Nashville is expanding its bike-share program to include a fee-based, automated kiosk system called Nashville B-cycle, and two kiosks will be located on the Vanderbilt campus – one at the corner of 21st Avenue South and Terrace Place, and the other in the park near the intersection of Medical Center Drive and Blakemore.
A public demonstration, which will give members of the Vanderbilt community the chance to test ride a B-cycle and learn more about the automated kiosk system, is scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, in parking lot 5A at the corner of 21st Avenue South and Terrace Place.
The program will be fee-based. Fees have not been determined.
Nashville B-cycle is designed for short trips and is expected to complement the student-run Re{cycle} program, which serves the needs of Vanderbilt community members interested in long-term bike rental. The student program opened for business during the spring semester.
Nashville B-cycle is an expansion of a similar program in operation in downtown Nashville and is tentatively scheduled to be up and running on campus later this year.
“The bike share program will add to the quality of life of those who live, work and visit downtown by providing another outlet for active, healthy living and reducing traffic congestion,” according to Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.
In all, 200 bikes will be available at 20 automated kiosks throughout the urban core. The program will be managed by the Nashville Downtown Partnership.
Other public demonstration will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Tuesday, July 31, at Public Square Park (corner of Third Avenue North and Union Street);
- Thursday, Aug. 2, at Five Points in East Nashville (corner of South 10th Street and Main Street);
- Friday, Aug. 3, Nashville Farmers’ Market (outdoor dining area on the Seventh Avenue side).
More about Nashville B-cycle
- The Nashville B-cycle program will include 200 bikes at 20 automated kiosks – including two at Vanderbilt – at key destinations and high-density areas in the urban core, all within about a three-mile radius of downtown.
- The program will launch later this year.
- Nashville B-cycle will be fee-based. Fees have not been determined.
- Nashville B-cycle expands on the city’s existing bike share program, called Nashville GreenBikes, a system of free bikes available at several Metro Parks community centers and greenways.
- Nashville B-cycle is designed for short commutes within the urban core, such as commuters who take the MTA bus or train to downtown and need transportation to run errands or go on a lunch outing; downtown workers and residents who need transportation to attend meetings and make other short trips in the area; and visitors to the downtown area needing transportation to key destination points in the urban core.
- Individuals may check a B-cycle out from one of the 20 automated bike stations, ride to their destination and return the bike at any station.
- Membership in B-cycle will include a variety of options, including day passes and annual memberships.
- Nashville B-cycle is funded under the Communities Putting Prevention to Work federal grant, which was created to provide greater access to nutritious foods and safe physical activity. The grant is administered by the Metro Public Health Department.
- Nashville B-cycle will be managed by the Nashville Downtown Partnership, a private-sector nonprofit corporation that focuses on business recruitment and retention, residential and retail development, public space management, access and transportation, and communications and marketing.
- B-cycle, based in Waterloo, Wis., was the first citywide bike share system to be introduced in the United States. It is built on a mission to create simple, sustainable and customized bike-sharing systems that empower individuals and communities to be healthier and have more fun in their daily lives.