Howard County Exploring Bikeshare Potential

By Andrew Metcalf

Bikeshare, the bicycle sharing stands that are popping up in major cities around the globe, may be coming to Howard County.

County transportation officials are looking at where, or if, a bikeshare makes sense in the county, according to Ben Pickar, acting division chief of planning/transportation in the county.

"The county is in a preliminary stage of looking at a bikeshare," wrote Pickar, in an email. He said the county is about 65 percent through the process of hiring a consultant to conduct a feasibility study.

Pickar said the county is looking at four general areas to make rental bikes available:

1. Central Columbia (Howard Community College, Howard General Hospital, Downtown Columbia, Oakland Mills)
2. East Columbia (Gateway and the Dobbin Road areas)
3. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Maple Lawn area
4. The Route 1 Corridor in Elkridge and Jessup

Pickar said the feasibility study will analyze these areas to determine if bikeshare would work well at the locations, but also engage the public to find out residents' thoughts.

"The consultant for the bikeshare feasibility study is required to develop a plan/ process to engage the public and ask for their ideas and interest in locating bikeshare facilities in Howard County," wrote Pickar in an email.

Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C. is one of the most well-known area programs. The bikshare offers 1,800 rental bikes which are used by local residents and by tourists. The bikes can be rented from hundreds of locations for daily fees ($7) as well as monthly ($25) or annually ($75). Capital bikeshare was the first bikeshare to launch in North America when it opened in August of 2008, according to their website.

Montgomery County is the latest addition to the Capital Bikeshare program, when they announced they would launch 50 new sites in 2012.

Would you use a Howard County bikeshare?