A new Environmental Protection Agency report released today on the possibility of establishing a bikeshare program in Baton Rouge says there’s enough support for such a program, but a lot of work is needed for it to become a reality.
“Baton Rouge has a number of strengths that will contribute to its pursuit of a bikeshare system,” the report says, noting downtown revitalization, a higher-than-average share of young adults compared to the state, the recent adoption of a Complete Streets policy and ongoing work on a network of bike paths downtown.
Among the biggest obstacles to overcome are a lack of funding for a bikeshare program and the need for a safe, connected network of bike paths, the report says.
“The newness of bikeshare discussions in the region mean that the area’s partners requires additional and ongoing efforts to continue defining what bikeshare will look like,” the report says.
Baton Rouge was awarded a technical assistance grant from the EPA earlier this year to help develop a bikeshare program. EPA officials spent two days in Baton Rouge in late July and held a number of meetings to get public input on what kind of bikeshare program is desired. The EPA contracted with Asheville, North Carolina-based Kostelec Planning, with support from Orlando, Florida-based Renaissance Planning Group, to conduct the tours and public meetings that took place on July 28-29.
The report says city-parish leaders should next define a more refined concept of what the local bikeshare program will look like, based on the outcomes of the community meetings. That process could take anywhere from four to six months. The report outlines further steps to see a bikeshare program established, none of which could be taken in less than a year.
Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer says stakeholders from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Center for Planning Excellence and city-parish will hold a meeting in the coming weeks to discuss next steps.
“It’s a framework for us to begin a discussion on how to move forward. We’re going to be taking this report and assessing what we can do in Baton Rouge,” he says. “There is going to be a meeting in the next couple of weeks, but I think the bulk of the work will be done in early 2016.”
What the report makes clear is that the city-parish cannot establish a bikeshare program on its own.
“It will require partnerships between the public sector, private sector, universities, nonprofit organizations and other institutions,” the report says.
“The public, political leaders and stakeholders” have voiced “strong support” for a bikeshare program, the report says. However, it goes on to note “there is still some resistance in the community,” adding “a plan that identifies incremental/phased changes in infrastructure and/or citywide programs could help possible resistance to change and capitalize on existing support.”
—Steve Sanoski
