Almost 500 people representing over 100 cities met in Chicago last week to discuss the future of shared transit at the Shared Use Mobility Summit (SUMC). The conference shed light on many changes occurring on our streets including implications of autonomous vehicles, rapid growth in ride  and bike sharing, and changing consumer preferences for automobiles, . 

Executive Director of SUMC, Sharon Feigon started the conference by pointing out that transportation is the #2 household expense in America, averaging 29% of household income. Much of this is driven by the cost of car ownership. She reiterated the mission of the Shared Mobility Use Center: making it possible to live well without owning a car through a multi-modal transit system available for all. ​Those shared modes include car sharing, bike sharing, and ride sharing. 

Last fall, I interviewed the founder of Pittsburgh Bike Share to gain a behind the scenes look at bike sharing. At the time, Pittsburgh Bike Share was only 5 months into operations. ​In this second article on the The Future of Bike Sharing, I checked-in to hear what they have learned after two busy seasons and one winter of operations. Erin Potts, Director of Marketing & Community Outreach shared her perspective on lessons learned as well as the future direction 

Bike sharing in the U.S. has grown dramatically within the last 8 years. According to Metrobike, over 71,000,000 trips on public bikes have occurred in the U.S.A. since 2008. And further innovations in the technology, operations and business models point to additional growth. They also point to different ways that people will interact with bike sharing in the future. 

In this multi-part series, I will look at the innovations and the different system models that are emerging, gain an on-the-ground view from a bike share operator, and solicit the perspective of industry experts. The goal is to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon and direction of bike sharing which is sweeping our streets. 

Before retiring, Carl Zvanut was an active bike commuter although admittedly he had some restrictions. These included only riding during good weather and days with no activities after work. His commute was 30 miles round-trip mostly along hilly, rural roads. At work he had access to decent facilities including showers and bike parking. It was a manageable setup for him.

Today, Carl pursues a different kind of biking. Each week, along with fellow retirees who are members of the Lehigh Wheelmen Association, he rides to different locations in the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania, culminating in a group lunch. Typically the rides are 40 miles long. It's a way for Carl to stay connected and active while exploring the beauty of the countryside. 

The growth of bicycle lanes is one of the most significant improvements in bike infrastructure in Chicago. Currently, the city has more than 280 miles of on-street protected, buffered and shared bike lanes. And this number is growing; Cycling Plan 2020 calls for a 645-mile network of biking facilities to be in place by the end of the decade.  

Nationwide, numerous cities have implemented a significant number of on-street bicycle lanes. ​All of this investment and infrastructure is wonderful for biking and bike commuting. And yet, in Chicago we have a significant problem with the usage of the bike lanes.

Jay Kinsinger, founder of Sojourner Cyclery makes wooden bicycle frames. Each one is hand-crafted and custom-built to the unique body measurements of the rider. Thus all of Jay's bikes are a one-of-a-kind. The rediscovery of using wood for bicycles harkens back to the earliest days of cycling when many bike manufacturers selected it as their material of choice.    

What is the role of the car within urban areas in the United States? It such a basic question that the answer may seem obvious. But the accepted primacy of the car on our streets belies the congestion, pollution, and fatalities which extract an exorbitant cost on society. The National Safety Council estimates 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015; the largest increase in 50 years. 

For Chicago entrepreneur Josh London, it's not so obvious that the car should be the dominant form of transportation within an urban environment. From his perspective, cities are not working as well and he asks "why can't we have car-free streets?" It's a unconventional view yet one informed by his own personal health journey.

It's time to head home from work and I look out the window to see a rain storm moving into the area. Since I commute by bike, I have three choices: ride home - mostly likely in the rain, take the bus and put the bike on the front of the bus, or leave the bike at the office and take a train. I opt for the first and head out the door hoping to beat the worst of the storm.. 

This is is not the first time I've taken a chance with the rain, nor will it be the last. And through the years, I've tweaked my bike commuting setup to deal with the weather. So the hopeful part of me is thinking, it may not rain too hard so how wet can I get? 

Over the past several years, a significant trend has emerged with young adults choosing to live in urban areas over suburban locales. According to Nielsen, "62% of millennials indicate they prefer to live in the type of mixed-use communities found in urban centers, where they can be close to shops, restaurants and offices."  This preference for urban areas has not gone unnoticed by employers who are also moving or relocating to the urban core. Recently, in Chicago alone, Motorola, ConAgra, GE Healthcare, Archer Daniels Midland, Kraft-Heinz and now McDonald's have moved or announced a move to walkable neighborhoods and downtowns. 

​While there are many factors at work, what's remarkable is the role that biking and bike-friendly communities play in this shift. Smart Growth America just released a report called Amazing Place: Six Cities Using the New Recipes for Economic Development that examines these trends. 

When I first met Jared Marchiando last summer he had just started bike commuting a few weeks earlier. He was still establishing a regular route and routine. When I asked him why he was riding he said that a friend who had been bike commuting for two years, told him it was time to "man-up". 
What Jared did not tell me at the time was that he was a former motorcycle rider. In effect, a former biker that turned, well biker.