Originally Posted by
noglider
It's a good idea but it may not be possible to implement in NYC. The stations go from full to empty throughout the day. The incentivized routes would change rapidly, and how do you find out about them?
They should advertise free/discounted pickup stations and drop-off locations. Some people will take them up on their incentive, e.g. tourists, students, etc.
It's not like Paris where the uphill stations have empty docks and the downhill stations are full of bikes. There you can ride for free if you go from downhill to the uphill station. I think I read that even that hasn't been sufficient. Not many people are willing to ride up the hill. It's really big and steep. So far, the service area for Citibike in NYC is in the flattish parts of the city. It will be interesting to see what happens when it reaches the hilly parts. Some people don't know it, but we definitely have some real hills.
Incentivize it as a competitive training game. Offer prizes to people who achieve goals like most bikes moved uphill per week or shortest average trip time between two docking points. Athletes may enjoy incorporating the challenge into their fitness routines.
Originally Posted by
wilfried
The problem isn't the the occasional station that's empty or full, but mass flows at commuting times, so whole neighborhoods are left either bikeless or dockblocked. I am where I am, and I gotta go where I gotta go. If I'm somewhere bereft of bikes, or have to go somewhere with too many bikes
I don't see how incentives can change people's riding patterns very much. Balancing bikes will be a perpetual issue, as they're systemic to how the system works.
See above. You just have to find target groups who would benefit from and/or enjoy riding the bikes back to empty docking stations. Tourists and students are good candidates, especially if the bike ride is free/discounted and, for tourists, it might help to include audio-tours along the free/discounted route.
Public transportation systems have the same problem. They have to run enough trains for peak flows in one direction, even though it means those trains will be almosts empty for the return trip. Peak fares are more expensive, but that doesn't change the fact that people need to get where they're going.
Back in the 90s, there was a fair amount of management literature about tailoring work schedules to fit societal needs. I think there was a backlash to that in the form of business people arguing that they need to schedule and organize their workplaces to meet their goals, not societal goals. Ultimately, I think there could be more flexibility in discussing modifications to work-schedules that would improve societal patterns outside the workplace. People have a terrible defensive reflex that obstructs open discussion geared toward making things better.