The cities of Springfield, Holyoke, and Northampton along with Amherst and UMass have signed an agreement committing to move forward on a regional bike share program.
The program, tentatively named “ValleyBike,” would make bicycles available to people for a small fee to make short trips.
Christopher Curtis, chief planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said the communities and the institution will be looking to obtain $1.1 million in federal transportation funds to buy the bicycles and build the bike stations.
" There is a very bike-friendly population and good bike infrastructure here in the Pioneer Valley that would support something like this ,we think," said Curtis.
Successful bike share programs operate in cities across the country, with notable examples including Hubway in Boston and Citibike in New York.
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