It might make financial sense after all to include Newhallville in the first phase of New Haven’s soon-to-launch bike share program — if a crowd-funding campaign succeeds.
Newhallville’s likely absence from the first phase of the program emerged as a sticking point last week when the city’s transit chief appeared before a Board of Alders committee.
The transit chief, Doug Hausladen, was testifying about the proposed program, which would eventually make at least 300 bicycles available for short-term rental at 30 stations located around the city. The Harp administration has chosen a company to run the program, which is similar to New York’s Citi Bike, and now needs Board of Alders approval to roll it out.
Hausladen said the company needs to concentrate on the densest possible stretch of town at the beginning for the best chances of success. Alders objected about leaving Newhallville, which sits on the northern edge of New Haven, out of the program. (Read about the hearing here.) That objection contributed to a decision to postpone a committee vote on the proposal.
Enter David Salinas, the local entrepreneur who helped put together the emerging DISTRICT tech campus under construction on James Street. Salinas served on the committee that selected the company for the bike share contract.
Salinas launched an IndieGOGO campaign seeking $12,000 to cover including Newhallville in the first phase. He and his partners put up the first $3,000. Click here to donate to or learn more about the campaign; and click on the video at the top of the story to hear Salinas’ pitch.
“The city needs this program badly. It helps with transportation and mobility, it promotes health and wellness and it brings a higher quality of life to the citizens that live and work in the city,” Salinas writes in his online pitch. “District New Haven is hoping to make the Newhallville bike station a reality so we can get this program kicked off. Please donate and help make this happen for the folks in Newhallville.”
It cannot be overstated that density and convenience of the stations is the key to success for the program. I completely understand the alder's concern for her neighborhood being 'left out' and I completely understand the need to keep the stations close together in densely-trafficked areas to provide the best chance of success.
I question whether it's appropriate to allow--or require--neighborhoods to fundraise on their own to take part in this program. For one thing, it seems to impose an extra burden and for another thing, I can see it leading to a haphazard distribution.
It's encouraging to see so much demand for the program, though. Perhaps the solution is a more robust initial setup, since there seems to be so much political will for bike share.