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B-cycle bike share coming to North Kansas City

Posted at 10:59 AM, Nov 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-17 11:59:54-05

BikeWalkKC, the group that brought B-cycle stations and bike sharing to Kansas City is asking for input on where the next stops should go north of the river.

BikeWalkKC is a nonprofit meant to make it easier to get around and to make the metro more bike accessible.

Currently there are about 30 Kansas City B-cycle stationsbetween downtown and Waldo.

"It's designed to provide affordable access to cycling throughout the Kansas City area. So, we offer affordable rides," said Karen Campbell, director of development, BikeWalkKC.

Here's how it works: you rent a bike from a stop, ride it and then you can return it to any stop.

Around 10-15 stops are coming in 2017 and at least three of those will be in North Kansas City.

RELATED | Bike share program uses crowdfunding to expand

BikeWalkKC is holding a meeting on Thursday at the North Kansas City YMCA from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. You can stop by at any time and tell the group where you think would be the best spot for the locations.

When they decide where to go, there are a lot of contributing factors. First they work with the cities and municipalities. They also weigh the need. Where do people want to bike recreationally, and where do they have to go to get public transportation? Then they talk with businesses to see if they're interested in hosting a site.

Organizers say they've grown rapidly over the past three years.

"We started off with very few stations. We were only open during the warm weather months. But the program became so popular we were adding stations at a rapid pace," said Campbell.

Campbell said the more stops they put in, the better the ridership.

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Belinda Post can be reached at belinda.post@kshb.com.

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