes despite close proximity to traffic. Safe lanes for bikes in popular areas would be a necessity before the bike share could be implemented, residents agreed.
The EPA is interested in promoting bike share systems for multiple reasons. Bike shares “improve public health, take cars off the roads, and positively impact our environment,” Dale told residents.
When prompted for their concerns, residents stressed almost unanimously the need for improved infrastructure in Baton Rouge before a bike share program could be effective. Residents complained of unsafe streets for bikes and poor bridging between neighborhoods and communities.
Many styles and scales of bike share programs are in practice around the country, and if the city decides to move forward with the program it will still take months before any plan can be implemented.