Do the Spokies racks also allow space for privately owned bikes to be secured there also? Looks like we should in general build and promote bike usage, including privately owned ones. Perhaps the city could mandate that for every parking lot (especially surface ones) a special tax be levied and a requirement to provide secure bike racks at some ratio to car spaces.

A special use tax on non-structured parking receipts could be used to pay for new Spokies locations and or other mass trans options.

Wasn't there some bike racks for personal bikes sprinkled around in Project 180 or was that just a concept that was considered at one point?

There was a bike rack project implemented downtown about five or six years ago involving some folks from Urban Neighbors, DOKC and (I think) utilizing some BID money. Additionally, P180 includes a significant number of bike racks, many of which have already been installed. Spokies has exactly ZERO to do with limiting other biking downtown; in fact it encourages more bike use by visually demonstrating the bikeability of the area. Since the advent of Spokies (and in fairness, the new bike lanes and sharrows), I have seen far more personal bikes downtown. Where some of this conversation comes from, I have no earthly idea.

As of today, zero local tax dollars have gone into the Spokies bike share program. Initial funding came from federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grants in 2009. Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. supported the launch with $50,000 cash in 2011, and the program has earned more than $30,000 in revenue through rental and membership fees May 2012-May 2013.

City Council and/or the BID may consider adding funds to the Spokies program in future years, but Spokies contributions are not in either of those budgets for the next fiscal year. Spokies is self-sustaining at this point. The only "tax money" you can say is spent on Spokies is the staff time devoted to making it successful.

Regarding the need for Spokies to grow in an incremental fashion, several things are important to note:


The "best practices" in the industry call for bike rental stations to be no more than 300 meters apart.
Taking into account the size and lack of density in downtown, Spokies has actually moved considerably OUTSIDE of that 300 meter comfort bubble to 800+ yards in some cases.
Spokies (and other shares) are designed first and foremost to be a type of transit, not as a novelty ride-around service for tourists or others. If tourists and people wanting to sight-see/ride aimlessly enjoy them too, that's great! But they are designed to be a practical way to move from one part of downtown to another without needing a car.
More than a half-mile between stations makes it unlikely that bikes will move from station to station, as designed. The business model calls for 30 minute checkouts before overage charges begin. Sticking to this 30 minute limit at an isolated station could seem like a "gotcha" to users trying to get to another far-flung station, but deviating from it could cause extreme equipment shortage during heavy demand. Either way, bad customer service.
An isolated outpost more than half a mile from the next nearest Spokies station would make it impractical to reach from most if not all other Spokies racks. This would then limit the rider to renting for a half hour and riding around in a circle before returning to the same rack, OR paying an overage charge. Not customer-friendly. Scaling and leapfrogging to eventually reach the farther outposts will eliminate this. It will take a little more time, but will be more practical, customer-friendly and functional.
The rack system runs around $50K per installation. To get to someplace (say OCU) using best practices would require multiple interim racks. So while it might be fun to think about a place like that as a destination, it will require several hundred thousand dollars' worth of racks installed between there and downtown for it to make sense. Plaza and Uptown, though closer, also require multiple interim racks before they will be practical.
There will be six new racks installed over the next three years. The locations are TBD, but they will be downtown. This will be funded by a three year, $100K-per-year ($300K) sponsorship secured by DOKC. Principals have agreed to sponsorship; it is awaiting corporate legal review before signing and announcement.
Theoretically more stations than the six could be installed, but would require someone else to underwrite them, and if they are outside of the "bubble" from the next closest station, someone would also have to fund the required stations in between. If an interested party on Western or elsewhere wanted to pursue this approach, by all means they could do it.
Everyone is appealing to the City of OKC on this issue, but City has very little to do with it at this point. The program is run by Downtown Oklahoma City Incorporated. Their priority now is obviously downtown. That said, it is NOT using BID funds, so they don't HAVE to be within the BID boundaries, and DOKC is very open to other areas, provided downtown is properly served and provided the new outlying areas conform to the business model (that is, are within the prescribed distance of another Spokies station.
No City of OKC money has been put into the program to this point. This was funded by a federal energy efficiency grant. Another $50K was put in by Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., using privately-raised funds (not BID dollars).
Spokies, thanks to good management and an enthusiastic public, is currently in the black $5500 without any public assistance.
The next rack to be installed will be in the Boathouse District, this summer.
Other locations currently being considered include (in no particular order), are Flim Row, Hudson/Eighth area around Elemental, Skirvin area, Downtown YMCA, North Bricktown.
The committee deciding locations will include the City of Oklahoma City Office of Sustainability, Downtown Oklahoma City Incorporated staff, City Planners, and paid members of Spokies. The sponsor will not be involved in deciding on rack locations.

