Living Car Free - Bike Sharing Downside

Well it looks like Paris isn't doing as well as Lyon with the bike sharing thing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7881079.stm

That's disappointing, but from the sounds of the article the company didn't plan on this stuff being a big problem. How can you set up an operation like this in such a large city and not account for preventing this stuff in your business plan?

If the bicycles are being stolen so often, then the company administering the program needs to invest in a better locking system. It isn't the fault of the users of the system that vandals and thieves are destroying the bicycles. The users are identified when they check out a bicycle and return it. The legal users of the system don't want the bicycles destroyed. They pay to use the system because it is worth it.

It makes me sad that there are criminals in the world. It is unfortunate that they only have in mind what benefits themselves and have no understanding that causing harm to others is not right.

It is unfortunate that they only have in mind what benefits themselves and have no understanding that causing harm to others is not right.

AKA the fundamental economic principles that western civilization is founded upon... capitalism is all about improving ones own life with no concern what so ever about any other thing. Also crime is a natural outcome of capitalism and all those who believe in capitalism must accept that when the reward outweighs the risk of getting caught then crime is the route one should take in a capitalistic system.

...crime is a natural outcome of capitalism and all those who believe in capitalism must accept that when the reward outweighs the risk of getting caught then crime is the route one should take in a capitalistic system.

I think that can be said of any system anywhere.

Why do you focus your ire on capitalism?
Do you actually believe that communist and socialist societies are crime free?

I think that can be said of any system anywhere.

Why do you focus your ire on capitalism?
Do you actually believe that communist and socialist societies are crime free?

Well expanding on the capitalist ideal, it is actually morally right and jsutifiable to screw other people over. Its kinda like evolution, the weak people who you can take advantage of need to be weeded out which will some how, in the long run, benefit society. Capitalism is based on one group of people "out competing" another a lot like evolution.

the weak people who you can take advantage of need to be weeded out which will some how, in the long run, benefit society.

Stalin did the same exact thing by sending millions of people to labor camps and their eventual death, all for the "benefit of society"

Its true that there are jerks everywhere, and so, sadly, there will always be crime everywhere.

But that has no bearing on whether or not capitalism speaks to our more base urges to take.

jim

Criminals were around long before capitalism. Also, there is no absolute capitalist market. Even the US has regulations on capitalism to prevent exploitation.

No, I think the problem here is that the bike company believed the same crime prevention techniques would work everywhere. They didn't count on criminals being smarter in larger cities. I hope someone can make this program work though, I believe it's a good idea.

Look on the bright side, 'velib extreme' is pretty hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afE44cHNkEg

I wonder if it's accurate to characterize the Velib program as a failure. Total expenses from lost and stolen bikes are just over $10 million doallars. That's a lot of money, but it averages out to only about 24 cents per use. That's a lot cheaper than typical bus or subway usage--and astronomically cheaper than car usage in a terminally congested city.

A lot of people sneak onto the bus and subway without paying fares, and buses and subway cars are frequently vandalized. But they don't talk about abandoning buses and subways. I also think the theft and vandalism will reduce after the novelty of the Velib bikes wears off.

I hope the city or national government decides to subsidize the Velib bikes so they can continue running the program.




20,000 bicycles 1,250 stations
Cost 400 euros each to replace
7,800 "disappeared"
11,600 vandalised
1,500 daily repairs
Staff recover 20 abandoned bikes a day
Each bike travels 10,000 km a year
42 million users since launch

Source: Velib

Well expanding on the capitalist ideal, it is actually morally right and jsutifiable to screw other people over. Its kinda like evolution, the weak people who you can take advantage of need to be weeded out which will some how, in the long run, benefit society. Capitalism is based on one group of people "out competing" another a lot like evolution.

BullShiat!
Capitalism is truly carried out at arms length with both parties agreeing to the transactions....it is not "screw other people over".


Look on the bright side, 'velib extreme' is pretty hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afE44cHNkEg

:eek:

BullShiat!
Capitalism is truly carried out at arms length with both parties agreeing to the transactions....it is not "screw other people over".

:eek:
I was just looking at an issue of New Scientist magazine, I think it was a November 29 2008 issue. It had an article about the type of people psychopaths focus on. In passing, it mentioned that successful business people tend to have psychopathic personality traits. I notice that the few successful business people I know seem to have a complete lack of empathy for other people, but they fake empathy when it suites their needs. Since that Bernie Madoff guy essentially turned himself in, maybe he is the exception to the rule, maybe he had some empathy for his customers.

Anyway, the article at the start of this thread said that the French city of Lyon didn't have the vandalism problem. Maybe it is not the presence of capitalists but the presence of national politicians that stimulates that kind of anit-social crime. I haven't noticed a trashed out share bike here in DC yet. I regularly pass several of the parking stations. I think I see someone riding one each time I ride through the downtown.

BullShiat!
Capitalism is truly carried out at arms length with both parties agreeing to the transactions....it is not "screw other people over". :lol:

http://www.radford.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/RenHist/intro.pix/senate.of.trusts.fw..jpg

There are shopping carts now that disable themselves when you try to take them out of the parking lot -- as in, like fenceless boundaries and shock collars for dogs, you get too far away and one of the cart's wheels locks up. Can it be done with bikes?

I haven't noticed a trashed out share bike here in DC yet.

Maybe because there actually aren't that many of them? Our SmartBike program has ten stations; Paris's system has over 1200.

Stolen bikes aren't ever a surprise to me, not after I've seen pictures of huge piles of bikes on barges destined for parts unknown.