Did you know that May is our national bike month? Neither did we! The more you know, right?
Fortunately here in Los Angeles, every month is basically bike month, especially as smaller cities like West Hollywood and Santa Monica start embracing bike share programs and make the roads a bit safer for cyclists getting from place to place.
The great news: It just got waaaay easier to get around the Westside on a bike. West Hollywood’s bike share program “WeHo Pedals” just combined forces with the respective forces of Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and UCLA to create a massive “Bike Share Connect” network starting today.
Per the press release:
The City of West Hollywood’s Bike Share program, WeHo Pedals, is partnering with bike share systems in Santa Monica (Breeze Bike Share), Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills Bike Share), and UCLA (Bruin Bike Share) to form one seamless bike share network. Collectively known as Bike Share Connect, it is the first integrated regional bike share network in the Los Angeles area.
WeHo Pedals memberships will automatically expand into the enhanced service network, which is scheduled to launch onMonday, April 23, 2018. The new Bike Share Connect system area encompasses 35-square miles with 830 GPS-connected “Smart Bikes” and 135 station locations. The GPS-enabled bikes, powered by Social Bicycles (SoBi) and operated and maintained by CycleHop, LLC, will allow for a seamless integration for all users. All of the bicycles within the Bike Share Connect integrated system feature LED headlights and taillights, eight gears, cargo baskets, and a locking mechanism that can be locked to bike share stations within the service area for free, or to any public bike rack within the service area for a nominal fee of $2.