As of today, zero local tax dollars have gone into the Spokies bike share program. Initial funding came from federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grants in 2009. Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. supported the launch with $50,000 cash in 2011, and the program has earned more than $30,000 in revenue through rental and membership fees May 2012-May 2013.

City Council and/or the BID may consider adding funds to the Spokies program in future years, but Spokies contributions are not in either of those budgets for the next fiscal year. Spokies is self-sustaining at this point. The only "tax money" you can say is spent on Spokies is the staff time devoted to making it successful.
Hey! Glad you joined the conversation! I was typing away on my post and you got yours in before mine. But just so everyone knows, OkieStar is my source on all of this info, and the person who can answer ALL of your questions about Spokies. I've been trying to get her to post here on for a while. There literally is no better source on this particular subject, plus many, many others related to downtown/BID/DOKC. Happy she's posting here.

My first post, and I already have to correct myself! Just found out the City did put in some money up front to start Spokies, adding to the federal grant money. So "zero tax dollars" isn't accurate. About a third of those initial infrastructure costs were put up by the City and the other two thirds came from grants. But Spokies is sustaining itself, and all program expenses (including marketing, maintenance, etc.) are recovered by collecting usage fees and sponsor money. Hope that clarifies it a bit.

What you need to explain is how you spent over $300,000 of tax money on bicycles, yet none of the nearby poor neighborhoods received any.

What you need to explain is how you spent over $300,000 of tax money on bicycles, yet none of the nearby poor neighborhoods received any.

Which neighborhoods are you talking about?

Medical Community, Shidler Wheeler, Capitol Hill, Stockyards City, and Linwood

What you need to explain is how you spent over $300,000 of tax money on bicycles, yet none of the nearby poor neighborhoods received any.

You may have some confusion on who is pulling this together. It's not the city fathers ignoring other areas for the CBD and adjoining areas. The force behind getting the funds, and the group that put up some of its own funds, is Downtown OKC Inc. If they were not focused on their immediate sphere, it would be strange.

Indeed, it would be as strange as seeing a business focus group from Capitol Hill or other near by area seeking grants and deciding to spend those funds outside their sphere.

I must say I am surprised by the success of Spokies. When it was announced I thought "oh that's cute" and dismissed it as a novelty. It is not really something I see myself using. Like a lot of people, if it doesn't hit my interests I tend to discount it. I'm trying not to do that, but it had about the same appeal to me as someone building a million dollar theater for shadow puppets. "That's... nice... I guess."

But in this case I am happy to be proven wrong. The city needs lots of amenities, not just for people who like the same things I like. If this program is doing as well as everyone says, then there was clearly a pent up demand for this kind of service.

Medical Community, Shidler Wheeler, Capitol Hill, Stockyards City, and Linwood

Those place are still pretty far away for a bike ride given the streets people would have to ride on. Maybe if there was a dedicated bike path which could connect all those places someone might brave it. However, the three main target populations for these types of programs are 1) People who work downtown, 2) tourist, 3) downtown residents who don't have bikes due to small living space. If you live in Linwood why would you pay for a Spokies membership when you could just buy a bike at Wal-Mart for $100 (or $10 at a yard sale)?

