Funding approved for Pioneer Valley bike share program

The Pioneer Valley will soon join the ranks of major cities with its own bicycle-sharing program.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization approved $1.2 million in federal funding to help build the ValleyBike share system.

The collaborative program will involve Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Amherst, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and UMass Amherst. Northampton will serve as the lead community, responsible for managing the grant, with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in charge of coordinating operational efforts, according to Patrick Beaudry, communication and public engagement manager for the planning commission. The grant will fund most of the capital costs.

ValleyBike is expected to benefit employees and students in the area, as well as those who are looking for a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get around in their daily lives, said Wayne Feiden, Northampton’s planning and sustainability director.

Amherst Sustainability Coordinator Stephanie Ciccarello said, “People like the idea that they can use a bike to run an errand and come back without having to get their car. It’s healthier, quicker and very affordable.”

The system will be designed so that members, visitors and tourists, as well as those who don’t have or use banks or credit cards, can all use the bikes easily, Feiden said. The service is expected to improve access to commercial areas for those without cars, making the areas more desirable and opening up parking space for those who drive. It will also increase the areas that can be accessed by riders of other transportation in the area, including buses and rail. Traffic reduction is another expected benefit, though not a primary goal.

With Northampton and Springfield currently engaging in “complete streets” projects to make their communities more bike friendly, now is a great time to roll out a bike sharing system, Beaudry said.

The system will use heavy and durable bikes that have their own “brain.” Users will be able to pick up or drop off a bike at any station in the region, though most usage is expected to be within the city or town where the user picks a bike up.

The project is looking for system, bike, and station sponsors as well as general advertising to help offset operational costs, and corporations are already showing interest, according to Feiden.

Over the years, the region has made investments in biking infrastructure. But the communities involved in ValleyBike realized that a bike share program didn’t make financial sense for just one town.

The effort got a boost from the growing popularity of bike share programs across the country, which has led to a reduction in the cost of the technology involved.

“We know that any region that wants to thrive economically needs to retain young people, who are strong consumers of bike shares across the country,” Beaudry said.

The ValleyBike funding is expected to become available in October, with a launch targeted for next summer. The program will start with 234 bikes spread among 26 bike stations in four towns, operating from spring through the fall. After the initial build out, organizers plan to increase the number of stations and branch out into new communities that are already interested in joining, including South Hadley and Easthampton.

“One of the greatest things about this process has been the collaborative effort between the towns and the PVPC,” Ciccarello said. “The group process has been really rewarding.”