A new pay-as-you-go bike-sharing program, proposed by the National Capital Commission, is in the final stages of completion.
A new pay-as-you-go bike-sharing program, proposed by the National Capital Commission, is in the final stages of completion.
The NCC initially requested support in the form of proposed bids for the program in 2008, but it was not well received. However, the NCC altered its strategy which then attracted interest from the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, making it a three-way partnership for the public transport plan.
Interest in the project began in late 2008 when then-transportation minister Lawrence Cannon met with the mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau along with NCC representatives. It was decided that the program would benefit both Ottawa and Gatineau residents, and that the NCC would pilot the program.
However, Lucie Caron, director of communications with the NCC, says the 2008 proposal did not attract any bids.
“With no bids for the proposed bike sharing program, this past spring we reconfigured the request and went out to the market. We got two proposals and we’re in the final stages of getting it settled,” Caron says.
Caron says the NCC is working co-operatively with Ottawa and Gatineau and hoping for the program to be completed by the spring.
Media spokesperson Jasmine Leduc confirmed the NCC’s expectation for 50 stations and 500 bicycles to be available in Canada’s capital region and on both sides of the river by next year.
Cycling advocates are hoping for the program to help promote the use of bicycles more as a change to the traditional modes of transportation.
Tom Trottier, a former president for the Citizens for Safe Cycling, says he thinks the bike-sharing program is a great idea and the sooner it’s in service the better.
“I think it will get more people cycling as well as more tourists coming in and seeing Ottawa in a different way. It will be of great benefit to those needing to run errands as it would be quicker using a bike than waiting in traffic,” says Trottier.
But Trottier says he wonders why it’s taking so long to get the program off the ground.
“It would have been nice if they had done it this year. But now it would make more sense for them to implement the program in the spring, more so than in the winter, and the sooner they do it, the better for cyclists and other users of public transport,” says Trottier.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes says the bike-sharing program is a great idea and supports it for the benefit of residents.
“I think it’s really useful for particularly the downtown areas for people who would walk and could just use a bike for short trips to do errands. Tourists would be able to get down from their hotel to the tourist spots in the city using the bicycles. All in all, many would benefit from the program,” says Holmes.
Holmes says with the bike sharing program proving to work well in other cities such as Montreal and Paris, Ottawa will be a great fit for the project.
“I know the NCC were trying to get (the program) up and running this past summer, but I’m certainly hoping that next year the NCC will be able to start it without any delay,” says Holmes.