By Sandhya Dirks
A city committee has approved a corporate partnership with the bike-sharing program DecoBike. The city is also trying to make streets safer for those who travel on two wheels.
Currently, there is an average of 70 bike accidents every month on city streets. That number is part of the reason that this May, the San Diego County Grand Jury recommended the city gear up to fix and clearly mark bike lanes, such as adding prominent green stripes to help direct traffic.
When New York began its bike-sharing program this year, residents grumbled loudly that it was unsafe and intrusive. That is not the case in San Diego where the plan has bi-partisan support, but there is still the question of safety. The city is working on shoring up infrastructure at the same time as they are gearing up to bring bike-sharing here.
Decobike provides bike-sharing programs for places like Miami Beach, Florida and Long Beach, New York and now it is now in partnership with the city of San Diego. The company was chosen from three bidders back in November 2012 and has been working with the city to get the plan onto wheels.
There is still a lot of work to be done – including holding public meetings to help decide just where the bikes will be located – is still up for debate. But there is a beginning date in mind; the company and the city are aiming for a three-month roll out starting in early 2014. The program is also predicted to bring 60 to 70 new jobs to the city.