I'm currently in Santa Monica, CA and have noticed where they do not have room for a bike rack on the sidewalk they instead occupy one parking space and install an in street bike rack. This is a creative solution we might look into for our program if a location is deemed logistically unable to support a bike share rack because of lack of sidewalk space.

Those place are still pretty far away for a bike ride given the streets people would have to ride on. Maybe if there was a dedicated bike path which could connect all those places someone might brave it. However, the three main target populations for these types of programs are 1) People who work downtown, 2) tourist, 3) downtown residents who don't have bikes due to small living space. If you live in Linwood why would you pay for a Spokies membership when you could just buy a bike at Wal-Mart for $100 (or $10 at a yard sale)?
Better yet, why would you rent a bike in the medical community, or Stockyards City, or anywhere else when you can't ride somewhere else and return it to a different rack? You're just going to ride it around in a circle for 30 minutes and drop it off at the same place? The whole point of this program is to create connectivity between places and take car miles off of the streets; hence the energy grant. This is not about putting rentable toys into random neighborhoods. Some of those neighborhoods very well may become a part of the program someday, but there is not some conspiracy to deny services to anybody, but rather to create something that can succeed and grow to serve as many as possible.

What you need to explain is how you spent over $300,000 of tax money on bicycles, yet none of the nearby poor neighborhoods received any.

This is designed to serve a geographic area, not a demographic group. It neither targets nor excludes anyone based upon income.

This program didn't use local taxes, it's a hit, and it's expanding. Why do you hate bicycles so much?

This is designed to serve a geographic area, not a demographic group. It neither targets nor excludes anyone based upon income.

This program didn't use local taxes, it's a hit, and it's expanding. Why do you hate bicycles so much?

It probably isn't an opposition to bicycles as much as it is some groups are just used to being first in line for taxpayer funded programs and they get a little defensive when someone else gets priority/consideration.

Those place are still pretty far away for a bike ride given the streets people would have to ride on. Maybe if there was a dedicated bike path which could connect all those places someone might brave it. However, the three main target populations for these types of programs are 1) People who work downtown, 2) tourist, 3) downtown residents who don't have bikes due to small living space. If you live in Linwood why would you pay for a Spokies membership when you could just buy a bike at Wal-Mart for $100 (or $10 at a yard sale)?
The Medical Community is a little over a mile away from 10th and Broadway. (http://goo.gl/maps/2ZGDI) Why would someone pay $75 a year for unlimited bike usage? Because they have carpel tunnel or arthritis and can't maintain their own bike? Because they would like to ride a $500 bike without buying a $500 bike? Because it is a good deal for short rides? In other words the same reasons the downtown bigshots would want to ride Spokies.

Better yet, why would you rent a bike in the medical community, or Stockyards City, or anywhere else when you can't ride somewhere else and return it to a different rack? You're just going to ride it around in a circle for 30 minutes and drop it off at the same place?
I think you are not aware of how close these underpriviledged neighborhoods are to downtown. Linwood is about a mile away and so is the Medical Community. You would have to ride your bike at under 3 mph from these locations to not make it to the closes station within 30 minutes.

This is designed to serve a geographic area, not a demographic group. It neither targets nor excludes anyone based upon income.

Geographic areas don't vote. Geographic areas don't have a voice.

It probably isn't an opposition to bicycles as much as it is some groups are just used to being first in line for taxpayer funded programs and they get a little defensive when someone else gets priority/consideration.
I would say using government funds to empower people to transport themselves is one of the biggest bangs for the buck out there. Bicycling builds confidence, burns calories, enables employment.

If I have to spell it out for you, this centers around morality. Morality is the basis for legitimate authority/leadership. It's immoral to spend tax money for the benefit of downtown residents and retail to the exclusion of the nearby poor. That's why your accusation of entitlement is so far off base, Just the facts. But I have better things to do than argue about the immorality of a bicycle program.

LandRunOkie,

Why don't you just petition for a few Spokies stations to be set up in, say, the Western Avenue District or some place like that, that's between downtown and where you're talking about. That way, the area between can be filled. It seems like that's the only thing that's gonna satisfy you.

