Bublr Bikes releases equity report, pledges to make bike share system accessible to all Milwaukeeans | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Bublr Bikes
July 8, 2015
(Photo courtesy of Bubblr Bikes)
As part of its commitment to making biking share accessible to all Milwaukeeans, Bublr Bikes issued a report Wednesday that will guide its efforts to remove barriers to use based on income levels and neighborhood.
In releasing the report, Bublr Bikes announced several steps it has already taken and key recommendations for future actions.
Nancy Ketchman of Bottlewood Communications, who conducted the independent study for Bublr, found that the most effective way to create an equitable bike share system is to place stations in low-income neighborhoods (LINs).
“Most systems have historically started out in more affluent neighborhoods, mostly to ‘make money,’ with expansion into LINs an important, but secondary goal,” Ketchman wrote in the report. “Bublr Bikes has an opportunity to become a leader in equity by reversing this typical expansion strategy.”
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Based on the report’s findings, Bublr has already implemented several important programming changes to help improve community access, including:
The report also identifies six additional key “action items”:
“The Bublr Bikes board of directors and staff are committed to implementing key action items to create a bike share system enjoyed by our very diverse community,” Bublr Board Member Juli Kaufmann said. “We see this report as a good first step. We ask you to hold us accountable and help us achieve our mission of a bike share system for all.”
Since late 2014, Bublr Bikes, a Milwaukee-based not-for-profit, has launched 11 bike share stations in and around Milwaukee’s downtown. The Bublr Bikes system is a public-private partnership between the City of Milwaukee and Bublr Bikes, with additional support from many other public and private partners.
Another 20 stations and nearly 200 more bikes will be added to the Bublr Bikes system in 2015. In the coming years, the system plans to expand to over 100 stations and 1,000 Bublr Bikes in the Milwaukee area.
Bike share programs already operate in dozens of U.S. cities, including Chicago, Denver, Des Moines, Houston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Madison, Minneapolis, New York City and Omaha.
The full report also can be downloaded at:
http://bublrbikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/150701.BublrBikesForAll.pdf
The executive summary is available at:
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Information on using Bublr Bikes is available at BublrBikes.com. Bublr Bikes is on social media at: http://facebook.com/BublrBikes and https://twitter.com/BublrBikes.