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WTI Hosts Bike Sharing Program Webinar

More and more cities around the country are considering bike sharing to help achieve environmental, public health, and transportation related goals, while also improving a community’s livability. The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) presented a 90 minute webinar on Bicycle Sharing Programs on January 19. WTI served as a host site for the event with members of the Bozeman community in attendance. The webinar presented an overview of bike sharing in the U.S. and other countries, with case studies from Minneapolis and San Antonio and a detailed discussion of the implementation process (building support, funding models, RFPs, contracting, launch, and operations). Participants learned about the planning and implementation steps necessary to launch a public bike share system, the different financial models and funding sources, and the positive implications of an exponential increase in bicycle traffic for public infrastructure. Webinar presenters included Alison Cohen, Program Manager of Alta Bicycle Share; Julia Diana, sustainable transportation analyst for the City of San Antonio’s Office of Environmental Policy; and Bill Dossett, Executive Director of Nice Ride Minnesota. Following the presentation, Bozeman participants at WTI engaged in discussions regarding bike sharing potential at Montana State University and the surrounding Bozeman community. This webinar raised awareness of shared bicycles as a form of public transportation and began a dialogue between the City, University, local businesses and bicycling advocates regarding what type of bike sharing program could be appropriate in the Bozeman setting and beneficial to residents.