Bike Share Program puts wheels in motion

City plans to use state funds to stock 15 hubs

Rialto will use $1 million in state funding to stock about 15 hubs around town with 100 electric pedal-assist bikes, a program aimed at providing an affordable and accessible form of public transportation to low-income community members.

The Rialto Bike Share Program is expected to launch early next year.

“Using bicycles as a means of transportation has grown in popularity as communities try to create more balanced and sustainable transportation systems,” Mayor Deborah Robertson said in a news release. “Our bike share program represents a giant step forward in eliminating mobility barriers and creating greater equity throughout the City.”

A recent study concluded Rialto residents preferred such a system over other personal mobility options.

City officials last year recommended launching the program with up to 45 bikes and seven hubs.

With $1 million through the state’s Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program, the city’s nascent and environmentally friendly system will offer residents a way to sign up for the service without the use of a smartphone, income-based discounts and customer service in multiple languages.

There will be hubs near transit stops, areas of employment and schools.

Electric pedal-assist bikes have an electric motor that adds power each time a rider pedals.

While the city is finalizing the

cost of renting a bike, there will be a single trip option, day passes, annual memberships and discounted memberships for students and low-income residents.

Bikes will be secured using a built-in smart lock. Users will be able to park bikes at a designated hub or at a bike rack within city limits for an additional fee.

All bikes will have an onboard GPS chip, allowing a team to track bikes that leave town or go missing.

“The bike share system will increase mobility options in areas that our residents identified as most in need of new solutions,” Councilman Ed Scott said in the news release. “All of this is on top of the active transportation infrastructure improvements we’ve been implementing to make our streets safer for everyone.”

Riverside discontinued its bike share program, Bike Riverside, in October due to vandalism and a decrease in ridership and revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.

A tentative list of hubs planned for Rialto is as follows:

North Cactus Avenue and Foothill Bouleverd

Pacific Electric Trail (North Cactus Avenue south of Second Street)

North Riverside Avenue and Foothill Boulevard

North Riverside Avenue and First Street

Five Points Plaza (North Riverside and Merrill avenues)

Rialto Metrolink Station Area

Renaissance Marketplace North Cedar Avenue and West Foothill Boulevard

North Cedar Avenue and Baseline Road

West Baseline Road and North Willow Avenue

Rialto City Park (Riverside and San Bernardino avenues)

Pacific Electric Trail and North Maple Avenue

North Willow Avenue and West Foothill Boulevard

South Riverside and East Randall avenues

South Riverside Avenue and East Valley Boulevard

North Riverside and East Etiwanda avenues

North Ayala Drive at Renaissance Marketplace

East Foothill Boulevard and North Acacia Avenue