New bike-sharing program aims to provide safe, stress-free way around Anna Maria Island
There’s a new way to get around Anna Maria Island and it’s called Bike Share AMI.
The new initiative backed by The Center of Anna Maria Island, Beach Bums AMI and Adventure Away aims to provide eco-friendly alternative transportation solutions for island residents and visitors through designated bike-share hubs on the 7-mile barrier island and one in Cortez.
“Anna Maria Island is a very bike-friendly island and so this definitely encourages that, to get the cars off the road,” said Julie Kirkwood, co-owner of Adventure Away of Bradenton and the Gulf Islands, a Bradenton Beach-based business that provides adventure experiences to its clients through local partners.
“Parking is such a major issue on the island, so with the bike share program there’s that ease of being able to go wherever they want on the island, including the historic fishing village of Cortez, which is a great destination in itself, but people don’t want to sit (in traffic) on the Cortez Bridge for a half hour.”
The new bike-share initiative is part of Ride AMI, a broader initiative announced in February intended to bring new ways to get around Anna Maria Island — an effort that organizers hope can help alleviate the island’s parking and transportation issues.
“Alternative transportation is what is needed to get people out of their cars and help alleviate congestion and parking issues,” Bradenton Beach Commissioner Jacob Spooner said in the initial announcement of the Ride AMI initiative. “Adventure Away of Bradenton and the Gulf Islands has many forms that are connective and this will be a significant stride for our transportation problems.”
Because if there’s one thing about the island, it’s that there’s a lot of natural treasures. So it’s a good thing for people to enjoy them while preserving them.
Lauren Sato on new Bike Share AMI initiative
According to a release, there are four hubs where those wanting to rent a bike through Bike Share AMI can go:
▪ The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave.
▪ Anna Maria; Mike Norman Realty, 3101 Gulf Dr., Holmes Beach
▪ Adventure Away’s Booking Office, 102 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach
▪ The AMI Adventure Rental Center, 12208 Cortez Road, Cortez.
Riders interested in renting one of Bike Share AMI’s bicycles, which are located in racks painted in a distinct yellow, can either call The Center of Anna Maria Island during center hours or book online at bikeshareami.com.
Lauren Sato, co-owner of the Anna Maria-based rental shop Beach Bums AMI, said her business is more of a community partner.
“We purchased the equipment and donated it to the center (The Center of Anna Maria Island) so the center would collect the revenue generated off it,” she said. “We thought this project was a really great way to help the community. The project is great because it allows people to use bicycles and allows them to drop them off at different locations. It keeps less cars on the road, which is something we strive for because Beach Bums focuses on being a green company.”
Sato, a longtime island resident, said she hopes that everyone enjoys this new program.
“Because if there’s one thing about the island, it’s that there’s a lot of natural treasures,” she said. “So it’s a good thing for people to enjoy them while preserving them.”
Amaris Castillo: 941-745-7051, @AmarisCastillo
This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 5:12 PM with the headline "New bike-sharing program aims to provide safe, stress-free way around Anna Maria Island."