Mayors agree on bike share framework

Tuesday 28 November

A meeting of Mayors from Inner West, City of Sydney, Randwick, Waverly, Woollahra and Canada Bay councils has agreed on a way forward for bike sharing in Sydney.

Councils will be proposing new guidelines for bike share operators and giving them a three month period to make them work.

Inner West Mayor Cr Darcy Byrne, who convened the meeting, said it was important that one simple set of rules of the road was established to ensure the safety and success of bike share schemes as well as protecting pedestrian safety.

"We want to ensure bike sharing schemes are safe, successful and supported by local residents,” he said.

“Inner metropolitan councils have all agreed that we want mass bike share to work.

“However the current haphazard dispersal of bikes on local streets can’t go on.

“We are offering a carrot and stick approach to operators, and we expect them to collaborate with us immediately to clean up the schemes so that punitive action is not required.”

The six councils have given in principle agreement to the following:

1. Councils would provide agreed-upon guidelines to bike share operators to be implemented as soon as possible. See attached draft.
2. There would be a short term review period of three months to evaluate how well the operators have adhered to the guidelines.
3. Data sharing is to be a key part of successful implementation, so that councils can gain a clear picture of demand and bike journeys and where bikes are deposited.
4. There is potential for the guidelines to develop into a Memorandum of Understanding, a permit system or a tender for approved operators.
5. Investigation of a fee or levy system whereby operators contribute to bike infrastructure.
6. Clarification of the legal framework under which bike share companies operate.
7. Request for the State Government to contribute to development of the guidelines, to implement them on state land and to give further consideration to state-wide approach.

Draft Bike Share Guidelines

1. Ongoing Collaboration
2. Expectations on operators which set timeframes – urgent and less urgent responses
3. Operators to inform users of road rules and expectations on them
4. Proactive monitoring of bike locations to avoid build up and maintain even distribution
5. Regular data sharing
6. All bikes to have 24/7 reporting number
7. Sufficient resourcing to manage hotline and respond
8. Consideration of hot spot parking areas in designated areas
9. Deployment to avoid conflict with pedestrian amenity
10. Education of riders
11. Access to locking mechanisms for council rangers if required