Top Stories 2015 | #5 — Tacoma issues RFP for Bikeshare Study

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Tacoma Daily Index is looking back at the 10 most read articles among visitors to our Web site in 2015.

The City of Tacoma issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) in September seeking consultants to complete a feasibility study for a bikeshare program (see “City issues RFP for Tacoma Bikeshare Planning Study,” Tacoma Daily Index, Sept. 14, 2015), according to a legal notice published in the Tacoma Daily Index in September.

Bikeshare programs allow people to check out bicycles for short trips around the city. In October of 2014, the City of Seattle partnered with the non-profit organization Pronto Cycle Share to introduce a bikeshare system that includes 500 bikes and 50 stations throughout the city. Similar programs have been launched in at least two-dozen U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C.; Austin, Tex.; Boston, Mass.; Denver, Colo.; and New York City.

The City of Tacoma’s 2010 Mobility Master Plan—which is designed to develop a comprehensive network of bikeways and pedestrian walkways citywide—includes a bikeshare program that aims to enhance the city’s transportation network and make cycling a more viable option for all.

The RFP prepared by City of Tacoma staff notes the proposed Tacoma Bikeshare Planning Study will include recommendations on bikeshare system types and a variety of technologies that best fit Tacoma’s market, topography, culture and destinations; evaluate whether the existing Mobility Master Plan supports the development of a bikeshare program, or if modifications are needed. If modifications are needed, the study will include recommended changes to the Mobility Master Plan; and provide innovative solutions to Tacoma’s current and future assets and challenges, including possible pilot programs or phasing implementation.

The deadline for consultants respond to the RFP expired on Tues., Sept. 29. According to information posted on the City’s Web site, the following consultants responded to the RFP (see “2 consultants respond to Tacoma Bikeshare Planning Study RFP,” Tacoma Daily Index, Sept. 29, 2015; and “Tacoma Daily Index Top Stories — September 2015,” Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 1, 2015): Toole Design Group (Seattle, Wash.) and Alta Planning & Design (Seattle, Wash.).