On
the evening of Monday, August 12, 2013, the Evanston City Council voted in favor of submitting a grant application seeking funds to install
Divvy bike sharing stations in Evanston. If awarded, the Chicago
Metropolitan Agency for Planning grant will cover up to 80% of the
project's proposed
cost of $472,500.00. The city will foot the bill for the rest of the
cost and will also be responsible for an estimated $168,000.00 in annual
operating costs. User fees and advertising revenue generally cover
70-80% of the annual operating costs of a system similar in size to the
one proposed in Evanston. In
addition, Northwestern University has expressed an interest partnering
with the city to support the program, and its staff plans to reach out
to other large businesses in the area to seek similar ongoing financial support.
At Monday
night's meeting, the City Council approved the grant application with
some slight modifications. The plan originally called for seven bike
sharing stations located primary near Metra and CTA stations, the
Northwestern campus, and the lakefront. The City Council modified the
plan to include eight stations rather than seven. In addition, the City
Council moved the proposed Dempster beach station to the Fleetwood
Jourdain Center and also modified the map to include stations near the
south end of town and one near Greenleaf Street and Chicago Avenue. Each
of the proposed eight stations will be equipped with 10 three-speed
bicycles.
As
an Evanston resident and avid bicyclist, Illinois Bicycle Lawyer
Michael Keating is extremely pleased with the Evanston City Council's
decision to seek funding for a bike sharing program. Mr. Keating has
been a member of Chicago's Divvy bike sharing system since its June 28,
2013 launch and regularly uses Divvy bicycles to travel throughout the
city and to commute from the Metra Station to his office. The attorneys
at Keating Law Offices are very excited about the prospect of bike
sharing programs extending beyond the city limits, and we encourage
other suburbs to follow in Evanston's footsteps.
Keating
Law Offices is a Chicago-based firm of trial lawyers who represent
clients throughout Illinois. They are the leading Illinois firm in the
field of bicycle litigation. If you have any questions regarding this
post or an issue involving bicycle law or litigation, please contact
Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com
