The city of West Hollywood is moving forward with plans to launch its upcoming bike share program, scheduled to be unveiled this summer. Bicycle sharing makes public bicycles available for shared use to riders on a short-term basis.

(photo courtesy of the city of West Hollywood)

The city is seeking feedback from community members about where to put the program’s 20 planned bike share stations in Phase 1. To gather input, the city launched an online tool with a “Suggest a Location” feature, accessible at weho.org/bikeshare. Community members can stay updated about bike share program news by providing an email address.

“Bringing bike share to West Hollywood means more residents and visitors will have a transportation option that’s also great for a healthy lifestyle,” said Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “This process empowers the community to locate the most convenient stations that make biking accessible and safe for all.”

The city’s goal is to find out where bikes are most needed, where users will want to go and what would encourage prospective riders to use a bike rather than a car to reach destinations within the 1.9 square mile city. The city is also inviting community members to suggest sites at key destinations outside of West Hollywood’s boundaries to be considered for a future expansion of the program.

The bike share online tool also features detailed information about the upcoming program, and it includes a section called “Meet the Bike” so visitors can become familiar with the unique features of the bicycles. The bike share program will include 150 “Smart Bikes” manufactured by Social Bicycles, which will utilize wireless technology and a smartphone app so riders can reserve bikes, pay for membership and track and share ride data with friends in online social networks. The bicycles will feature light-emitting diode (LED) headlights and taillights and cargo baskets. To tackle steep climbs to Sunset Strip, the bicycles will have eight gears. As “Smart Bikes,” all of the technology is located on the bikes, so they can also be locked to any public bike rack.

Users will be able to find bike share bicycles near transit stops, businesses, and other major destinations within the city of West Hollywood. The system will also be linked to the Westside Regional Bike Share program, which includes the cities of Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, and will provide combined access to more than 1,000 bikes.

Bike share membership opportunities will kick off in the coming weeks; founding members will be invited to a preview event to test-ride the bikes prior to the full launch in summer.

The bike share program will be operated by CycleHop, LLC. For more information, contact Bianca Siegl, the city of West Hollywood’s Long Range and Mobility Planning Manager, at (323)848-6853. People who are deaf or hearing impaired can call TTY (323)848-6496.