Policy Topic to be Examined: Divvy Bike - Chicago’s bike share program - began operating in the summer of 2013. Since then the program has grown from 75 stations clustered mainly around Chicago’s Loop, to a system of 570+ stations with over 6,000 bikes spread around the City of Chicago.
Bikeshare programs have become increasingly popular in large cities around the U.S. Along with working to address a number of environmental issues, bikeshare programs are also said to help address the “last mile” problem, that is helping to facilitate movement of people from transportation hubs (bus stations, subway stations, etc.) to their final destination.
I’m interested in taking a look at Divvy bike usage in transit deserts around the city of Chicago. My end goal is to 1) understand how divvy bikes are being utilized in areas with diverse transportation options as well as transit deserts, 2) through this analysis understand if Chicago’s bikeshare program is addressing transportation inequality.