Boston awaits proposals for bike-share program

Boston is awaiting proposals for what could be the first bike-sharing program in a major American city.

The program, likely to be modeled in part on a successful service in Paris, France, would enable people to rent bikes for short-term use from numerous stations throughout the city for a modest fee. The assumption is that the rented bikes could reduce the use of cars for short errands, lessening traffic, emissions and wear and tear on roads.

In Paris, according to a recent Boston Globe Magazine story, there are more than 20,000 bikes for rent spread among 1,450 rental stations. Because of the way the program is structured, the city is said to be generating almost 9 million euros a year in revenue.

Boston, working in coordination with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the neighboring communities of Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville, and several area universities, issued its request-for-proposal for the bike-share program in early March. Nicole Freedman, Boston’s bicycle programs director, declined to comment on the potential shape of the program while the RFP is still in the field.

In the Globe Magazine article, the manager of the Paris program described a number of factors that have made the service successful, including low fares, a dense and comprehensive network of rental stations, and means of ensuring that the rental bikes remain in good condition.

In Boston, according to David Watson, executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, success will depend not only on how the bike-share program is structured but also on infrastructure improvements such as bike lanes and signage as well as greater safety awareness among cyclists, motorists and pedestrians.

“I do think this represents an opportunity for people whom we don’t normally think of as bicyclists to use a bicycle to get around for short trips,” Watson said.