For Austinites looking for another way to get around the urban core, Austin B-cycle will launch its bike sharing service by Dec. 21.

"Bike share really is going to be a transformative thing in downtown Austin," said Austin B-cycle executive director Elliott McFadden at a press conference Nov. 13. "It's really going to change the way we get from point A to point B and make Austin an easier place to get around."

Austin B-cycle will launch with 11 stations and about 100 bikes with plans to grow to 40 stations and 400 bikes by March 2014. The first 11 stations will be located in downtown with three stations as far south as West Monroe Street.

Councilman Chris Riley said Austin's growth has brought new transportation challenges to the city, and bike sharing is one option to help tackle some of those issues.

"Here in the urban core, we simply don't have the room to add more roads," Riley said. "Instead, we have to be smarter in the way we enable people to get from point A to point B. Bike sharing has been a tremendous success in other cities. In fact, in dozens of other cities in America, it's been shown to be a very effective way of enabling people to get around."

Riley said bike sharing will be an integrated part of the transportation network "linking the transit as a final-mile connector" to people's destinations.

To get the program up and running, Austin B-cycle received a $1.5 million federal grant along with $500,000 in private donations, said Craig Staley, chairman of Austin B-cycle's board.

"Whether it's a trip from Sixth [Street] and Congress [Avenue] to Whole Foods [Market] or from the Metro Rail stop to the capital, [for] these distances—which are too long to walk but a silly car trip—Austin B-cycle will not provide the best option for these short hops," Staley said.

In other cities 30–40 percent of bike share trips replace a car trip, Staley said, and that could have a significant impact on congestion.

Austin B-cycle memberships are available and range from $25 for a seven day pass to $80 for an annual membership. B-cycle also is offering a three-year founding membership for $250 until Dec. 15. Day passes will be available once the system launches.

For more information, visit https://austin.bcycle.com.