Launched last summer, the regional bike share program is looking to expand this spring to one thousand bikes in one hundred kiosks, according to Air District officials who administer the five-city, three-county pilot program and view it as a success.
"Three months after it pedaled to a long-awaited start, the regional Bay Area Bike Share program is on a roll and planners are already working to make it bigger," writes the San Francisco Chronicle's transportation reporter, Michael Cabanatuan, on the pilot program launched August 29.
Officials from the Bay Area Air Quality (Management) District which is funding and overseeing the program, consider it a success.
"We're very pleased with it," said Ralph Borrmann, an air district spokesman. "It's comparable to how programs in other large cities across the country have done at this point."
Cabanatuan writes that half of all bikes will be based in San Francisco where ridership is highest, as one would expect, with San Jose a "distant second". Redwood City, Palo Alto, and Mountain View have the remaining bikes, all connected by the Caltrain commuter rail line which runs down the San Francisco Peninsula.
There are no bikes in the heavily populated East Bay that is served by BART, a heavy rail line that carries the most passengers in the Bay Area after San Francisco's MUNI.
However, BABS' coverage of San Francisco, even with the expansion, will still be lacking according to bike advocates.
Leah Shahum, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, described Bay Area Bike Share as a success but said the program needs to expand both in the areas it already serves by adding more bikes and more stations, as well as growing outward into new neighborhoods. "We're worried that there's no plan to get to 3,000 bikes," she added.
FULL STORY: Bay Area Bike Share shifts into expansion mode

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie