Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog LA

Open Thread: The Race for the First Bike-Share in L.A. County

BikeShareFINJoke1-940x520
Image: ##http://www.longbeachize.com/long-beach-may-be-first-city-in-la-county-to-implement-bike-share##LongBeachize##

There's been a slow war between three Los Angeles County cities to see who would be the first to have an official, large-scale bike-share system. Sorry, Beverly Hills, your 50 bike system doesn't count.

This week Santa Monica, Long Beach and Los Angeles all had some news on the bike-share front. It appears that Santa Monica is now in the pedaler's saddle. According to Assemblymember Richard Bloom, who wrote in Santa Monica Next's comments section, CycleHop could have bikes on the ground within weeks.

Meanwhile, Long Beach was staking claim to first-in-the-county status, but just announced this week that its contract with NextBike had fallen through and it was also moving forward with CycleHop. CycleHop will be working with a local operator and needs to sign a contract with said operator soon.

Last, Streetsblog Los Angeles unearthed a contract for a thousand-bike bike-share system to come to the City of Los Angeles via Metro (LACMTA) in early 2016. This being Los Angeles County, the city/Metro contract will of course have a different technology than the ones in Santa Monica and Long Beach, raising some disgruntled murmurings from civic leaders in Santa Monica.

Many people that read this site are in California cities that already have bike-share. So, help us out! What should the three L.A. County cities be looking for as they bring their systems online? What should residents and other bike-share users expect during those first weeks? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Covina to Begin Construction on Recreation Village

The new facility will be next to the Metrolink station and include a variety of opportunities for fitness and amusement

July 26, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Have Cities Run Out of Land?

Chris Redfearn of USC and Anthony Orlando of Cal Poly Pomona on why "pro-business" Texas housing markets are catching up to "pro-regulation" California and what it might mean for future city growth.

July 26, 2024

Friday’s Headlines

Oakland identifies sites for speed camera pilot; E-bike tariffs conflict with US climate policy; Pollution spikes around warehouses, shipping hubs; More

July 26, 2024

What the Heck is Going on with the State E-bike Incentive Program?

The program's launch has been delayed for two years, and currently "there is no specific timeline" for it. Plus the administrator, Pedal Ahead, is getting dragged, but details are vague

July 26, 2024

The Paris Plan for Olympic Traffic? Build More Bike Lanes

A push to make Paris fully bikable for the Olympics is already paying dividends long before the opening ceremonies.

July 25, 2024
See all posts