The Town Center Community Improvement District (CID) kicks off its new bike share system today, the first ever to be launched by a CID in the state of Georgia. Bikes are now available for use 24 hours a day, all year and are parked at three convenient docking stations located along the Noonday Creek Trail, a seven-mile concrete path system in the Town Center Community in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Town Center CID partnered with Zagster (http://zagster.com/), a leading provider of private and public-private bike sharing systems in the U.S., to implement and maintain the bike share system.
Working with Cobb County DOT, Town Center CID has placed stations in key locations where they will be convenient, compatible with the environment and provide easy access to prime destinations in the district.
These include:
- Future home of Town Center Park, on Town Center Drive, behind Town Center Mall;
- Bells Ferry Trailhead, between Cobb Parkway and the intersection of Barrett Lakes Boulevard and Duncan Road; and
- Future home of Aviation Park, at Cobb Place Boulevard and Barrett Lakes Boulevard.
“Great communities provide commuters, residents and visitors with transportation options, along with new and enriching things to do,” said Tracy Rathbone, executive director of the Town Center Community Improvement District. “The Zagster bike share system offers everyone who spends time in this area a fun and easy way to get to their favorite destinations. It’s an exciting chance to connect with our vibrant community, getting people out of the car and out of an everyday routine. We want to help create memorable experiences here, along with new, healthy habits!”
“Bike sharing is a great, and versatile, way to help communities address needs, like last mile connectivity, as well as create opportunities for better health for residents and overall sustainability in a region,” said Timothy Ericson, co-founder and CEO of Zagster. “We’re thrilled to be working with the Town Center CID to make the program a success in Kennesaw and elsewhere in the region.”
As Easy As Borrow, Unlock, Ride & Return
Starting today, bike share memberships are available on www.zagster.com/towncenter or may be set up using the Zagster mobile app. Membership is free and open to everyone over 18 with a valid credit or debit card. The first hour of riding is free and each additional hour is $3 with a maximum cost of $24 per day. The bike may be returned to any docking station in the CID.
Once riders set up an account, they can text the unique ID of a bike to receive an access code that unlocks it. Riders can use the code for the duration of their rental to lock and unlock the bike anywhere along their trip. Once the bike is returned to a Zagster location, the touch of a button ends the rental and releases the bike for the next rider.
The Town Center Zagster system features the Breezer Uptown, an award-winning, lightweight cruiser bike specifically designed for city riding. All bikes come with baskets, adjustable seats, seven gears, an attached lock and front and rear lights for night riding.
“Town Center CID’s leadership to bring Zagster and the bike share system to their area will undoubtedly be successful and capture a market with unmet demand. It will also serve among many catalyst efforts to continue the transformation of the CID area,” said Faye DiMassimo, Director of Cobb County Department of Transportation.
Uniting Bike Trails Through Cobb and Beyond
The bike share program will be expanded in phases. Phase one includes three stations and a total of 20 bikes. In 2016, additional locations will be added throughout the Town Center CID, including the KSU campus, to assure easy access for students.
“Cobb County is home to nearly one-fourth of the trail network in the metro Atlanta region,” said Mason Zimmerman, Chairman of the Board. “The Town Center CID is working with a variety of civic and local government partners to connect Cobb trails to each other through the Cobb Greenway Project and then to trail systems in Cherokee and Fulton, including the Atlanta BeltLine,” he said. “We’re the first CID to put a district-wide program in place and are excited to be at the forefront of this growing transit option.”
For more information on Zagster, the station locations, and updates on the program, including membership registration and docking station map, visit Town Center’s bike share program website: http://zagster.com/towncenter/.
About the TCCID
Founded in 1997, the Town Center Community Improvement District is dedicated to the betterment of the Town Center area through transportation infrastructure, safety improvements, beautification and other projects that enhance property value by increasing interest and investment in the community. The Town Center CID utilizes funds from voluntary commercial real estate taxes to implement its projects. For more information, please visit www.tccid.com.
About Zagster
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Zagster is a leading provider of private and public-private bike sharing systems for tenants, employees, guests, students and residents across North America, with a focus on smaller cities. More information about Zagster is available at www.Zagster.com.
