More Nice Ridebike share stations like the one above are planned for North Minneapolis.
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While many Twin Cities residents brave the elements to get around on two wheels throughout the year, most riders store their bikes during the cold winter months. With the arrival of longer days and warmer temperatures, cyclists are now tuning up bikes in anticipation of spring riding. But it isn’t only bicycle owners who can make the most of the upcoming cycling season.
Bike sharing is a concept that has taken hold in Minneapolis and St. Paul with commuters and recreation seekers alike finding cycling a convenient alternative to driving and other transit options. This change in habits has been made possible with the success of Nice Ride Minnesota, a nonprofit organization that maintains a growing fleet of more than 1,300 rental bicycles. Subscribers register for access to bikes at a price of $6 per day or $65 for a year. Using a bicycle for a period of up to a half hour results in no further cost, but additional trip fees can be applied for longer rides.
Nice Ride’s ubiquitous lime green bikes can be found at nearly 150 bike share stations throughout the Twin Cities, though locations in Camden have been somewhat limited to date. Cycling enthusiasts and alternative transit advocates in the area are thus sure to be pleased that an expanded bike share network is planned for parklands in North Minneapolis.
Last month, the Federal Transit Administration awarded a $504,000 grant that will fund the installation of 17 Nice Ride bike share stations along the North Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Funding for stations is part of the Transit in the Parks program, a federal initiative directed at improving access to national parks, forests and wildlife refugees. Funding bike share stations reflects the program’s focus on providing alternative forms of transit to and within National Park Service (NPS) sites.
“Nice Ride is part of a larger effort to get more people to the river without a car,” said Susan Overson, a landscape architect and park planner with the NPS. She noted that while bike share stations can be found at a few national park sites—including San Antonio Missions and the National Mall in Washington D.C.—the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is the first to feature an integrated bike share system. “Nice Ride is one of the most successful bike share systems in the country,” Overson said, “and this project is a one of its kind in a national park.”
National Park Service Superintendent at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Paul Labovitz noted that the NPS has already helped to fund more than 50 Nice Ride stations in the Twin Cities. “This recent award will expand the bike share network to North Minneapolis, providing access to parks and green spaces like never before. It builds on the extremely successful partnership between the National Park Service, Nice Ride Minnesota and local river communities to provide access to the Mississippi River, while reducing emissions, congestion and protecting the environment.”
The bike share sites covered by the latest round of grant funding are scheduled to be installed in 2014. Station locations are still to be determined, though grant restrictions require they be located within a quarter mile of the river. That doesn’t mean, however, that additional bike share stations won’t be appearing throughout the Northside neighborhoods, and on a more immediate timeline than next year.
Bill Dossett, Executive Director of Nice Ride Minnesota, said that while long-term planning for next year’s installations is underway, more immediate priorities include setting up additional bike share stations in 2013, including in the Camden Community. Webber Park, for example, is slated to be among the more than 20 new sites providing access to hourly bike rentals. Dossett suggests interested residents visit Nice Ride’s website (niceridemn.org) for the most current info on bike sharing locations. He also encourages Camdenites to provide input on the placement of future bike share stations via email (customerservice @niceride.org).