CMAQ – Memphis Flyer

Facebook- Explore Bike Share

Explore Bike Share will expand to the University of Memphis by next fall, university officials announced Monday.

Thanks to a $580,000 grant through a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) fund, the campus and surrounding areas will receive 60 bikes.

U of M president M. David Rudd said bringing Bike Share to the campus will alleviate some of the parking issues on campus, while improving sustainability.

“The University of Memphis area has found its identity as a popular retail, food and residential district, while university enrollment has grown and retention rates are at an all-time high,”Rudd said. “We see tremendous value in Explore Bike Share, and believe it will be an innovative way to service our students’ needs and increase our sustainability by increasing mobility options, relieving the pressure of parking by reducing motor vehicle usage and getting our students engaged in the community.”

The CMAQ funds will also cover the cost of a number of EBS memberships for students. EBS will collaborate with students and campus officials to determine the best locations for bike stations at and around the U of M.

“Our mission at Explore Bike Share is to provide Memphians with affordable, accessible and easy transportation, and we start on the ground with community members and leaders,” Sara Studdard, EBS community engagement and marketing director, said. “Bike share would give students an easy, exciting way to engage in the college experience, but first we have to ask them a simple question — where do you want to go?”

With funds from a separate CMAQ grant, EBS plans to add an additional 300 bikes at 30 stations throughout the city next year.

Some of MATA’s CMAQ funds will go toward improvements at Central Station.

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) plans to use five grants totaling $4.7 million from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to expand bus service to employment centers and to improve customer experiences.

The funds were awarded through TDOT’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, which although administered by TDOT, is funded through the federal government.

Here’s how the money will be used:
* Public infrastructure improvements at Central Station, including a new trolley station, a transit connector concourse, and other pedestrian and bike-friendly streetscape improvements.

* A new bus route called the Wolfchase Connector that connect employers in the Appling Farms area and educational institutions such as Southwest Tennessee Community College with Shelby Farms and retailers in the Wolfchase Mall area

* A new express bus service connecting downtown with the American Way Transit Center, Greyhound intercity buses, and major employers near the airport.

* A new route called the Getwell Connector connecting multi-family residences and major employers in southeast Memphis.

* A new route called the Airport Shuttle Express that will provide direct express service between the Airways Transit Center, American Way Transit Center, and Memphis International Airport.

The CMAQ funds will cover 80 percent of the cost of these planned projects, while the other 20 percent (about $1.9 million) will be matched by the city of Memphis.

“These funds are a significant opportunity for us to get people in the inner city to jobs out east and around the airport area,” Mayor A C Wharton said. “It’s a good step in the right direction towards lowering the cost of living for the poor and providing access to greater opportunities for employment. I am pleased that MATA is doing what it can to expand services where they can have a major impact.”