Anyone know if there are any plans for a rack at the Legacy at Arts Quarter complex?

I like the options for the new kiosks but I think I prefer the Sheridan and Dewey location the best since I spend so much time at the Paramount and I already have a kiosk a block from my office on 9th street.

Spokies is sponsoring a series of Tuesday evening bike tours, starting with a food & wine tour on Oct. 1.

Bike use is free!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FoodWine

*****

Sign up today for the Food & Wine Bike Tour. The tour is absolutely free and led by an expert guide.

Bicycles for the tour will be provided, free of charge, courtesy of the Spokies bike share program. Reservations requesting Spokies bikes will be limited to 30 people per tour, but you're welcome to bring your own bike.

Spokies bike riders must be at least 16 years of age and sign a liability waiver before checking out the bike. Because of the size of Spokies bicycles, it is recommended that all riders be 5’3” or taller.

To reserve your space, complete and submit the following form. A separate form should be submitted for each attendee. Because the number of Spokies bikes is limited, completing this form doesn't guarantee that a bike will be reserved for you. We'll reserve the bikes for attendees on a first-come-first-served basis and email you a confirmation about 1 week before your scheduled tour.

Each tour begins at 6 p.m. and lasts about an hour and a half. For more information, click the Downtown OKC Bike Tours button at DowntownOKC.com.

Upcoming Downtown OKC Bike Tours:
Oct. 8 – Parks & Nature
Oct. 15 – Downtown Living
Oct. 22 – Public Works
Oct. 29 – Ghost Stories Tour

I went on the History tour that was led by Bob Blackburn last year and had a great time. I was actually thinking about that this morning as I was putting away my free Spokies t-shirt that I got on the tour. I don't wear a lot of t-shirts but I love this one. It fits so well and is very comfortable. I even got a free spokies bike helmet. I imagine these tours will fill up fast this year.

Spokie-ing through downtown:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76tTJBwRgLU

Spokie-ing through downtown:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76tTJBwRgLU

As much as I appreciated that video, it made me a little nauseous.

An update on Spokies.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3949641?embargo=1

An update on Spokies.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3949641?embargo=1


Was wondering when that was coming out...

When I was at the Paseo Arts Festival this weekend I saw that someone was there ON A SPOKIE. I admire that he did that instead of driving, BUT, he had to walk it around with him everyone because he didn't have a lock and was responsible for it, plus would be paying the extra charges beyond 30 mins... wonder what his total bill was for the round trip... might be time for him to pick up a craigslist bike for such adventures...

Also interesting, my sister from NYC said she liked our bikes better than their citibikes, which surprised me...

Spokies gave me some major problems. I'll tell more a little later.

I've noticed a lot of the bikes are in poor shape or completely inoperable. Also, if you rent a damaged bike and return it you could be charged for the damages even if you weren't the one to damage it. Make sure that your bike is in good condition before you rent it. Spokies is a great idea but for it to work people have to respect the property and not destroy it.

You can report damage to a bike at the kiosk, which will lock it in place until it's repaired. So if you get a bike out, find that it's damaged, check it right back in and report the damage. Then check out a new bike. A pain, but necessary to have that paper trail.

I understand that.

I'm not sure how this will affect the program, but COPTA is taking control of the Spokies program.


On March 27, 2012, the City entered into a professional services agreement with
Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. to provide management services for the
Oklahoma City Bike Share Program (Spokies). The contract was renewed July 1,
2012 and July 1, 2013. The current contract expires June 30, 2014.

Bike share can be an effective complement to public transportation by increasing
mobility options and enhancing the overall tranportation network. Bike share
systems provide users of the existing public transportation system an option for a
short point to point trip. Due to the transit nature of the program and the
possibities that exist to further integrate Bike Share with the existing public
transportation system, the City has requested that COTPA accept administrative
responsibility for the program.

I always suspected this would happen eventually.

Is this a bad thing?

