An effort is underway to gain support to bring a docked e-bike share system to San Diego County, offering residents another way to get to their destination.
SAN DIEGO — There’s an effort to bring a docked e-bike share system to San Diego, offering residents another way to get to their destination. The system would allow riders to unlock electric bikes at designated stations typically using a QR code, ride to their destination, and return the bike to the nearest dock, with payment based on time used.
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The city of San Diego has attempted shared micro-mobility programs before. According to Ian Hembree with the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, The city previously tested docked bikes, dockless bikes, and scooters, but those systems were eventually phased out due to theft, vandalism and accessibility problems created by improperly parked vehicles.
The proposal addresses past failures by focusing exclusively on docked e-bikes with designated parking locations. “The previous system of having scooters and bikes falling down in the street because someone was inconsiderate when they docked it or when they parked it or they knocked it over as they were walking by like that is not going to happen, that is not a possibility with docked bike share they have to be parked in the dock that’s a requirement of the entire system,” said Ian Hembree, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
Electric bikes would overcome San Diego’s topographical challenges. “For e-bike share, the idea is that all of these bikes would be electric bikes in order to enable some of San Diego’s geographic limitations like hills to not matter as much and to increase ridership,” said Hembree.
Advocates are exploring multiple funding sources. “We’re looking at a bunch of different sources for funding that would ultimately not require any taxes on people or large user fees,” said Ian Hembree, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
“Partner with MTS, cause I think you know with their fiscal situation going on they need more ridership and so bike share can enable more ridership by connecting people to transit better we want to get the communities on board early and have them see the value in bike share so we’re hoping to address that and then cost wise we think that we can have a system that is at a lower cost,” said Ian Hembree, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
The initiative remains in early stages, with current efforts focused on building community support.