On April 24, Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) signed a contract with Alta Bicycle Share that will bring the popular Capital Bikeshare program to Montgomery County. The contract provides for equipment purchase and operating costs in two areas of the County. About 20 bike stations with 200 bikes will be installed in the Rockville and Shady Grove/Life Sciences Center area. Thirty stations with 250 bikes will be located in the Downcounty along both of the Red Line Metrorail corridors between the District of Columbia and the beltway. Areas include Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Friendship Heights, Bethesda and Medical Center.

“Bikesharing can be a cost-effective, healthy way to provide better transportation connections that reduce the need to drive for short trips, provide efficient links to transit and reduce traffic congestion. Since bikesharing is low-cost and available 24/7, it may be particularly helpful for low-income residents, many of whom hold multiple jobs and try to participate in job training programs,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. “We expect the bikeshare program to significantly expand opportunities and improve the quality of life for all our residents.”

Montgomery County’s bikeshare program will operate seamlessly with other Capital Bikeshare programs throughout the region. MCDOT’s top priority is to ensure the safety of riders by locating stations in areas with safe connections to activity centers and other stations, including bike paths, bike lanes and sidewalks, or on streets that are less congested by traffic. MCDOT is working with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority on locating bikeshare stations at each of the Metrorail stations in the areas to be served.

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board approved a $1.3 million Federal Transit Administration grant to Montgomery County to establish the Mid-County bikesharing program. The County’s local match for the grant is $553,000, covering some equipment and operating costs for two years. The City of Rockville is also providing $300,000 in local matching funds. Other project supporters include the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; MontgomeryWorks; Montgomery College; The Universities at Shady Grove; Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County campus; Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce; City of Gaithersburg and the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce.

The purpose of the Mid-County program is to establish whether bikesharing is feasible in suburban centers outside a central city setting and whether bikesharing can provide a viable transportation option to low-income residents and employees.

Proposed locations for the bikeshare stations include the Rockville and Shady Grove Metro stations; Rockville Town Center; King Farm; Fallsgrove; the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center; Montgomery College, Rockville campus; The Universities at Shady Grove; and Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County campus.

For the Downcounty bikeshare program, MCDOT received a $1,008,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation. The County also received $252,000 in private sector funding commitments to meet the requirement for local matching funds. The Downcounty system is expected to expand the reach of Metrorail and other transit; provide low-cost transportation options in the most urbanized and congested portion of Montgomery County; help get people out of their cars for short trips; and produce environmental and health benefits while enhancing economic activity.

Bikesharing provides short-term bicycle rentals at self-service, automated, solar-powered docking stations sited at publicly-accessible locations. Bikes may be picked up at one location and returned to another, creating a system that allows for one-way trips. Bikeshare is considered ideal for short trips of less than five miles. Trips under 30 minutes are included in the membership fee, while longer trips are charged based on their duration.

The Mid-County and Downcounty stations are expected to be installed by the end of the summer. More information on the region’s bikeshare system is available at www.capitalbikeshare.com.

Join us on March 28 to celebrate the opening of the newest Capital Bikeshare station at the Walter Reed Community Center on Columbia Pike in Arlington.

Arlington County Board Chair, Walter Tejada, will cut the ribbon and launch the 2013 Arlington expansion wave of 33 new stations focused on the Columbia Pike and Shirlington areas.
 
We are proud to bring red-bike joy to the Columbia Pike neighborhood, and to provide our members with new options.  For more details on the Arlington expansion, click here.

Bonus fact: This is the 200th station in the Capital Bikeshare system.  A testament to the popularity, growth and success of the system.
 
Here are the details:

Capital Bikeshare Ribbon Cutting
Thursday March 28
9am
Walter Reed Community Center
2909 16th Street, S
Arlington, VA

Security measures and traffic restrictions that will be put in place for the upcoming inauguration will have a significant impact on Capital Bikeshare. Please take the time to read the information below regarding the specific impacts the inauguration will have on our service.  In the past, the Secret Service have changed plans and have shut down access as events happen so be prepared to change your route or to make new plans. Be flexible!

