Seattle's new attempt at bike sharing will be very different

After two attempts at bike shares failed in Seattle, the city is about to try again.

On Friday, the city's regulations for the next generation of bike shares officially took effect.

The attempt this time will be very different.

TRENDING NOW:

• Puyallup mother shares heartbreak over son's baby blanket death, warns other parents
• Passengers band together, restrain man who punched flight attendant on Sea-Tac flight
• Macklemore surprises grandma for 100th birthday in new music video 'Glorious'
• VIDEO: Man dies after two cars including patrol vehicle hit him
• PHOTOS: Seattle earthquakes: Photos from 1949, 1965 & 2001

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

Private companies are applying for permits and each will offer a lot more bikes.

Companies must launch with a minimum of 500 bikes each, and can grow their fleets to 2,000 bikes each in two months.

The bikes will be equipped with GPS, and can be picked up anywhere on the sidewalk with an app, similar to car sharing companies such as Car2Go and ReachNow, which users can find in legal parking spaces.

Seattle will be the first big city in North America to try bike shares without docking stations.

Seattle Department of Transportation director Scott Kubly said his department has received two applications so far and might get as many as 10, including from companies planning to offer electric bikes.

LimeBike and Spin were the first to apply, and both companies said they're ready to launch as soon as they receive their permits, which Kubly said could come as soon as late next week.

"I think it's really, really cool that Seattle gets to be the epicenter for this new smart bike technology," said Colin McMahon, of LimeBike.

A big challenge for Seattle will be regulating where on the sidewalks the bikes are parked.

The city requires they be left out of the way of pedestrians and not parked near the curb on the sidewalk, or by streetlights, sandwich boards, newspaper boxes and bicycle racks.

Kubly said the parking regulations will help with "making sure we maintain an organized and clean and clear right of way."

The failed Pronto bike share, which city officials first bailed out and then shut down, had fewer bikes, and users were limited to docking stations.

Pronto had helmet dispensers at the docking stations, something that won't be possible with the more flexible services.

That highlights a fundamental challenge for running a bike share in Seattle, one of the few places with a law requiring helmet use.

Cyclists face a $30 fine for not wearing a helmet in King County, but enforcement of the law in Seattle is increasingly rare.

Data from Seattle Municipal Court shows that in 2011, 67 violators were charged.

That fell to 41 charges in 2016, and just five in the first three months of 2017.

Kubly said the city will not change how it enforces the law.

"We're encouraging people to use their helmet. We're requiring (bike share companies) put information about the helmet law on the bikes, but ultimately it's the responsibility of the rider," Kubly said.

The bike share permit system is a six-month pilot project that the city intends to closely review.

Cox Media Group