St. Lucie County’s Bike Share Program Gets Peddling in Fort Pierce

St. Lucie County’s Bike Share Program Gets Peddling in Fort Pierce

FORT PIERCE – Don’t let the lack of a bicycle stop you from peddling around St. Lucie County. St. Lucie County’s Transit Division has partnered with Zagster on a two-year pilot program that will create nine bicycle rental stations throughout the county.

Bicycle share stations have already been installed in downtown Fort Pierce near the City Marina. They are on South Hutchinson Island at the St. Lucie County Aquarium and Jaycee Park. Additional stations are in the works in Fort Pierce, including one at Jetty Park and the Beth Ryder Intermodal Facility on Avenue D. The city of Port St. Lucie will host four bike stations at Sportsman Park, Whispering Pines Park, the PSL Intermodal Facility and the Port St. Lucie Civic Center. City crews are working with Zagster to pour concrete slabs for these stations with plans to have all of the stations and 50 bicycles available by early March.

The cost to rent a bike is $1 per hour. Bicycles can be rented by downloading the Zagster app or viawww.zagster.com/stlucie and text messaging.  Instructions are also available on signs located at all bike share stations.

Bicycles can be returned to any of the stations located through the county, meaning residents can even use the Treasure Coast Connector, as all fixed route buses feature bike racks.

St. Lucie County’s bike share program is a two-year pilot program.  The Florida Department of Transportation’s Intermodal Development Program provided capital financing for the purchase of six bike stations and 35 bicycles, as well as one-year of operating costs for those stations. Additional funding is currently being sought through sponsorship opportunities. If local a business or organization is interested in promoting the bike share program, sponsorships are available. This includes a business name/logo on a bike station sign. It also includes bicycle baskets to acknowledge their generous contribution in supporting the program, as well as their commitment to the local community. For more information about sponsoring a bike station contact: St. Lucie County Transportation Planner/Transit System Coordinator David Engel, MCRP, AICP, at 772-462-5164 or engled@stlucieco.org.

The bike share system is designed to promote public health, recreation, provide an affordable non-motorized travel option for short trips, and improve access to the county’s fixed-route bus service, which is now free thanks to a two-year pilot program and Florida Department of Transportation grant.