The region’s bike-sharing network will expand in the spring, just months after its massive restart. District officials said Thursday the city plans to add 20 new stations, with 200 new bikes, starting in May. Arlington, meanwhile, plans to add 16 more stations to push the system outward along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
| Bikeshare numbers |
| » 5,042 annual members |
| » 10,955 casual users |
| » 111,414 rides |
| *Figures as of Thursday |
| Source: D.C. Department of Transportation |
Capital Bikeshare, which allows users to rent a bike from one location and drop it off at another, started in September with 1,100 bikes and plans for 100 stations in the District plus another 14 in Arlington County. It replaced the first system, SmartBike D.C., which had just 10 stations.
The network’s ridership has grown far faster than projected. The goal was to reach 10,000 users by the end of the second year, according to the D.C. Department of Transportation. It already had 5,042 annual members as of Thursday, just three months after starting.
“I really don’t think we can add stations fast enough to match the demand and incredible enthusiasm for Capital Bikeshare,” said outgoing DDOT Director Gabe Klein. “The response from residents and visitors has exceeded our expectations.”
Biking in the city itself has become more popular, according to DDOT, with rush-hour trips growing 82 percent in the past three years at 20 spots on key corridors. The city has expanded its bike lane network to more than 50 miles.
City officials have been getting many requests for the locations of additional bike-sharing stations, said DDOT spokesman John Lisle.
“With 20 stations, it’s not enough to expand the system outward,” Lisle said. “It will probably be infill in and around the downtown area.”
The key to making the system work is having the proper ratio of bikes to parking slots and enough stations close to each other across the network so users can always find a bike — and an empty slot to park it in — when they need it.
Officials had lost out on several grants to expand the program, but the District won a U.S. Department of Transportation traffic-reduction grant, Lisle said. The expansion in D.C. will cost about $1 million, he said, with the city paying for 20 percent of the cost. Arlington has gotten some businesses and community groups to co-sponsor its stations.
