HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10033 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10033
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council August 1, 2017
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x SUBJECT: DOCKLESS BIKE SHARE OPERATORS
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Globally,bike sharing systems are popular ways to allow the short-term use of bicycles for transportation or recreation trips.
The United States currently has 119 networks,with nine individual systems in Texas alone. Traditional bike share systems
have utilized fixed stations that require a user to dock the bicycle in a station at the end of a trip. Earlier this year, dockless
bike share systems pioneered in Asia and have subsequently spread to Europe and the U.S. This new type of bike share is
an app-based system designed so a user can locate and check out a bicycle using his or her phone and leave the bicycle
within the public right-of-way at his or her final destination without needing a station. Bicycles use an onboard lock that
clamps the real wheel,prohibiting the bicycle from being ridden until it is unlocked via the app.
Fort Worth Bike Sharing (FWBS), created by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, began operating in Fort Worth in
April 2013 with 30 stations in the central city and has now grown to 46 stations and 350 bicycles. Like similar systems in
Austin, El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston, FWBS operates using B-Cycle equipment created by bicycle manufacturer
Trek. FWBS is a self-sustaining, board-governed, 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, separate from any government or
municipality. Stations are located both within the public right-of-way and on private property. For stations located in the
public right-of-way,FWBS enters into an encroachment agreement with the City of Fort Worth for use of the right-of-way.
On January 15,2013,the City Council approved Council Proposal 292,authorizing a waiver of permitting and encroachment
fees for installation of bike sharing stations. An annual membership to FWBS costs $80.00 with unlimited free rides of less
than 1 hour. FWBS daily memberships are $8.00 with unlimited free rides of 30 minutes or less.
Vbikes is a Garland-based for-profit company and has recently approached the City requesting to operate within the right-
of-way. Vbikes users pay a$99.00 refundable deposit with rides costing$1.00 per hour. The City Code does not allow the
commercial use of public space or the display of merchandise on public right-of-way without the City's consent or a permit.
Due to the transient nature of dockless bike share systems, the encroachment agreement process used with FWBS does not
fit the Vbikes business model. In order for Vbikes to operate legally within the City right-of-way,a mechanism to document
the City's approval-- such as establishing a permit process or other right-of-way use agreement—seems to be necessary.
Dockless bike share systems have raised concerns among public officials in other cities. When not in use, the bicycles are
left in the public right-of-way and,if not parked correctly,can obstruct ADA curb ramps and clutter pedestrian paths. Other
U.S. cities have created legal processes and permits to regulate and mitigate some of these concerns.
City staff therefore proposes to prepare an ordinance by which dockless bike share operators might obtain the City's
permission to use the right-of-way. Such an ordinance would include a permit or an agreement along with regulations
pertaining to liability insurance and indemnifications,restrictions on eligible bicycle parking zones,minimum bicycle safety
standards and maintenance schedules, enforcement and permit/agreement revocation processes, and annual fees and
applications.
City staff will work with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission to formulate this ordinance for discussion at a
City Council work session later this year. If you have any questions about this matter in the meantime, please contact
Randle Harwood,Planning and Development Director, at 817-392-6101.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS