From Northshore Community Foundation:
“Background Thriving, progressive communities throughout the country have already established bikeshare models to serve their citizens and facilitate transportation options and drive health and wellness outcomes. In the last several years, the trend has accelerated in the south and numerous small to mid-size southern cities/regions are in varying stages of implementing bikeshare. Those communities in the process include New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, AL, Little Rock, AR, Pensacola, FL, Columbia, SC, Lake Charles and many others.
The Northshore Community Foundation is committed to bringing a bikeshare platform to our region that can serve as an asset to our citizens, regional neighbors and visitors alike, driving tourism and economic development.
Objective The objective of bikeshare is to connect people regardless of socio-economic status to places and communities in St. Tammany with a high-performing, accessible, and sustainable transportation alternative that promotes tourism, health, and economic vitality.
Public/Partner Relationships With the valuable Tammany Trace being the infrastructure anchor for bikeshare success, it is necessary to bring together multiple political subdivision to participate in a collaborative model. The Northshore Community Foundation will act as the private sector coordinator and the expected public entities which will participate include parish government, local municipalities, recreation districts, and others. Private sector partners will be integral to the success of the project as well, and ultimately, a bikeshare operator/equipment vendor will be selected to manage the program and carry the system liability moving forward.
Bantam Strategies Bantam is an experienced, non-exclusive bikeshare consulting firm and systems operator
with in-depth knowledge of various types of equipment and operations protocols throughout the United States.
Bantam designs and implements the most sustainable, effective, and user friendly systems possible tailored to each individual region. Bantam is the lead consultant on the bikeshare rollout in Baton Rouge, their relationships in the region will benefit the Northshore by integrating solutions here that are compatible with the bikeshare systems in our super region partner cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Northshore Community Foundation and St. Tammany Parish Government have a Memorandum of Understanding in place with Bantam with the expectation of engaging their firm for a three-phase study, and implementation of bikeshare.
Budget The Northshore Community Foundation intends to collect $200,000 in a Bikeshare Fund to ultimately facilitate a bikeshare model and establish a clear plan with implementation steps to be executed. Those funds will be aggregated from Cooperative Endeavor Agreements with local governments as well as private funds raised.
Phase I of an agreement with Bantam in the amount of $59,000 will include project coordination, system feasibility and size determination, cost estimates, business proforma and and implementation plan.
Phase II of an agreement with Bantam in the amount of $103,000 will include turn-key implementation of the plan up to the bikeshare launch.
Phase III will be a management and operations agreement, the details of which will be determined by the plan itself.
General Facts About Bikeshare
Depending on study results, expected 300 bikes at 30 docking stations throughout the entire parish;
Local staff (local job creation) to maintain, manage and rebalance bikes;
Annual and daily memberships offered in addition to hourly rates;
Bikeshare vendor to hold 100% of liability on bikes and indemnify public and private partners;
Future corporate underwriting to be sold to maintain and grow system;
Data based benefits include increased tourism taxes paid, millenial work force attraction and health and wellness outcomes;
Documented increase in sales in restaurants and shops located near bikeshare locations;
Documented increase in cycling safety awareness and infrastructure in regions once bikeshare system has been established;
Bike shop owners in other cities with bike share systems site positive experience and increased sales and business after bikeshare rollouts. Quotes and references available.”
Contact Details: Susan Bonnett, Northshore Community Foundation, 985-893-8757
Lindsey West, Bantam Strategies, 205-222-4137
