photo: a bike sharing system in the St. Etienne metro region wikimedia commons

Regional transit authorities have recently announced that they will go ahead with a new bike sharing program slated to start next year and  attributed as the first of-its-kind regional effort at a comprehensive bike sharing program in the nation.

The pilot program will put 1,000 new bikes on the road, and up to 100 kiosks around the Bay Area, with approximately half the amount being placed within the City of  San Francisco, and the other half being placed along the peninsula transportation corridor that includes Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose.

With transportation accounting for more than half of the air pollution in the Bay Area (SFMTA), the bike share project aims to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled by encouraging people to increase bike travel for short trips in dense urban and downtown areas.

The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) has approved an initial $4.29 million grant for the estimated $7 million project, that will be managed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and facilitated by a regional partnership between BAAQMD, SFMTA, SamTrans, Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority, San Mateo County and Redwood City. The participating jurisdictions and transit agencies will also contribute to the funding of the program.

When rolled out, the bike system will require users to buy a yearlong subscription and will utilize smart cards, GPS tracking and wireless technologies.

Read more:

San Francisco Bike Sharing Moves Ahead with Regional Plan and Funding: MTC grant to area partnership moves SFMTA plan forward, San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority(SFMTA) press release

Bike sharing project expected to begin next year, SF Chronicle

Bay Area maps out bike sharing effort, New York Times Green blog