Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships for Local & Region Innovation
We live in aworld with much uncertainty about federal level transportation legislation andsufficient funding to maintain existing infrastructure in our communities. Withthis level of uncertainty about policy and funding, it can be difficult at thelocal level to think about projects like bike share, which can take years toplan and large capital investments to fund. However, data and research indicatethat millennials and boomers want livable communities where they can live,work, and play without having to get into a car. Mobility preferences andtrends are expanding beyond a single occupancy vehicle and cities and townsthat explore and provide safe multimodal transportation options are thriving. Albuquerque’sdowntown pilot bike share, BICI (ashortened version of bicicleta, the Spanish word for bicycle and pronounced“bee-see”) launched on May 15, 2015, with 15 stations and 75 bicycles amere seven months after local planners started working on the project. Througha creative partnership between the DowntownABQ MainStreet Initiative and theMid-Region Council of Governments, and through public-private funding,Albuquerque was able to realize the first phase of BICI for residents andvisitors. Participants will learn how Albuquerque made BICI a reality without initialmajor capital investments and how the program will continue and grow.
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