By Jeremy M. LazarusNext week, Mayor Levar M. Stoney will launch the RVA Bike Share program that promotes cycling by allowing people to rent bikes for a few hours to a week or more.

The mayor plans to call attention to the program by leading cyclists on a 2-mile ride 9 a.m. Tuesday, August 29.

Open to all, the ride is to begin at the refurbished Kanawha Plaza at 8th and Canal street, cross the Manchester Bridge to South Side and then return to Brown’s Island via the new T. Tyler Potterfield Bridge.

The bike sharing program was proposed in 2012 during the tenure of former Mayor Dwight C. Jones, whose administration gained the approvals and funding to start the program.

The city was awarded a $1,064,000 federal grant in 2014 for the program. Richmond City Council provided $280,000 in capital improvement funds as the city’s portion.

“Bike sharing programs are a community transportation service and desired amenity provided by forward-thinking and environmentally conscious cities,” Mayor Stoney stated in an announcement Tuesday afternoon.

“I am proud Richmond is now among those leading in this regard.”

Richmond has teamed up with Canada-based Bewegen Technologies Inc., an industry bike share leader, to supply the bicycles and docking stations, the mayor stated.

The equipment will be maintained by Corps Logistics, a Baltimore-based firm that military veterans own and operate, he added.

One-way trip and daily passes will be available, as well as weekly, monthly and yearly memberships.

The initial phase includes 220, 8-speed bikes and 20 docking stations located throughout the city, Mayor Stoney stated. People pay at the docking stations for the time they want to use a bike. The bikes can be returned to any docking station. People also can become members.

Docking stations are located primarily in Downtown from Abner Clay Park to the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, with a few elsewhere, according to a map supplied on the bike share website.

A second phase, to be implemented within a few months, will double the size of the fleet, the mayor stated.

The second phase will include electric-assisted PedElec bikes, making it easier to ride uphill, he stated.

According to the mayor, each of the hi-tech bicycles in the fleet will be equipped with a color screen and GPS that can be unlocked through a mobile app on a cell phone.

RVA Bike Share is a public-private initiative, he noted. In a bid to gain additional financial support, Mayor Stoney has written a letter to encourage Richmond’s corporate and business leaders to engage in sponsorship opportunities to help ensure the program is financially solvent.

Details: www.RVAbikes.com.