LAKELAND Fla. — The Lakeland Downtown Development Authority (LDDA) and Citrus Connection are asking the public if they'd be interested in a bike share or scooter service as they explore new transportation options for the city.

Julie Townsend, executive director of the LDDA, said the goal is to determine if residents are interested in transportation options that could help them reach the nearest bus stop or leisurely explore downtown and beyond.

“Anything that gets people to come to downtown out of their vehicles is a plus for our community, for our downtown area because of the parking restraints. The perceived parking problems that we have,” she said. “You got to give people options. People like to have a lot of options."

The bike share or scooter service is still in the preliminary planning stages. Townsend said neither agency has yet presented the idea to city sponsors or the City Commission, but Citrus Connection has conducted a study they believe shows this is an ideal time to revive the program.

“We had it back in 2016, and maybe it was a little ahead of its time,” Townsend said. “It was pedal-only, so now we’re looking at e-bikes and scooters. We’re trying to gauge the public’s interest in using these services now that our city has grown a bit since 2016.”

Patrice Williams, owner of Amonie Jo’s International Coffee & Delights, is optimistic additional transportation options will encourage people to visit downtown.

Williams has operated the organic coffee shop with her daughter, Sahnai, for the past eight months. Like any new business, she said she could use more foot traffic, which a bike share or scooter program could help.

“It’ll get them to explore a little more if they have different means of transportation other than walking or driving,” Williams said. “I think it will actually go through. I believe there will be a growing scooter and bike population around here.”

Anyone that would like to participate in the bike share and scooter survey, click here.