SGV Connect 38 – Gotcha Comes to the San Gabriel Valley

Earlier this month, shared-use mobility company Gotcha announced a partnership with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to bring a regional, 1,000-bike, bike-share system to a dozen cities. The bikes will be rolled out this summer.

This week, Damien talks to Sean Flood, the CEO of Gotcha. The discussion covers how this contract came to be, a timetable for the rollout and how users will access the system through smartphone apps and a card system similar to TAP.

Recently, Flood completed a trip on Gotcha’s new electronic tricycles from the home office in Charleston, S.C. to Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest. You can see a video of the trip here:

But first, Damien and Kris discuss an article that appeared in the Pasadena Star-News earlier this week that both Pasadena and Alhambra are working to acquire the unconnected “710 stubs” of freeway that are inside their city borders. Currently, the stubs are still owned by Caltrans, but if the cities get control they could implement more creative and beneficial uses for the land than underutilized asphalt.

During our conversation, we reference a story Kris wrote for Streetsblog in 2013 about a block party that doubled as a rally for freeway expansion. If you’re interested in reading this classic Streetsblog piece, you can find it here.

#SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”