So long as its treated as an integrated part of the system and continues to grow I think it's fine. If it gets pigeon-holed and thus doesn't change or grow then it's a problem.

Glad they are expanding. I would like to see better quality bikes though and a helmet rental option. I also think it would be neat if they had an app where you could pay with your phone and use it to find other spokie locations.

The Spokies bike-share program has been under new management since August and will soon add another station.

Read more: http://journalrecord.com/2014/11/14/pedaling-product-cotpa-to-expand-bike-program-general-news/#ixzz3JI3HmJgz

M
Glad they are expanding. I would like to see better quality bikes though and a helmet rental option. I also think it would be neat if they had an app where you could pay with your phone and use it to find other spokie locations.

The Spokies bike-share program has been under new management since August and will soon add another station.

Read more: Pedaling product: COTPA to expand bike program | The Journal Record (http://journalrecord.com/2014/11/14/pedaling-product-cotpa-to-expand-bike-program-general-news/#ixzz3JI3HmJgz)

Pedaling product: COTPA to expand bike program
By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record November 14, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Spokies bike-share program has been under new management since August and will soon add another station.

The Spokies program, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, was previously operated by Downtown OKC Inc., but is now being managed by the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority. Bikes can be rented through the Spokies membership program, which has three levels.

Memberships come with unlimited 30-minute rides and cost $5 for one day, $20 for one month, and $75 for one year. The bikes can be ridden for only 30 minutes at a time, then must be checked in and another bike can be checked out.

Megan White, COTPA marketing coordinator, said the authority will open a new station in the next six months and add 30 bikes to the fleet. The program started with 95 bikes and now has only 55, due to bikes being damaged beyond repair or going missing. In the last 12 months, 1,100 to 1,400 trips per day were recorded on the bikes.

White said a committee will review Spokies’ growth plan and determine a new location to best fit that plan.

Ultimately, COTPA would like to grow the program outside of downtown, but that comes with a challenge.

There was already a Spokies expansion plan in place, so that will be reviewed as the authority grows the program.

“Each station can only be a half-mile from each other,” said Jeanne Smith, Oklahoma River Transit manager and Spokies administrator.

The authority will soon enter into an agreement with Bicycle Transit Systems, the original bike-share group, to help improve the program. As Smith said, the program is meant to promote bikes as alternative transportation for quick 30-minute trips in the city.

“The main purpose of the program is transit,” she said. “You’re downtown and you want to go to lunch, so instead of jumping in your car, you jump on a bike. It’s mainly designed to cut down on traffic congestion.”

When fewer cars are being driven, air quality can improve. With COTPA in charge, the authority can cite the program when applying for federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grants, White said.

“It made sense as we’re writing grants that we can add that,” she said. “We’re already familiar with how those grants work.”

The program costs about $140,000 per year to operate, with only $35,000 covered by user fees; the rest is paid by sponsorships. The CMAQ grants can only cover the cost of new stations.

Smith said that in Boulder, Colorado, businesses volunteer to sponsor bike stations so one will be put in front of their establishments. She said businesses have seen that being near a station can draw new customers. She said COTPA would welcome business sponsorships. Ultimately, COTPA would like to integrate Spokies into the bus system with bike-share stations at bus stops, White said.

Thank you. I wonder how much of the user fees will go up as downtown really gets going.

Bikes are not going to clean up congestion if they don't have their own lanes…worse yet the idea of them driving on short sidewalks.

That being said, I'm all for more locations and more biking. Sometimes the demand has to be demonstrative before the supply comes about…the supply in this case being biking infrastructure.

I would like to see better quality bikes

I definitely agree with you here. When I was in SLC I used their bike share and the quality was soooo much better. I actually enjoyed riding that bike compared to Spokies somewhat uncomfortable bikes.

