DecoBike, which has many bike rental stations in Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, has residents and business owners upset over the placement and implementation of this citywide program. Local rental shops feel that DecoBike is affecting their bottom line. For these reasons, the local bike-rental owners and their supporters have scheduled a peaceful Rent Local: Bike Ride demonstration 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 starting at Mission Beach Rentals on the south side of Belmont Park next to Draft restaurant. They will be riding rental bikes as a large group of community supporters up to the DecoBike station located just north of Grand Avenue on the boardwalk
Supporters of local bike rentals will wear custom-made T-shirts in protest of the situation and ride rental bikes up to the DecoBike station located just north of Grand Avenue on the boardwalk. These T-shirts are available free for pick up at Cheap Rentals and Mission Beach Rentals. “At first DecoBike claimed that they are here to give a green and positive alternative to the commuters of our city,” said Matt Gardner, owner of two bike rental shops in the Mission Beach/Pacific Beach area. “It was promised that program would not interfere with the existing bike rental businesses that rely on tourism. “Years later their rhetoric has changed and the city officials of San Diego has given Decobike a 10-year contract and allowed these bike rental stations to be placed almost wherever DecoBike wants to install them. Looking at the program’s bike station map, it is obvious that their main target is tourism,” Gardner said.
Rental shop owners say that city of San Diego has gone into direct competition with the small businesses that they should be supporting. While at the same time the city is collecting tax and permitting revenue from legitimate bike rental businesses they are also cutting into their main source of income. “All this to say that this is a prime example of the injustice of the big corporation stepping on the public to make more money,” Gardner said. “We won’t stand for it and that is why we are raising awareness through events like this Rent Local: Bike Ride on Saturday.”