Station Removals
Due to security measures being put in place for the inauguration, Capital Bikeshare will be completely removing stations in the area of the inaugural parade route (from the Capitol to the White House) starting this week. 

On Wednesday, January 16, the following stations will be removed:
• 10th & E St NW
• 10th & Constitution Ave NW
• 15th & NY Ave NW

On Thursday, January 17th the following stations will be removed:
• Reagan Building/14th & D St NW
• 14th & G St NW
• 14th & H St NW

Station Reinstallation
Removed stations will be reinstalled starting on Wednesday, January 23rd and be completed by Thursday, January 24th.

Pre- and Post-Inauguration Bike Corrals
In order to accommodate our members while these stations are taken off the street, we will be hosting a bike corral at the 13th and NY NW station from 8am to 10am.  The morning corral will be available on the following days:

• Wednesday, January 16th
• Thursday, January 17th
• Friday, January 18th
• Tuesday, January 22nd
• Wednesday, January 23rd
• Thursday, January 24th

Please note that while we can guarantee you a place to dock your bike, we cannot guarantee that a bike will be available for your return trip, so please plan accordingly.
 
Rebalancing During the Inauguration (Monday, January 21st)
Due to the security perimeter established for the inauguration, a significant number of downtown stations will not be accessible to rebalancing vehicles.  Other stations outside the perimeter will be difficult to access due to road closures, security measures, and anticipated high volumes of traffic.  As a result, we may have difficulty rebalancing many downtown stations.  We ask for your patience during this time.  Please be sure to consult Spotcycle before starting your trip.

Inaccessible Stations on the National Mall (Monday, January 21st)
There will be two stations on the National Mall that will be out of service during the Inauguration: 14th and Jefferson and 12th and Jefferson (Smithsonian Metro). These stations will be shut down during the event and will open up in the evening after the parade has finished. We are expecting this to be around 7pm.

Inauguration Day Bike Corrals
To accommodate the anticipated high usage of Capital Bikeshare on Monday, January 21st, we will be hosting two bike corrals, one each on the north and south sides of the security perimeter:  The north corral will be held at the 17th and K NW station next to Farragut Square.  The south corral will be at the 12th and Independence Ave SW (USDA) station.  Both corrals will be open from 7am to 5pm.  You will be guaranteed a place to drop off your Capital Bikeshare bike but we cannot guarantee a bike for return trips.

Other Inauguration Resources
goDCgo
District Department of Transportation
Downtown BID
US Secret Service

Thanks in advance for your patience.  We will do our best to provide the best possible service in this challenging environment.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

The Capital Bikeshare Team

District Department of Transportation, Arlington County, City of Alexandria, run by Alta Bicycle Share

Expansion Stations Proposed in All Eight Wards

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The District Department of Transportation today announced proposed locations for 54 new Capital Bikeshare stations to be installed this winter in the District of Columbia. The list includes proposed new stations in all 8 wards of the city.

“These new locations will mean a 40% increase in the number of CaBi stations in DC,” said DDOT Director Terry Bellamy.  “Combined with new stations in Arlington, Alexandria and soon in Montgomery County, we’re building a robust and truly regional system.”

There are currently 138 stations in DC, 45 in Arlington, and 8 Alexandria.

DDOT selected the 54 locations from a longer list of 78 suggested locations submitted by the public over the past 2 years. DDOT evaluated the locations using several criteria, including population density, employment density, bike-to-work rate, proximity to metro, and proximity to other Bikeshare stations.  Residents also ‘voted’ for their preferences using an interactive crowdsourcing map.

The proposed stations are in a mix and new and existing bikeshare neighborhoods. “We need to balance the desire to expand into new areas with the need for more docks and bikes in existing areas, particularly downtown, where demand is heaviest.” said Chris Holben, DDOT Project Manager for Capital Bikeshare. “Basically, for every ‘expansion’ station we also need more spaces downtown to keep up with demand.”
 
DDOT plans to start installing new stations and bikes in January and finish in March.  Locations not selected in this round of 54 will be considered for the next round.  The complete list is below. You can also view the proposed locations alongside existing stations on a map at http://goo.gl/maps/UJPZs.

To comment on the list of proposed locations, please email ddot.bikeshare@dc.gov by January 15, 2013.

