New bike-sharing program to roll in Long Beach

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Rzepecki, a former project manager for New York City’s Department of Transportation bike program, launched the company in 2010. Last year, Business Insider named him among the 100 “Coolest People in New York Tech,” after he received $1.3 million in financing from investors and brought a Social Bicycles pilot program to Hoboken, N.J. Long Beach would mark the company’s 10th location; others include Buffalo, Tampa and San Francisco.

“We were really excited to bid on this project — I think it’s very valuable for us to have a project so close to our home base,” Rzepecki said. “We think this is a really great community for bike share.”

But some residents raised concerns about how the program would impact the city’s three local bike shops, which are still struggling in the wake of Sandy. Nick Lalli, owner of Local Cycles, at 307 W. Park Ave., who rebuilt his business after the storm, said he proposed a bike-rental program on the boardwalk, and that Social Bicycles could take away customers in the busy summer months.

“You’re talking about three local businesses that were recently wiped out, back to zero,” Lalli said. “That’s just not right. From my experience, 85 percent of the people who rent bikes from me are coming off the train. It’s a tourist industry.”

Councilman Anthony Eramo said that the city’s contract with SoBi would not prohibit Lalli’s business from renting his custom bikes on the boardwalk. Schnirman said that the city has asked Social Bicycles to work with Local Cycles and others in the future.

“We’re looking forward to continuing that conversation,” Schnirman said. “There’s been discussion about a variety of roles that the local partners can play. Basically, we always want to support our locals, and that’s something we’re working very hard to do as we go forward. Social Bicycles has indicated that they are amenable to working with those local vendors here as part of the process.”

*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that two local bike shops had responded the RFP.

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