TO: Mayor Collins and Town Council Members
FROM: Kevin Burke, Town Manager
DATE: February 22, 2018
DEPARTMENT: Town Manager
Staff Contact Kevin Burke, Town Manager 480.348.3690
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Discussion Regarding Expectations of Dockless Bike Share Operations - 30 Minutes
Body
Town Value(s):
☐ Primarily one-acre, residential community
☐ Limited government
☐ Creating a sense of community
☐ Partnerships with existing schools and resorts to enhance recreational opportunities
☒ Improving aesthetics/creating a brand
☐ Preserving natural open space
The recent arrival of dockless bike-share bicycles in Town rights-of-way and easements has generated concern about safety and aesthetics in the community.
Council Goals or Statutory Requirements:
Responsiveness to Residents - Identify and consider resident concerns in a timely manner and seek solutions to the best of the Town’s ability.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information on bike-share programs and articulate problems and expectations for management of the condition.
Background
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
Recently, various bright yellow and green bikes have been showing up on Town rights-of-way and in front of some private properties. These are linked to “dockless bike-share” programs that have been launched in Scottsdale, but are also present in Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe.
Bike-share programs appear to come in two business models. The first requires a docking station (GRiD appears to be the main company that offers this model in the valley). A bike to rent is locked in a bike rack. The user makes payment at the location, rents the bike and then must return it to that bike rack or another bike rack operated by the same vendor. This model typically requires an agreement between the operator and the municipality or private property owner upon which the bike-rack is located. Staff is still researching this model. The City of Phoenix and City of Tempe - ASU appear to have an agreement with GRiD as the cities partially fund the program. Staff has not seen any GRiD bikes in Paradise Valley to date. The IGA between Tempe and ASU is attached.
The second business model is referred to as a “dockless bike-share” program. In this model, the user rents the bike through an app on their phone. Once rented, the program releases the lock on the bike and it becomes usable. The rental is based upon time. When the renter has arrived at their desired location or the time has expired, they leave the bike at that location for the next renter. These are the bikes that are being identified in Paradise Valley.
Paradise Valley Town government has made no request for these bikes nor have they been approached by any operators to stage them in PV. The bikes appear to have arrived via renters who picked them up in Scottsdale and then rode to Paradise Valley and left them. Predominant locations for the bikes appear to be bus stops, resorts (or near resorts) and short-term vacation rentals.
The Town Manager implemented a verbal/email policy with staff several weeks ago as this issue began to present itself. The policy has since been modified. Our first approach was a traditional approach of remove the bikes and store them in the Public Works yard with the discussion regarding impounding the bikes in the Police “bike-jail” that we have on campus. This process raised concerns regarding Town responsibility/liability for the bikes while in our possession. In response, the Town Manager issued his original policy which had two parts: 1) place all bikes recovered at the Town Hall bike rack so as to be re-rented and/or to be collected by the operators. 2) leave the bikes where they were discovered unless creating an obstruction/hazard or requested to be removed. The idea was that they arrived organically, would they disappear organically. What staff has found, in our limited experience, is that some bikes leave organically and others do not. Most notably, Lime Bike (the green bike) seems to be either re-rented or collected within 24 hours whereas the ofo bikes (yellow bikes) typically require some sort of notification to the operator. As with our new digital economy, there was not a readily available phone number, but when an email was sent, to collect the bikes at Town Hall, the bikes were removed 24 hours later. When no notification was sent, the bikes remained. This issue is moving so fast that literally as we prepare this report we received a letter from ofo providing a contact. Staff will reach out and further inform them of our concerns and invite a representative to this study session. The third dockless bike-share provider, Spin (with orange bikes), does not appear to have any bikes come into PV as of this date.
Given the increased presence of the bikes (most notably the yellow bikes) around Town with no re-renting or collection, the Town Manager modified the verbal/email policy. Staff now removes bikes located in the rights-of-way regardless of whether they are creating an obstruction or not. Bikes at resorts or bus stops are to be left. In fact, Town staff has received one request from a resort to relocate them to the resort if convenient. The limitation with this policy is Public Works’ staff does not work on Friday, Saturdays or Sundays unless an emergency. This means these bikes will remain in right-of-ways and easements for multiple days creating possible obstructions and eye-sores for some.
Further, Councilmember Moore requested this item be discussed in study session9see attached). Mayor Collins and numerous other Members of Council agreed. The purpose is to receive information, identify concerns, and discuss desired outcomes. While specific solutions or methods of resolution may be discussed, the main idea is to initiate the conversation and provide direction. To that end, staff has collected some further information and will continue to research. Scottsdale City Council met in work study session on Tuesday, February 13 to discuss concerns with dockless bike share operations. Staff watched the video of the meeting and made notes as the minutes are not yet available. Those are attached. Staff also located a well written article in the Republic on the topic and has attached this. Also attached, please find an Intergovernmental Agreement between Tempe and ASU regarding that bike-share program. Staff will continue to seek resolutions, ordinances or contract agreements from Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix as these are the entities with advertised bike share programs.
BUDGETARY IMPACT:
The issue currently results in some indirect costs as staff stop and pick up bikes from public rights-of-ways and return them to Town Hall while out doing other work.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Councilmember Moore’s Agenda Request
AZ Central Article on Bike-Share
Tempe-ASU IGA
Summary of City of Scottsdale Study Session on 2-13-18