Non-American members(?) : Public bicycle-sharing?

webecedarian · 28 May 2013, 03:53 AM

New York City is just launching a bike-share program. I already have negative feelings about it, partly because I've come to despise our city mayor, partly because I'm seeing how intrusive the bike racks and bike lanes are.

However, since I don't ride bicycles myself, I wasn't really paying attention, and I naively thought that they were a free city program. No! They require a paid $95 membership, usable only for rides less than 45 minutes (or else there's an additional fee), or else a daily $10 charge for a succession of 30-minute rides. This is actually a profit-making venture sponsored by Citigroup, one of the country's largest banks. I also accidentally discovered, to my indignation, that the city no longer has one-day transit cards, which used to be an over-priced $7, I think.

So, I'm curious - do you have public bicycle sharing in your city, even if it's another American city? Is it free, or how much does it cost? Were there a lot of disruptions of public space to launch it? Have you used it yourself? I assume that to set up these accounts, it's one more avenue where they collect your information, such as email accounts, and then sell it to third parties.

n5bb · 28 May 2013, 10:06 AM

I live in North Texas. Fort Worth just started a bike sharing system a month ago. Several other systems are getting started in various other Texas cities, and there are a number of other systems in the US, as well as many other countries. There are over 200,000 bicycles in about 375 programs worldwide.
Bicycle sharing system

I live 25 miles from the nearest Forth Worth bike sharing station and most of my activities (work and personal trips) are in the Dallas area. So I plan to use this system only when visiting cultural destinations (museums, etc.) in Fort Worth. You can see the details about this system (including the fees) here:
Fort Worth Bike Sharing

Your comments also concerned bicycle racks. Many cities (and companies and schools) are continuing to install such racks in many locations. I rode my bicycle to both elementary and middle school, and today I rode my bike around my neighborhood. So I'm all for bicycle racks and sharing programs.

Bill

mister · 1 Jun 2013, 01:43 AM

http://rightbike.org/ride-with-us/faqs/ this is an offshot of a local bike co-op.

Tsunami · 1 Jun 2013, 05:25 AM

In Brussels in my native Belgium, we have Villo (a wordplay in "ville", which is French for "city", and "velo" which is French for "bike"). Public bikes shattered across the city that anyone can rent for a very low price. So far it's a huge success and the city is very glad with the results so far. It's very frequently used, and problems have been few. Also in Belgium, Antwerp has a similar system but I don't know if it functions as well as in the capital brussels.

In Barcelona, there is "BiCiNg" (again a wordplay: BCN is abbreviation for Barcelona) and this is extremely popular, you see those bikes everywhere. Huge success and the city even further expands the offer.

I think a lot of big cities in the world will introduce simimar systems. Subject to the city being safe to cycle in and not having chaotic traffic, I see mainly advantages. Or maybe I'm biased because it functions well in Barcelona and Brussels, two cities I know very well. Probably there are other cities where there are more issues, but I can only judge on Barcelona and Brussels and in those two places, it is a success for sure so far.

PS the bikes in Barcelona and Brussels are not free but you pay just a couple of euro (less than the price of a drink in a pub) to use it half a day or an entire day. Also, you can leave them at any Villo/BiCiNg parking, you don't necessarily have to ride back to the place where you started the journey. It's very cheap and you can use it for at least half a day, to my knowledge even a full day. A beer in a pub will cost more money than the bike. The NYC initiative seems great as a setup, but very overpriced.

David · 1 Jun 2013, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsunami

In Brussels in my native Belgium, we have Villo (a wordplay in "ville", which is French for "city", and "velo" which is French for "bike").

I have a 'Velosolex' bike (made in France) with an engine over the front wheel.

On a good day, with the wind behind, it will go 20 MPH

28 May 2013, 03:53 AM	#1
webecedarian Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 483	Non-American members(?) : Public bicycle-sharing? New York City is just launching a bike-share program. I already have negative feelings about it, partly because I've come to despise our city mayor, partly because I'm seeing how intrusive the bike racks and bike lanes are. However, since I don't ride bicycles myself, I wasn't really paying attention, and I naively thought that they were a free city program. No! They require a paid $95 membership, usable only for rides less than 45 minutes (or else there's an additional fee), or else a daily $10 charge for a succession of 30-minute rides. This is actually a profit-making venture sponsored by Citigroup, one of the country's largest banks. I also accidentally discovered, to my indignation, that the city no longer has one-day transit cards, which used to be an over-priced $7, I think. So, I'm curious - do you have public bicycle sharing in your city, even if it's another American city? Is it free, or how much does it cost? Were there a lot of disruptions of public space to launch it? Have you used it yourself? I assume that to set up these accounts, it's one more avenue where they collect your information, such as email accounts, and then sell it to third parties.

28 May 2013, 10:06 AM	#2
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,929	I live in North Texas. Fort Worth just started a bike sharing system a month ago. Several other systems are getting started in various other Texas cities, and there are a number of other systems in the US, as well as many other countries. There are over 200,000 bicycles in about 375 programs worldwide. Bicycle sharing system I live 25 miles from the nearest Forth Worth bike sharing station and most of my activities (work and personal trips) are in the Dallas area. So I plan to use this system only when visiting cultural destinations (museums, etc.) in Fort Worth. You can see the details about this system (including the fees) here: Fort Worth Bike Sharing Your comments also concerned bicycle racks. Many cities (and companies and schools) are continuing to install such racks in many locations. I rode my bicycle to both elementary and middle school, and today I rode my bike around my neighborhood. So I'm all for bicycle racks and sharing programs. Bill

1 Jun 2013, 01:43 AM	#3
mister Essential Contributor Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 387	http://rightbike.org/ride-with-us/faqs/ this is an offshot of a local bike co-op.

1 Jun 2013, 05:25 AM	#4
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,341	In Brussels in my native Belgium, we have Villo (a wordplay in "ville", which is French for "city", and "velo" which is French for "bike"). Public bikes shattered across the city that anyone can rent for a very low price. So far it's a huge success and the city is very glad with the results so far. It's very frequently used, and problems have been few. Also in Belgium, Antwerp has a similar system but I don't know if it functions as well as in the capital brussels. In Barcelona, there is "BiCiNg" (again a wordplay: BCN is abbreviation for Barcelona) and this is extremely popular, you see those bikes everywhere. Huge success and the city even further expands the offer. I think a lot of big cities in the world will introduce simimar systems. Subject to the city being safe to cycle in and not having chaotic traffic, I see mainly advantages. Or maybe I'm biased because it functions well in Barcelona and Brussels, two cities I know very well. Probably there are other cities where there are more issues, but I can only judge on Barcelona and Brussels and in those two places, it is a success for sure so far. PS the bikes in Barcelona and Brussels are not free but you pay just a couple of euro (less than the price of a drink in a pub) to use it half a day or an entire day. Also, you can leave them at any Villo/BiCiNg parking, you don't necessarily have to ride back to the place where you started the journey. It's very cheap and you can use it for at least half a day, to my knowledge even a full day. A beer in a pub will cost more money than the bike. The NYC initiative seems great as a setup, but very overpriced.