I'm surprised no one has mention the new Thunder-colored branding (of the bikes and stations) and paint jobs (unless they are being outright replaced, but it looks like just paint jobs) all the bikes have gotten...

https://twitter.com/SpokiesOKC/status/608775784799469568

I'm surprised no one has mention the new Thunder-colored branding (of the bikes and stations) and paint jobs (unless they are being outright replaced, but it looks like just paint jobs) all the bikes have gotten...

https://twitter.com/SpokiesOKC/status/608775784799469568

I read about this a week or two ago. figured i read it on here. guess not. ha

Me and my wife visited Chicago early June and used their bike share program everywhere we went. It was so convenient bc they had stations at or near every attraction in the city. over 100 stations i believe. They even have an iphone app to help you find the nearest station and it showed you how many bikes and empty stations there were. I hope OKC can follow their path and expand this way at some point in the future.

I love the program, but would have liked to see a better overall designed bicycle. I'm not complaining....more or less nitpicking. But in all the cities I've seen this program being utilized, they have all had newer, more streamlined/modern designed bicycles. Typically made of a lightweight aluminum. I don't know what materials were used in this bike..nor am I expert to really care...but they just look old fashioned, like a beach cruiser or like the Schwinns that my grandparents had back in the 60's/70's.

^That is my only complaint as well. Low quality, heavy, clunky bicycles.

I love the program, but would have liked to see a better overall designed bicycle. I'm not complaining....more or less nitpicking. But in all the cities I've seen this program being utilized, they have all had newer, more streamlined/modern designed bicycles. Typically made of a lightweight aluminum. I don't know what materials were used in this bike..nor am I expert to really care...but they just look old fashioned, like a beach cruiser or like the Schwinns that my grandparents had back in the 60's/70's.



Not to pick on anyone here, but the history of OKC's system is a total amateur hour. Best practices were not followed and the system was done on the cheap. Basically some people decided it would be cool if OKC had a system but no one really knew how to make it happen so, in traditional OKC fashion they muddled through.

In most cities there would be 2x to 5x the number of stations in just the same area Spokies now covers. The lack of density is a huge deterrent to usage, as is the small number of bikes, as is the low quality of the bikes, as is the difficulty in using the payment system, as is the lack of a smartphone app, as is general confusion as to how it works, as is the terrible website.

The good news is that someone in power recognized the folly of the system and made changes. Spokies was moved out of Downtown OKC Inc. and into COTPA. COTPA has brought in a nationwide bikeshare consultancy to run the program and they have a high-qualified employee stationed in town to oversee it since about the first of this year. Struggles over funding still plague Spokies, but big changes are coming and have already been implemented.

I'm cool with our system considering it had to be done on the cheapish side since it was started with grant money (so very limited budget) and until Embark picked it up we didn't know if it would even stay. I suspect the city will continue to make improvements ongoing.

I will say that I've see and used a number of bike share programs (including in Europe) and have been most impressed by Phoenix's program up to this point. The reason is that, while they do have kiosks, each bike has a lock with a credit card reader on it. So you can lock the bike up wherever and then swipe your card to get it out, so the system is not constrained by the kiosks. So you she shared bikes all over town, not just at the kiosks, so if you need one, you just swipe your card and go.

Spokies launched a new location at Elemental today.

A Film Row location is desperately needed.

A Film Row location is desperately needed.

Would love to see this branch out further from downtown - NW 23rd, Plaza District, Boathouse Row, Innovation, Maybe even Western Ave...

A Film Row location is desperately needed.

We were asked several months ago if we had an objection to having one in front of our building (we didn't) but haven't heard anything since.

Shifting gears: Spokies bicycle-sharing program rolls out new look, station and sponsor

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record July 10, 2015

A Spokies bicycle, sporting a new paint job and an advertising panel, is parked at the program’s station at NW Eighth Street and Walker Avenue in Oklahoma City.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Spokies gained Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma as a major sponsor this month as the downtown bicycle-sharing program installed its eighth station and refurbished the fleet.

The $50,000, one-year advertising contract represents a significant step for the program, which is operated under a division of the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, Embark Bike Share and River Transit Manager Jeanne Smith said. It proves the revenue-generating potential to integrate a biking lifestyle with the city’s mass transit system.

