FAQs • Redmond, WA • CivicEngage

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Bike Share

1. How will I use bike share?: Each company is independent and has its own system of bikes and phone application. The phone application is used to find bikes, then to unlock a bicycle, and pay for rides (certain companies offer the first ride for free). Phone applications may be found via company websites, the Apple or Google Play stores.

2. How will bike share be implemented?: The City of Redmond is considering a pilot program. Under the current concept being considered, the city would regulate bike share through a right-of-way use permit which contains conditions the company must follow to operate, and continue to operate in Redmond. The City will monitor the performance of each company throughout the pilot program and can revoke the permit of a permittee that is not meeting the requirements.

3. When would bike share be implemented?

The City of Redmond is considering a fall implementation of bike share. The right-of-way permit code (RMC 12.08) would need to first be amended to require a permit for vendors to operate bike share in Redmond. This will require an ordinance to be approved by City Council. City Council agendas can be viewed here.

Once the code amendment is adopted, bike share permits can then be issued. Private companies would then be allowed to apply for a permit which includes insurance, bonding, and indemnification of the city.

4. How will the City control bike clutter and parking?: The permit requirements are in consideration and some areas of focus are:

• limiting the number of bikes allowed in Redmond and subareas
• responsiveness to citizen complaints
• moving any bicycles that are a nuisance, a hazard, or in a walkway
• bicycle maintenance
• remedies to address the above issues

5. How much will this cost the City?: Bike share service would be provided by these companies at no cost to the city. The permit will include indemnification, liability insurance, bonding in case of termination, and reimbursement of any city staff time for monitoring and bike moving.

6. Why is Redmond considering implementing bike share?: Redmond’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) envisions improved travel choices to provide mobility. One option to achieve this strategy is to implement bike share to improve access to bicycles. This will:

1. Provide bicycles for short trips: Convenient access to bicycles will enable short trips to be taken by bicycle instead of by car. This may potentially be a significant number of trips. The average trip length for all trips in Redmond is 2.2 miles or approximately a 15-minute bicycle ride.

2. First/last mile connections to transit: Certain bus or light rail trips are not competitive with car travel because the first mile to transit (e.g. home to bus stop) or the last mile from transit (e.g. bus to office) is too time-consuming. Bike share could provide bicycles near offices, transit stops, and homes (where appropriate) which can reduce the first/last mile trip time to 5 or 10 minutes. This will make transit time competitive with a car for certain trips thereby improving travel choices.

7. What are other neighboring cities doing?

Seattle and Bothell have pilot programs currently in operation while Bellevue and Kirkland are investigating their own pilot programs to be implemented in the coming months. Redmond city staff have been working in cooperation with staff from some of these cities, although each will produce their own unique bike share program.

Bellevue Bike Share website

Seattle has implemented free-floating bike share: Seattle Bike share website

8. What about helmets?: King County has a helmet law which applies in Redmond. This helmet law also applies in Seattle. Seattle’s bike share permit requires the bike share companies to “have visible language that notifies the user that… helmets shall be worn while riding a bicycle in King County…”. Currently, none of the Seattle bike share vendors are providing helmets. Redmond can enforce the helmet law, but is not obligated to. We are considering how to address this in the permit conditions.

9. If I see a bike that is parked wrong, on my property or needs maintenance, what do I do?

Please contact the particular bike share company either through the phone number on the bike or their phone app.

The City’s contact for this project is Peter Dane, Planner. Peter can be reached at pbdane@redmond.gov.