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Proposed new Metro Bike Share fare structure. Image via Twitter
The proposal was released via a presentation to Metro's Westside Service Council, and then circulated via Twitter. Based on statements at T-Committee, the proposal is supposed to go to the Metro board at its May 24 monthly meeting. Before that, there should be more details via staff report for a committee hearing, probably the May 16 Metro Planning and Programming Committee.
Here are the proposed changes:
Single ride: currently $3.50, would drop to $1.75
Day Pass: not currently offered, would be $5 per day
Monthly Pass: currently $20, would drop to $17 ($5 for low income riders)
Annual Pass: not currently offered, would be $150 per year ($50 for low income riders)
Transfer: not currently offered, bike-share riders would get free transfer to any bus/rail trips that accept TAP (all Metro bus/rail and all L.A. County municipal bus)
If approved, the new bike-share fare structure will likely to remove some barriers to Metro Bike Share ridership.
What these changes would not address (and what Metro does not control directly) is how safe L.A. streets are for active transportation. For bike-share to thrive, the region needs more safe and comfortable places to bike. It also needs better walkability, which is effectively bike-share's first/last mile.
While downtown L.A. is arguably more walkable and has more of a bike network than much of southern California, it lags behind many other U.S. cities that have prioritized cyclist and pedestrian safety. L.A. bike-share utilization lags behind New York City, San Francisco, and Santa Monica - similar to the way that L.A. lacks the complete streets networks that those cities have implemented. Downtown L.A. is taking steps in the right direction with more and better facilities for walking, bicycling, and transit on the way - from My Figueroa to Main & Spring Forward to the Regional Connector subway. As these and other street improvements come online, bike-share ridership can expand beyond just the "strong and fearless" to the average Angeleno.
L.A. County needs to embrace physically-protected bikeways, robust traffic calming around schools, and similarly transformative, safety-focused projects
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