Oakland Chosen For Bike Share Program

ROCKRIDGE, CA - Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville have been chosen as the first three cities in the East Bay to receive bike share stations, Motivate and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) announced Monday.

Click on each city name to see the proposed locations:

• Oakland
• Berkeley
• Emeryville

There are 21 stations in Oakland, 10 stations in Berkeley and three stations in Emeryville, a total of 34 stations, bringing more than 350 bicycles in the East Bay during this, the first of three phases of bike share expansion.

“I can’t wait to jump on a bike when we bring this program to Oakland,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Active transportation improves public health, promotes economic development, helps the environment, and is fun and affordable.”

While Oakland is expected to receive 21 stations in this first phase of expansion, it will receive at least 70 stations by 2018.

The East Bay will have more than 100 stations when the three-phase expansion is complete.

These first new stations will be primarily located in downtown areas, where high concentrations of residents live or travel for work and pleasure, and will incrementally expand outward to surrounding neighborhoods.

“Since the launch of Bay Area Bike Share in 2013, we’ve heard a strong desire from the community to bring bike share to the East Bay,” said Emily Stapleton, General Manager of Bay Area Bike Share. “In the first year of our expansion, we’re planning to connect the key commercial corridors in Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville to provide residents, workers and visitors in these thriving cities with a new and accessible option to travel in and between them.”

The entire tenfold expansion of the bike share system to 7,000 bicycles across the Bay Area is expected to be complete by 2018.

Images via Bay Area Bike Share