The deal allowed the program to repaint and repair most of the 50 bikes in use and replace those that have worn out over the last three years. A new paint job – light blue instead of gray – makes the bikes stand out a little better against traffic, and each bike now has an advertising panel of about 2 square feet on either side of the rear tire.

The stations where the bikes are locked – released by credit card purchase or online memberships – provide advertising space as well. Smith said the program is allowed to arrange sponsorships and signage under a city ordinance.

“We’re looking at other systems around the country and how they do their advertising, so it’s a little early to say how this might ultimately develop,” Smith said.

“Boston and New York have very heavily used transit systems with large hubs, so they operate a little differently than, say, Denver or Omaha.

“We need to see what our market will support,” she said.

Smith said officials hope Spokies use will become so widespread that residents and visitors will be able to seamlessly move from one transit mode to another, parking their cars and taking Embark buses or bikes more often. The upgraded stations include better mapping signage.

Blue Cross spokeswoman Ashley Hudgeons said some of the company’s units in other states have similar marketing deals that have worked well – in Chicago, it’s the Divvy bike share program with 4,760 bikes, for example, and in Minneapolis, it’s Nice Ride Minnesota with more than 1,600.

Hudgeons said executives approached the opportunity from two angles: They have a stake in helping the city develop a healthier, environmentally friendly lifestyle, and marketing exposure near vibrant residential and entertainment districts. Blue Cross and Blue Shield might consider expanding its sponsorship to other busy street corners, she said.

The company was allowed to choose the site for the latest station. Hudgeons said Elemental Coffee, 815 N. Hudson Ave., was already a proven cyclist hangout, with a bike repair stand near the front door. And the monthly H&8th Night Market food truck gathering surrounds the spot.

Elemental co-owner Laura Massenat said she was pleased to have the station on the corner of the coffee shop parking lot.

We were asked several months ago if we had an objection to having one in front of our building (we didn't) but haven't heard anything since.

Like a good neighbor, Hunsucker is there!!!

Rented a Spokies bike yesterday for the first time...

Very convenient and now super easy to check out. Just put in your card, put in the bike # you want to pull, and then yank it out of the rack. It's $5 per day and you can check in and out as many bikes as you want in 24 hours.

They are crazy *heavy* and a bit weird to operate because it has that kid-style press backwards on the pedal to brake thing.

Cool and easy for cruising around but I wouldn't want to ride up any hills.

Also, when I dropped it at Elemental Coffee there were a total of three bikes in the rack and when I walked back by there an hour later, all three were gone. So, it seems the system is getting plenty of use. And certainly lots of opportunity to expand to SoSA, Plaza, 23rd, Film Row, etc.

They are crazy *heavy* and a bit weird to operate because it has that kid-style press backwards on the pedal to brake thing.

Cool and easy for cruising around but I wouldn't want to ride up any hills.



I know that they are in the process of gathering bids for a complete revamp of the system. New bikes are the chief priority (which would require new checkout stations more than likely). After they get that sorted, I sense that an aggressive expansion campaign is in the plans.

I heard the Spokies consultant speak once, and he said that in most cities with successful bike-share programs there would be 5x the number of stations as OKC has to cover the exact same square mileage.

COTPA is set to issue an RFP to completely replace all the bikes, stations and software.

RFP calls for at least 10 stations (there are 8 now), and bikes with a minimum of 3 gears. The current bikes are crazy heavy, are fixed gear and do not have handlebar brakes.

This should be a huge improvement.

Pete, you mentioned you can check out bikes from stations for 24 hours for $5. But I thought I heard/read previously that the stations do not allow interaction after a certain time?

I think there were hours limitations in the very beginning. Similarly you could only check out one bike per CC in the beginning but that changed as well.

My complaint when I rented them one time was about how heavy they were. Definitely an improvement in they get new, lighter bikes.

I love this, but personally would be okay if we got 10 new stations of bikes AND kept the current stations and bikes, though I realize that might not be feasible compatibility wise. But it would be nice to be able to have 18 stations....