HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/1/2019 Item 09, Borges
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Mark Christopher Borges <maborges@calpoly.edu>
Sent:Tuesday, October 1, 2019
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Student's Perspective of Proposed Bike Share Program
Hi all,
The following was shared with Mayor Harmon, but I am sending my perspective of the Study Session item for
a proposed Bike Share program here to reach the full Council. Have a great day!
***
Hi all,
I've talked with many students about this proposal, and I can say with certainty that students absolutely want
to see a Bike Share program implemented within the City and on Cal Poly's campus. As you know, first-year
students are not allowed to bring their cars to campus unless they meet a fairly strict exemption policy, so
they would be high usage consumers of a service like this. I believe the elephant in the room with this
proposal is not necessarily a question of yes or no, but a question of docked bikes or dock-less bikes. From the
student perspective and in terms of accessibility, I think dock-less bikes are favored. Here are the reasons I
have gathered:
Increased safety - If individuals are utilizing the bikes at night, docking bikes at a pre-determined spot
may mean they must walk in poorly lighted areas to get home.
Increased accessibility - If the fear in this proposal is that people may not use the bikes, going dock-less
would surely increase usage for the ease that it presents.
Greater success of pilot programming - I think a pilot program is probably the smarted move
regardless of dock/dock-less bikes, but I believe the City would see more success in piloting a dock-less
service rather than a few docked bikes.
Innovation is key - I think it's easy to get hung-up on the challenges a dock-less program could create;
however, I would encourage the City to put the proposal up for an RFP process just to see what options
exist and what business can offer SLO. This market is fluctuating and adapting to challenges so rapidly
that I wouldn't be surprised if there was a dock-less company out there that had many solutions to the
issues we think of when we think dock-less.
If the City does wish to increase city-wide bicycle use to 20% of all transportation trips by 2035, I think this
would be an excellent step in that direction. Unfortunately, I have class until 10 PM today, but I know Rob
Moore, Chair of the ASI Board of Directors, and Kylie Clark, Chair of our External Affairs Committee, will be in
attendance. In addition, I believe some students from the sustainability groups on campus will be in
attendance to advocate for a Bike Share program.
Please reach out if I can clarify any points or answer any questions. I appreciate all you do for students!
Best,
1
Mark Borges (he, him, his)
ASI President
Associated Students, Inc.
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0675
P: 805-756-5828
asi.calpoly.edu
2