Illinois Awards Funding for Evanston & Oak Park Divvy Stations
Divvy bike sharing program to expand into Evanston
The bike sharing service Divvy will come to Evanston in spring 2015, Gov. Pat Quinn’s office announced Sunday.
Starting next year, the city will install eight Divvy docking stations, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The state’s $3 million investment in the program will help fund 700 new bikes and 70 stations across Evanston, Oak Park and other Chicago neighborhoods.
The three cities will collectively contribute $750,000 for Divvy’s expansion to add to the state’s $3 million investment.
Evanston will give $108,000, which will come from various sources in the city budget and possible station sponsors from the private sector, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in an email to Evanston media.
City Council will decide where in Evanston the bike stations will be located, he said. The city is also in talks with Northwestern to team up and introduce stations at or near campus, he said.
“The Divvy program has proven to be a successful and innovative way to commute, navigate congested city streets and explore vibrant Chicago communities,” Quinn said in a news release. “Expanding Divvy outside of the city limits means fewer cars on the roads and gives more residents and visitors the fun opportunity to take a ride.”
Divvy will help improve residents’ health and lower the city’s carbon footprint, Tisdahl said at the event. The service fits in with Evanston’s Livability Plan, which aims to make Evanston a more bikeable city and to reduce the city’s green house gas emissions 20 percent by 2016.
In April, the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program denied an application to fund the expansion of the Divvy program to Evanston. The city and the Chicago Department of Transportation had originally applied in August 2013 for $3 million in grants. Although no money was allotted for the bike service, Evanston received money through the same funding program to put in a bike path through NU’s campus.
The Chicago Department of Transportation created Divvy in 2013 to provide to residents and tourists alike an alternate transportation option. More than 200 cities currently have bike-sharing systems, including London, New York and Boston, according to the Divvy website.
Email: jenniferball2015@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @jennifercball
Views: 426
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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Great news. Does anyone know about interoperability? Can I use my existing Divvy membership in Evanston?
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Permalink Reply by Gary Fredericks on
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I don't know for sure, but I would be shocked if you couldn't.
Duppie said:Great news. Does anyone know about interoperability? Can I use my existing Divvy membership in Evanston?
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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
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Not sure what the point of asking is if we can't believe anything they promise.
Was wondering if anyone knew the distance/ride time between Clark/Berwn and Clark/Howard.
Jeff Schneider said:Will there be any stations between Evanston and the existing northernmost in A-ville?
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Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on
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YAY
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Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on
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It's about 3 miles in moderate/heavy traffic. Plus, you'd be piloting one of those tanks...
h' 1.0 said:Not sure what the point of asking is if we can't believe anything they promise.
Was wondering if anyone knew the distance/ride time between Clark/Berwn and Clark/Howard.
Jeff Schneider said:Will there be any stations between Evanston and the existing northernmost in A-ville?
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Yes. Go to the Divvy website and look up the 2015 stations. A bunch more are identified for Edgewater and Rogers Park, including every half mile or so on Clark
Jeff Schneider said:Will there be any stations between Evanston and the existing northernmost in A-ville?
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The same ones that were announced for 2014 for the most part, no?
Duppie said:Yes. Go to the Divvy website and look up the 2015 stations. A bunch more are identified for Edgewater and Rogers Park, including every half mile or so on Clark
Jeff Schneider said:Will there be any stations between Evanston and the existing northernmost in A-ville?
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I've moved bikes from Clark and Winnemac to 24th and Western a bunch of times.... 3 miles is not a hard ride on a Divvy. Sounds like it ought to be easy to do in under 30 minutes (?)
Fran Kondorf said:It's about 3 miles in moderate/heavy traffic. Plus, you'd be piloting one of those tanks...
h' 1.0 said:Not sure what the point of asking is if we can't believe anything they promise.
Was wondering if anyone knew the distance/ride time between Clark/Berwn and Clark/Howard.
Jeff Schneider said:Will there be any stations between Evanston and the existing northernmost in A-ville?
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Don't want to start a separate thread for this, but just wondering-
I rode up on an empty station last night right after a Divvy truck had arrived. The driver (I guess) had got out and was standing behind the truck. He watched me ride up and dock the bike with a look of unmistakable disgust/contempt. I almost did a double take to check to see whether I had just run over his dog.... can anyone on the inside explain why he might have been horrified to see someone dock a bike in that station? Was there some sort of computer thing he'd already done that he'd have to get back into the truck to do again maybe?
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Oh and thanks to whoever finally took the bike with half a saddle from 21st/Western. It's going to be weird not seeing it there.
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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on
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Sorry about that, h'. There's no excuse for any bad attitude from Divvy folks. We Rebalancers are without exception, friendly, kind, helpful folks who are genuinely happy to show someone how to get a new ride code or raise the seat on their bike. You may have run into a Station Tech. They drive short stumpy little blue vans, scowl all the time and, like computer nerds in any company, find it difficult to interact with nondigital humans. I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish by emptying a station, but next time one of them gives you grief, just tell him (yeah it's always a "him") you can beat him in World of Warcraft without even trying.
h' 1.0 said:The driver (I guess) had got out and was standing behind the truck. He watched me ride up and dock the bike with a look of unmistakable disgust/contempt. I almost did a double take to check to see whether I had just run over his dog....
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I assume he was about to fill it. I was racing against the clock and literally had to run away as soon as I knew the bike was docked, so I don't know what happened next. Did I throw off some precious calculation by adding a bike to it?
Thunder Snow said:Sorry about that, h'. There's no excuse for any bad attitude from Divvy folks. We Rebalancers are without exception, friendly, kind, helpful folks who are genuinely happy to show someone how to get a new ride code or raise the seat on their bike. You may have run into a Station Tech. They drive short stumpy little blue vans, scowl all the time and, like computer nerds in any company, find it difficult to interact with nondigital humans. I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish by emptying a station, but next time one of them gives you grief, just tell him (yeah it's always a "him") you can beat him in World of Warcraft without even trying.
h' 1.0 said:The driver (I guess) had got out and was standing behind the truck. He watched me ride up and dock the bike with a look of unmistakable disgust/contempt. I almost did a double take to check to see whether I had just run over his dog....
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