The City of Baldwin Park yesterday welcomed the GoSGV e-bike share program into the city. The launch of the electric assist bicycle fleet in Baldwin Park makes it the second city in the SGV region to host the service.
"The bike-share program will allow residents and visitors an affordable option to experience their city and to get to their destination," said Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano at yesterday's press conference. "With interest in bicycling having surged in recent months, our hope is to encourage more folks to get out of their car and utilize biking and walking to get some exercise to stay healthy."
GoSGV launched in Baldwin Park with 45 bikes and 9 bike stations. In addition to the 35 bikes in South El Monte where the program first launched, GoSGV's operating fleet is now up to 80 bikes between the two cities.
Users can unlock bikes using the Gotcha app and will be charged $2 to unlock and 10 cents per minute to ride. Subscriptions of $79.99 annually or $9.99 monthly give 2o minutes of free ride time per unlock and 10 cents per minute after; a student and a military discount would provide the same benefits but cost either $59.99 annually or $6.99 monthly.
The launch of the Baldwin Park bike share comes on the heels of the city council's decision to create a Vision Zero Plan to improve safety. At the September 16 regular meeting, the city council committed to eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries in the city over the next 10 years.
At the press conference at Morgan Park, city and state officials and representatives touted the program's arrival. Baldwin Park's Mayor Pro Tem Paul Hernandez said that the program will offer its residents an alternative way for people to travel. Councilmember Monica Garcia said that the introduction of GoSGV is part of a culmination of decades-long work around making travel safer for those who walk and bike, and "without those initial efforts we would have not been here today."
"It's really been a community effort, and a community vision," Garcia added.
GoSGV was made possible by a $4.554 million Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Grant awarded in 2017 by the California Transportation Commission to the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. The SGVCOG contracted Gotcha, a national private shared-mobility firm, last year to operate the system.
GoSGV will expand over the next year to 840 bikes to parts of unincorporated Los Angeles County, Cal Poly Pomona, and 15 SGV cities including El Monte, Covina, Claremont, Monterey Park.
"The City’s enthusiasm for joining GoSGV demonstrates its commitment to offering residents more transportation choices," said Tim Hepburn, La Verne Mayor and San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Vice President.
Our San Gabriel Valley coverage, including this article and SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”
Sign-up for our SGV Connect Newsletter, coming to your inbox on Fridays.
