Bike Share Pilot
think regionally
After 3 years of research and 2 year of piloting a dock bike share, we recommend a regional, dockless bike share for Northwest Indiana. It is the most equitable option for Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties. NWI is an untapped market waiting to burst upon the bike share scene. The Indiana Dunes National Park attracts 3.6 million people per year and has incredibly limited bike access via the train. Ideally, the regional bike share should be run via a company, or non-profit that does not do the profit-sharing model, be dockless, offer a non-electronic payment option, allow riders under 18 and be willing to work towards becoming universally designed. We need a community partner dedicated to equitable, active transportation in emerging markets to take a chance on this opportunity.We have been gradually building our accessible bike and equipment lending library with our host site, The Paul H. Douglas Environmental Learning Center. (Please contact them for info on checking out any of the equipment there).
We are also happy to announce that 2021 brought the first full-time Scooter Share to Gary. We hosted the first E-Scooter Pop Up Shop in 2019 in Gary as part of the Outdoor Adventure Festival with the National Parks Service. This pop up was held in Gary, Porter and Chesterton to showcase the need for regional active transportation partnerships across NW Indiana. E-Scooters are the first vehicle brought to a community via vehicle share programs. We are working with community partners to help establish bike libraries and continue to help add to the adaptive equipment library at the Douglas Center.