BY CHRIS YOUNG

One month after local bicycling advocates, foundations and government officials began to discuss bringing a bike-sharing program to Pittsburgh, cycling advocates say they are teaming up with university researchers to figure out how a system might work here.

“It’s exciting,” says Scott Bricker, executive director of BikePGH, a local bike-advocacy group. “Now we’re at step two. We’re starting to figure out how this is going to happen.”

Last month, representatives from B-cycle, a Wisconsin-based company that operates bike shares around the country, met with local officials to talk about how the short-term bike-rental systems function, and how launching one in Pittsburgh could benefit the city. The presentation earned high praise from the more than two dozen bicycling advocates, city planners and foundation officials who attended the meeting.

On July 8, Bricker sent a follow-up email to presentation attendees. The email announced that BikePGH is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University professor Robert Hampshire and a group of graduate students from CMU’s Heinz College to develop a business plan for a Pittsburgh bike-sharing system. “Meanwhile,” Bricker’s message continued, “we are already exploring different business models and potential funding streams.”

Read the rest of this article in the Pittsburgh City Paper

Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership