City happy with early bike rental results

When the city entered into a partnership with a local company and started offering bike rentals at the St. Armands Circle parking garage, officials saw it as a trial opportunity to better gauge the community’s interest in such a program.

Even though that test run has been affected by the unexpected emergence of COVID-19, city staff is happy with the results of the bike rental program so far. On Tuesday, Parking Manager Mark Lyons provided an update to the Downtown Improvement District, stating the city could look to expand its bike offerings in the near future.

“I don’t want to predict where we’re going to be in six months, but we’re obviously watching it close enough to pick the right time to expand into other garages and other locations that are visible to the public,” Lyons said.

The bike rental program is operated by Bob Nikla, owner of I Kayak Sarasota and I Bike Program. Nikla has about 10 bikes stationed in the St. Armands garage and the Palm Avenue garage downtown. Users can pay $10 to rent a bike for two hours or $15 to rent it for five hours.

Nikla said operating a bike rental program is challenging from a financial perspective; he said he benefits from the partnership with the city because it helps promote the other services he offers. Lyons echoed those comments, noting the city sought a vendor for a broader bike share program last year but failed to finalize a deal.

Lyons said the city wants to make sure any growth of its bike program is done sustainably, but as staff prioritizes the expansion of trails and cycling networks, Chief Transportation Planner Colleen McGue said more robust bike sharing options could be an increasingly valuable amenity for the city.

For now, Lyons is hopeful the city’s initial bike rental offerings will help reduce traffic and encourage people to consider alternative options for getting around the city. He envisioned a scenario in which visitors downtown or on St. Armands Circle parked once and rented a bike for a few hours, rather than parking, exploring a single block and then moving their car to get to a different part of the district.

“We would like to eliminate circling and additional trips on the road,” Lyons said.