Bike-sharing program bypasses West Side – again


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Nearly two years after Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched Chicago’s bike-sharing program, there’s still not one station in Austin.

That’s not right, says Ald.-Elect Chris Taliaferro.

In an interview with DNAinfo, Taliaferro said West Side residents are riding bikes and don’t want to be left out of the Divvy program that will be in 33 of the city’s 50 wards after the latest expansion.

Although an additional 176 stations are being added citywide, there will be none in the 29th and 37th wards.

Taliaferro said “it wouldn’t cost a significant amount” to extend Divvy to the West Side.

“We have to put it in the mayor’s mindset that Austin is part of the city of Chicago,” he told DNAinfo.

From the start, local residents worried Austin would be left out.

Then last fall, AustinTalks reported Divvy was going to be expanding to the West Side and suburban Oak Park. But the state grant that was going to pay for the expansion didn’t come through after voters elected Bruce Rauner governor.

 

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