Environmental review processes and logistical issues are delaying the creation of a bike sharing program in San Francisco, announced in February by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Set to start with 50 bikes, some have criticized the program for aiming too low.
"Immediately following the news release - sent after Newsom, on a sister-city trip to Paris, saw that city's successful bike-sharing network - the San Francisco Bicycle Commission and other bicycling advocacy groups decried the small scale of the initial launch. The Parisian Velib system, advocates noted, began with thousands of bicycles.
'We want to expand bike sharing as much as possible as quickly as possible given the legal constraints that we're under,' said Judson True of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. 'That (size of program) is what the different private entities involved felt that they could manage initially.'
Officials say that getting the program off the ground involves several logistical issues. The program would be funded by advertising - Clear Channel has expressed interest - and membership fees, meaning that private interests must be taken into account, as well as the actual demand for shared bicycles. Additionally, officials have limited space to build bicycle storage stations.
The city is also constrained by a 2006 court injunction that prohibits any further bicycle development on city property until an environmental review has been completed."
FULL STORY: S.F. bike-sharing program part of growing trend
Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.
San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.
Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.
San Francisco to Reconsider Inclusionary Zoning as Development Slows to a Crawl
Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.
California Senate Committee Kills Freeway Expansion Bill
The proposed legislation would have prohibited new construction in historically underserved areas that often bear the burnt of the negative impacts of freeways.
Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns
A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
