The Newport City Commission voted to approve a $15,000 funding agreement to support the Red Bike program for another year.
Red Bike is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Cincinnati that supports alternative transportation, regional connectivity and economic development within the Greater Cincinnati region, including Newport. The city had previously committed to a one-time financial contribution of $15,000. The new agreement term is one year. It may be renewed for up to two additional one-year terms.
Newport Municipal Specialist Josh Tunning said Northern Kentucky cities, including Newport’s contribution, have brought the fundraising effort to just over $75,000 toward Red Bike’s operating funds.
“Here in Newport, especially my neighborhood, West Newport, a lot of folks do use Red Bike to get to and from work,” Tunning said. “So, we see it here in Newport, utilized every day for both recreation and just to get by.”
Last year alone, Tunning said Red Bike hit over 125,000 individual rides. Over one-third of those were from low-income individuals.
The city said at the Feb. 23 meeting that it is working with Red Bike and Kroger on a new Red Bike station in West Newport, at the new Kroger located at 20 West 6th St. Tunning said they hope to have that station open by April or May.
“We think that will be really exciting, not just for folks in the neighborhood to use it for recreation and to get to work, but so they can go and buy some groceries,” Tunning said.
The city already has two Red Bike locations at Newport on the Levee, one at the Campbell County Public Library branch in the city, one at 6th and Washington, one outside of the city building at 998 Monmouth St., and one at the 800 block of Monmouth Street.
“The last several years that I’ve seen the numbers, the two most popular ones in Newport were right here at the city building and Newport on the Levee, and they had extended use, said Newport City Manager John Hayden,” Tunning said.
Some of the bikes at existing stations are analog bikes, Tunning said, but moving forward, when they order new bikes or build a new station, they will be electric bikes.
“Most of the Red Bike infrastructure that we have in Newport was not funded by the city at all,” said Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. “We had significant donors that came in, and we wound up achieving more stations than we ever committed to financially. The system has been challenged, and it was on the verge of going away; this is an effort to continue its success moving forward.”
