UPDATE: Reston Bikeshare Plans Coming Into Focus

Bikeshare consultants looking at the feasibility of putting Fairfax County’s first bikeshare program in Reston, say Reston could support a bikeshare system.

Consultants Charlie Denney and Fionnuala Quinn of Alta Planning + Design, hired by the county last winter, say that the feasibility study should be finished by the end of June. At a community meeting at Dogwood Elementary School Wednesday, they gave participants some of the highlights of the study:

In general, bike sharing would be feasible in Reston as the community makes the transition to a transit-oriented place. In July, Metro’s Silver Line will open its first station here (Wiehle-Reston East), with the Reston Parkway station slated to open in 2018.

Phase 1 would consist of 13 stations with 130 bikes. Locations would include the plaza at the Wiehle-Reston East Silver Line Station; Sunset Hills/Plaza America; Reston Town Center/Freedom Drive; Bluemont/Transit Center; Restom-Wiehle East Southside; Town Center Parkway and Market Street; Reston Town Center/Fountain Drive; Market/Explorer Streets; Town Center Parkway/Reston Hospital; Bowman Towne Drive/Library; and two at the Spectrum.

The estimated cost of phase 1 would be $1.2 million: $54K is for startup costs, $766K for capital (cost of stations, docks, bikes), and $397K for operating costs.

What is not yet certain: who would pay the bikeshare costs. In other suburban-area bikeshares (Arlington, Montgomery County), funding came from a combination of  federal, state and local money, as well as developer proffers, county bicycle coordinator Charlie Strunk said.

Those networks are owned by the jurisdictions but operated by Alta Bikeshare, which oversees maintenance, rebalancing, and the warehouse, among other things. Operations are partially funded by user fees. Membership fees range from $7 an hour to $75 annually, with additional charges per use.

Eventually, Phase 2 would include stations in the Lake Anne and South Lakes areas.

— Bruce Wright of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling contributed to this article.
 

File photo of Capital Bikeshare in Arlington