Subject
title
Authorization for the City Manager to Execute the Federal-Aid Project Guidelines and Working Supplemental Agreement with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration for the Twinbrook Bikeshare Project Under the Carbon Reduction Program
end
Department
PW - Traffic & Transportation
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council authorize the City Manager to execute the supplemental agreement (Attachment 1) with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Administration (MDOT SHA) for the Twinbrook Bikeshare project, under the Carbon Reduction Program.
Discussion
Bikeshare is a valuable component to Rockville’s multimodal transportation network. It allows residents and visitors to rent bicycles for short periods of time, starting at 30 minutes. The bikeshare system uses bikeshare stations strategically placed throughout the city and region to allow users to pick up and drop off bicycles at locations a short distance from their trip origin and destination. Bikeshare is a useful mode for trips between three and six miles; trips that are often too long to be pedestrian trips, but not economical for rideshare or other private automobile trips. There are currently ten bikeshare stations in Rockville, none are in the Twinbrook neighborhood.
City staff applied for and received grant funding from the FY 25 Carbon Reduction Program to purchase bikeshare bicycles and up to four bikeshare stations for the Twinbrook Neighborhood. The bikeshare stations and bicycles will be through the same system used by Montgomery County and the rest of the region. This will allow Rockville residents and visitors to travel between the city and region seamlessly via bikeshare.
Expanding bikeshare in Rockville is explicitly included as an action item in the approved 2017 Bikeway Master Plan (Attachment 2). Bikeshare can also be used to improve access to transit, which is a Climate Action Plan objective.
Mayor and Council History
This is the first time the Carbon Reduction Program Twinbrook Bikeshare project has been brought to the Mayor and Council.
Fiscal Impact
This project is funded through the Carbon Reduction Program, which is administered by MDOT SHA. The total cost of the project is expected to be $464,000, composed of $371,200 grant funds and $92,800 local match.
This grant and the local match are included in the FY 2027 Capital Improvement Program budget under project TD26, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety: FY-26-FY30 (Attachment 3).
Boards and Commissions Review
The Rockville Bicycle Advisory Committee (RBAC) has requested additional bikeshare stations be included in Rockville Capital Improvement Program. RBAC has also provided recommendations regarding the specific locations for bikeshare stations in the Twinbrook neighborhood.
Next Steps
Once the Mayor and Council authorize the City Manager and the supplemental agreement is executed, city staff will submit the signed agreement to MDOT SHA. Once it is fully executed, city staff will work with Montgomery County Department of Transportation and MDOT SHA to procure bikeshare stations and bicycles.