U.S. bike-share company wants to expand to Windsor

A major U.S. bike-share provider wants to set up shop inWindsor.

Boston-based Zagster submitted a plan to the city's transportation committee Wednesday for a 40-bike system for the city. The company says it can set up six docking stations for $15,000 in addition to anestimated annual operatingcost of$57,600.

• Bike-sharing program coming to University of Windsor

The system would be in addition toanother 40-bikeprogram Zagster is launchingat the University of Windsor in August. The company isworking with the student union's cycling association for that pilot project.

Transportation committee members delayed making a decision on theplan Wednesday, asking city staff to look at how the two bike-share programs could work together.

"We can't do it by ourselves," said Coun. Paul Borrelli, who has been working with Zagsteron the latest pitch to the city. "We want to see how this can work in a collaborative effort."

Gearing up for Windsor

If the cityapproves a jointprogram with the university, Windsor could then have 80 bikes and multipledocking stations throughout the city and campus. Zagster sales consultantDavid Reed is confident the city can support such anetwork.

"It seems like a good extension to have the city involved as well as the university," hetold CBC News.

If the city approvesZagster's bike-share program, the earliest it could roll out would be next spring.

Though Reed recognized Windsor does not have extensive cycling infrastructure, he said the city is not as bad for cyclists as many people think.

"It definitely has some room to grow. It's probably not the worst infrastructure I've seen in communities around the U.S. and Canada," he said.

A lack of infrastructure, though, hasn't stopped other cities frominvestingin bike-share programs. Zagster has expanded to cities like Aurora, Ill and Fort Wayne, Ind. where cycling infrastructure improved after the systems were introduced.

"A bike-share program still can be something that works in a place that doesn't have a lot of bike lanes yet," Reed said. "It could be a catalyst to grow that and expand the infrastructure."