Study suggests public bike-sharing system feasible in Ottawa-Gatineau

Bixi bikes in Ottawa are shown in this file photo.

A feasibility study into bringing a bike-sharing system back to Ottawa suggests a public system could work in the National Capital Region, but city staff say it could cost up to $10 million to launch.

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard got the wheels moving on a study back in 2023, with a motion looking for recommendations on a new bike-sharing system in the region. Several bike-share programs have operated in Ottawa in the past, including the Capital Bixi Bike program and operations such as Right Bike, VeloGo and CycleHop. The last bike-share program ceased operations in Ottawa in 2018.

Menard shared the feasibility study on his website, which suggests Ottawa develop a program that runs three seasons out of the year to start, to reduce initial capital costs.

In an interview with CTV News Ottawa, Menard said there are many reasons bike-sharing is being considered.

“The connections to transit, the mobility options that it presents, the cheaper way of getting around the city — all of these are reasons,” he said.

Chinatown resident Luke Jamison doesn’t have a bicycle, and thinks the city should have an option for those like him to easily access one.

“Long, long overdue,” he said. “I am in a city with the great bike infrastructure that we have, all the trails and stuff. It is such a surprise that we don’t have that already.”

Options to explore having e-bikes as part of the system were also looked at.

“It is anticipated that e-bikes would increase the number of people that would use the system, and help people travel further, but would introduce increased capital and operational costs,” a memo to members of the public works and infrastructure committee said.

Despite the possible increase in cost, that’s something cyclist Eugene Meehan believes should be involved as well.

“It gets more people on the bikes and it’s just more inclusive,” he said.

Using a docking system for the bikes would be more intuitive for riders and would also alleviate concerns about inappropriate parking but would be additional infrastructure costs, the memo says.

“The docking stations is a much better idea because without the docking stations people can just leave them on a street corner,” said Meehan. “They fall over, they get in the way of traffic, but with the docking stations, it’s going to work a lot better.”

An initial service area covering approximately 7.5 square kilometres in Gatineau and 22.5 sq. km in Ottawa is suggested, according to the study. This would serve approximately 157,000 residents and encompass areas such as Hull, Centretown, Hintonburg, Lowertown, the ByWard Market, Sandy Hill, Vanier, The Glebe, and Old Ottawa South. The study suggests launching with 1,200 bikes across the region — 900 in Ottawa and 300 in Gatineau.

City staff say it could cost up to $10 million up front to build the infrastructure required and to launch a bike-sharing system on the Ottawa side, and between $450,000 and $2.2 million per year to operate it, depending on e-bike inclusion and revenue generated by users and sponsors. Additional funding could also come from grants from other levels of government or partners such as the National Capital Commission, the memo says.

Staff say, however, some additional review is required.

In particular, staff want to complete a more comprehensive review of the difference between a public or private model, assess the market for more information on options and potential interest in a private system, develop a funding strategy, and see if there is a lower cost option for an initial launch. This could take up to a year, with a presentation to the public works and infrastructure committee in the spring of 2027.

“Having a company that can come in and operate the system, that knows of these bike-share systems in other cities, that have done a great job of it where we’ve seen those expansions, that makes perfect sense to have their expertise in here,” explained Menard.

Jennifer Gautreau, with the Community Action for Environmental Sustainability (CAFE Ottawa), says to work here it needs to have proper investments.

“The super important part is making sure people have access where they use the bikes. So, they need to have a docking station that’s going to have bikes in it, and then be able to drop them off at a convenient location. So, it’s about being strategic.”

Menard said there will be an information item presented to the committee on April 23.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Johnson

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