Locations of Next 35 Bike Stations Announced

The long wait is over, almost. First announced in 2013, the city’s bike sharing system started with 11 stations and more recently announced that 35 stations would be added over a period of two years to what is now known as the Bublr Bikes system. But we now know the locations of the 35 planned stations, (listed below), which will blanket much of the East Side with coverage, and bring additional stations to the Historic Third Ward, East Town and Westown neighborhoods. In addition, there will be stations in Walker’s Point, Riverwest, the Beerline, Clarke Square, King Park, Lindsay Heights, the Haymarket, Harambee and Bronzeville.

The stations will be paid for primarily from a federal grant, but local matching funds, privately raised capital and money from UW-Milwaukee student segragated fees will also be used. The end result will be a dense network of 46 stations centered around Downtown. The city will soon begin installing 10 of their stations, with UWM also expected to begin installing their stations before summer’s end. The remaining stations will be installed on a rolling basis starting in Spring 2016.

The system will be far from finished when all 35 new stations are installed. Shorewood, Wauwatosa and West Allis have all received grants to install stations and are waiting for the system to be built out towards their communities. In addition, logical partners and areas for expansion still remain, such as Marquette University and Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. The expansion also won’t make it to Bay View this time around, which  is certain to draw the ire of some in the urbanizing south side neighborhood.

The grant is from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program. The city and county have used similar grants in the past to pay for new bus routes, bike trails and streetscaping improvements. In addition the city intends to use a CMAQ grant to fund start-up operations of the Milwaukee Streetcar. The grant is for $1,280,000 and requires a 20 percent ($320,000) match, which the city funded from the Nothwestern Mutual Tower and Commons tax-incremental financing district. Bublr Bikes will also install their stations and support the operation of the entire system from nearly $2 million in private funds the non-profit has raised for this phase. UWM will be contributing approximately $300,000.

Far from just being able to place the stations wherever they wish, the city must juggle a number of issues when selecting station sites. The most straight-forward involve simple geometry: would a station leave enough clearance space, cover a utility manhole cover, require street light relocation or necessitate chopping down a tree? Those issues can be a challenge, but are solvable by hunting for the right location. More burdensome are the federal requirements that come with using a federal grant. When using the federal grant to install a station in a park an extensive review process is required and a long-term lease is needed. In addition, the federal grant requires the city to obtain a long-term lease or have the land be vacated if they wish to use the grant to install a station on private land. Other restrictions come into play on federally designated historic buildings or districts. If this all sounds a bit ridiculous to you, just imagine how good it looks to a lawyer.

Bike Sharing Explained

Bike sharing biycles can be checked out from docking stations using a credit card or membership fob. Bike sharing, which exists in 75 U.S. cities, is intended to get riders from point to point. Unlike traditional bike rentals, all trips start and stop at a docking station. It gives riders the benefit of a bike at their disposal without the need to buy, maintain or store one. A single 30-minute ride costs $3 ($3 for each additional 30 minutes) or a month long membership of unlimited 60 minute rides for $15. The system pairs well with existing and planned transit options like the bus system or streetcar by providing another mobility option, allowing riders to choose the mode that bests fits their need.

New Station Locations

Stations listed by Station Name (Primary Street/Secondary Street) – Installation Year – Owner

1. Bradford Beach (E. Water Tower Rd./N. Lincoln Memorial Dr.) – 2016 – City
2. Humboldt/Commerce (N. Humboldt Ave./N. Commerce St.) – 2016 – City
3. Water/Pleasant (E. Pleasant St./N. Water St.) – 2015 – City
4. Pleasant/Commerce (N. Commerce St./E. Pleasant St.) – 2016 – City
5. Lakefront Brewery (N. Commerce St./N. Holton St.) – 2015 – City
6. Marsupial Bridge East (N. Water St./E. Pearson St.) – 2016 – City
7. Brady/Prospect (N. Prospect Ave./E. Brady St) – N/A – Bublr
8. Broadway/Knapp (N. Broadway/E. Knapp St.) – 2015 – City
9. Ogden/Jackson (E. Ogden Ave./N. Jackson St.) – 2015 – City
10. Cudahy Tower (N. Prospect Ave./N. Jackson St.) – 2016 – City
11. Burns Commons (N. Prospect Ave./E. Ogden Ave.) – 2016 – City
12. Ogden/Marshall (N. Marshall St./E. Ogden Ave.) – 2015 – City
13. MIAD (E. Menomonee St./E. Erie St.) – 2016 – City
14. Jefferson/Menomonee (N. Jefferson St./E. Menomonee St.) – 2015 – City
15. S. 2nd/Freshwater (S. 2nd St./Freshwater Way) – 2016 – City
16. S. 2nd/Washington (S. 2nd St./E. Washington St.) – 2015 – City
17. S. 2nd/Virginia (W. Virginia St./S. 2nd St.) – 2016 – City
18. S. 6th/Virginia (W. Virginia St./S. 6th St.) – 2016 – City
19. Public Museum (W. Wells St./N. James Lovell St.) – 2016 – City
20. MATC (W. State St./N. James Lovell St.) – 2016 – City
21. Old World Third (W. Highland Ave./N. Old World Third St.) – 2016 – City
22. Central Library (N. 8th St./W. Wisconsin Ave.) – 2016 – City
23. Hillside Terrace (N. 6th St./W. Galena St.) – 2015 – City
24. N. 6th/Reservoir (N. 6th St./W. Reservoir Ave.) – 2016 – City
25. MLK Dr./Brown (W. Brown St./N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.) – 2016 – City
26. Cambridge Commons (E. North Ave./N. Cambridge Ave.) – Fall 2015 – City/UWM
27. Riverview – UWM (N. Commerce St./W. North Ave.) – Fall 2015 – UWM
28. Kenilworth Square – UWM (N. Prospect Ave./E. Kenilworth Pl.) – Fall 2015 – UWM
29. Sandburg Hall – UWM (N. Maryland Ave./E. Newport Ave.) – Fall 2015 – UWM
30. UWM Student Union (N. Maryland Ave./E. Kenwood Ave.) – Fall 2015 – UWM
31. Golda Meir Library – UWM (E. Hartford Ave.) – Fall 2015 – UWM
32. Walker Square (W. Washington St./S. 9th St.) – 2016 – Bublr
33. Cesar Chavez Dr. (Location still being determined) – 2016 – Bublr
34. King Park (Location still being determined) – 2016 – Bublr
35. North/Teutonia (Location still being determined) – 2016 – Bublr

Existing Stations

1. Discovery World – will be upgraded in 2015
2. Red Arrow Park
3. Intermodal Station
4. Cathedral Square – curb extension will be installed in 2016
5. Public Market
6. Wisconsin Center – will be expanded in 2016
7. Water/Wisconsin – will be expanded in 2016
8. US Bank Center – will be expanded in 2016
9. 411 East Wisconsin
10. Schlitz Park
11. Brady/Humboldt

System Photos