Fifty Plus (50+) - Public Bike-Sharing

New York May Become Newest Bike-Sharing Mecca (http://www.npr.org/2011/11/14/141348852/new-york-may-become-newest-bike-sharing-mecca?ft=1&f=1001)

Looks like there are still some funding obstacles to clear, but NYC is trying to put 10,000 rental bikes in place.

I have seen that in Montreal and Paris, you buy some kind of card, then its like a small fee to unlock one to use.

Very neat! I wonder if it will get used properly?

The Bike-share program in Hangzhou China is the worlds largest with 2000 service points and 50,000 bikes;

http://www.universalsubtitles.org/en/videos/xwp1xmWSCu7S/

It seems like it was just a few years ago (more like fifteen, but who's counting) that any proposal for public bike sharing programs was laughed at. It's nice to see a change in the right direction.

Capital BikeShare in DC has been a great success. I see the ride bikes all over town.

Brisbane, Qld Australia has a similar scheme. Very unpopular with the cycling hating bogans. One point to make though is that in Australia it’s mandatory to wear a bike helmet and that includes this scheme. Interesting side story. One time I was on my push bike at the lights when someone yelled “you should be wearing a helmet”. I was about to fire off a smart arts comment when I noted that the bonnet of the car was white (same colour as our cops) and held back long enough to note that the advice came from a copper. So I replied that my car had broken down and I had borrowed my mates bike to get money to pay for it to be towed (lies make baby Jesus cry :( ). Yeah I’m hardcore anarchist ;)


EDIT TO ADD


Link to Brisbanes Bike hire scheme

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/cycling/citycycle/index.htm


Brisbanes former Lord Mayor was a cyclist

Interesting one "rents" automobiles but "shares" bicycles.

The bike "sharing" schemes I remember laughing at were the "yellow bike" projects.

In Boston, the bikeshare program is called "Hubway". The New Balance shoe company put up a lot of the money. Thus far, it is considered an enormous success.
official website. (http://www.thehubway.com/)

I have not tried one of the bikes yet. I am told that they are heavy, but well made and well suited for their intended purpose. It IS seasonal in Boston though. Any week now, the system will be closed. The bikes will be collected and the stations will be secured for the winter months. Not sure when this will happen.

Heh, it's interesting, but Richard Ballantine wrote about this being a dream of his, back in the 70s in his original, "Richard's Bicycle Book". His dream is being realized, almost forty years later.

We must be doing something right. Back in the 70s, when I biked to Kenmore square, I would never have thought this was possible at all.

Capital BikeShare in DC has been a great success. I see the ride bikes all over town.

It's addictive. When I went to last year's Bike Summit, I got a card. Used it afterwards for rambling around. Ended up spending $26.00 on rides over 3 days.

The ride was rough, the aluminum frame is very stiff so you really feel the potholes, but what a great way to get from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and then around by the MLK, FDR and Jefferson monuments.

We have it in Toronto for the first time this year. I have bikes so I have no need of it, but there must be a lot of people who do use it. Are there any people here, regular cyclists, who have a bike but still find ride-share useful in their home city? I can only see using it in a vacation city.