First Round

1 18th Street and Wyoming Avenue NW
2 11th Street and M Street NW
3 14th Street and Clifton Street/ Boys and Girls Club NW
4 15th Street and Euclid Street NW
5 20th Street and Virginia Avenue NW
6 Ellington Bridge, SE corner NW
7 Elm Street and 2nd Street (LeDroit Park) NW
8 New Jersey Avenue and R Street NW
9 Hiatt Place between Park and Irving NW
10 13th Street and U Street NW
11 17th Street and Massachusetts Avenue/JHU NW
12 5th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW
13 8th Street and D Street NW
14 11th Street and Florida Avenue NW
15 11th Street and K Street NW
16 L’Enfant Plaza at Independence Ave SW
17 11th Street and F Street NW
18 23rd Street and W.H.O. NW
19 Constitution Ave and 21st Street NW
20 34th Street and Water Street NW
21 Connecticut and Nebraska Avenues NW
22 Connecticut Ave and Albemarle St NW
23 O Street and Wisconsin Ave (east) NW
24 Wisconsin Ave and Fessenden St NW
25 Wisconsin Ave and Veazy Street NW
26 14th Street and Upshur Street NW
27 14th Street and Colorado Avenue NW
28 5th Street and Kennedy Street NW
29 Georgia Ave and Decatur Street NW
30 V Street and Rhode Island Ave at Summit Place NE
31 2nd Street and M Street NE
32 Hamlin Street and 7th Street NE
33 12th Street and Irving Street NE
34 Neal Street and Trinidad Avenue NE
35 Rhode Island Ave Metro entrance NE
36 18th Street and Rhode Island Ave NE
37 8th Street and F Street NE
38 Pennsylvania Ave and 3rd Street SE
39 8th Street and East Capitol Street NE
40 15th Street and East Capitol Street NE
41 Independence and Washington/HHS SW
42 Constitution Ave and 2nd St/DOL NW
43 6th Street and Indiana Avenue NW
44 New Jersey Avenue and D Street SE
45 15th St, F St and Tennessee Ave NE
46 9th Street and M Street SE
47 Tingey Street and 3rd Street SE
48 Deanwood Rec Center and Library NE
49 Burroughs Avenue and 49th Street NE
50 Burroughs Ave and Minnesota Ave NE
51 Minnesota/34th Street and Ely Place SE
52 Alabama Avenue and Stanton Road SE
53 MLK, Jr. Ave and Alabama Ave SE
54 MLK, Jr. Ave and Pleasant Street SE

Next Round

55 MLK, Jr. Ave and St. E’s Gate 5 SE
56 14th Street and Fairmont Street NW
57 18th Street and C Street NW
58 L’Enfant Plaza at Banneker Circle SW
59 G Street at MLK Library NW
60 Wisconsin Ave and Ingomar Street NW
61 Brandywine St and Wisconsin Ave NW
62 Connecticut Ave and Porter Street NW
63 O Street and Wisconsin Ave (west) NW
64 Massachusetts Ave and 48th Street NW
65 Van Buren Street and Rec Center NW
66 Ft Totten Metro Station NW
67 Cedar Street underpass (Takoma) NW
68 Piney Branch Rd and Georgia Ave NW
69 1st Street and K Street NE
70 Rhode Island Ave and Franklin St NE
71 18th Street and Monroe Street NE
72 New Jersey Avenue and L Street NW
73 Haines Point Rec Center SW
74 2nd Street and V Street SW
75 Burroughs and Division Avenues NE
76 Ely Place and Ft. Dupont Ice Rink SE
77 16th Street and Minnesota Ave SE
78 MLK, Jr. Ave and St E’s Gate 1 SE

As we’ve mentioned before, genuine flattery goes a long way with us at Capital Bikeshare, especially when you boast about your key fob in front of people (we love that!) – that’s why when Fred G. submitted his entry in hopes of becoming December’s Member of the Month, we just couldn’t say no.

Being one of the “lucky founders of the program,” as Fred so eloquently puts it, he’s made Capital Bikeshare a staple in his life ever since the midnight registration back in September of 2010.