Bike Share Programs
#76
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As if students and tourists have nothing better to do with their time in NYC than wander about aimlessly! For Free!
Perhaps targeting this scheme to wandering troubadours and vagabonds might find a few takers with nothing better to do and who might even be able to pawn the free audio-tour equipment if not the bicycles.
Perhaps targeting this scheme to wandering troubadours and vagabonds might find a few takers with nothing better to do and who might even be able to pawn the free audio-tour equipment if not the bicycles.
@tandempower, I'm all for all kinds of incentives to correct the tendencies of collective behavior, but I just don't think there's capacity. NYC traffic is extremely dense and rather disorderly. Most people are moving in traffic on the conveyances of their choice because they have somewhere to be, and they want to be there as quickly as possible. I don't see an untapped market of people willing to ride bikes for the greater good, nor is there much recreational riding in these streets on work days. We have vast areas of business and industrial areas. Sure, some people live in those areas, too, but most of us are pretty busy no matter where we work or live. If I want to take a fun weekend kind of ride along the river or something, I'm not going to hop on Citi Bike. Well, I have, quickly, but not many times, and I'm sure I'm an exception, not part of a trend.
#77
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So do you think I could start a staffing agency and find job seekers and put them on bikes, running around the city? Or do you think the opportunity would be like magnets, offering $2 or $3 a ride?
I looked around at the streets and on the subways today. Everyone had somewhere to go. If I stopped you on the way to work and asked you to take a quick 10 minute bike ride and I would pay you $3 for it, you'd say, "Naw man, I gotta get to work. I can't take a minute for that sh*t." Well, if you were a New Yorker, you might sound like that.
I looked around at the streets and on the subways today. Everyone had somewhere to go. If I stopped you on the way to work and asked you to take a quick 10 minute bike ride and I would pay you $3 for it, you'd say, "Naw man, I gotta get to work. I can't take a minute for that sh*t." Well, if you were a New Yorker, you might sound like that.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#78
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So do you think I could start a staffing agency and find job seekers and put them on bikes, running around the city? Or do you think the opportunity would be like magnets, offering $2 or $3 a ride?
I looked around at the streets and on the subways today. Everyone had somewhere to go. If I stopped you on the way to work and asked you to take a quick 10 minute bike ride and I would pay you $3 for it, you'd say, "Naw man, I gotta get to work. I can't take a minute for that sh*t." Well, if you were a New Yorker, you might sound like that.
I looked around at the streets and on the subways today. Everyone had somewhere to go. If I stopped you on the way to work and asked you to take a quick 10 minute bike ride and I would pay you $3 for it, you'd say, "Naw man, I gotta get to work. I can't take a minute for that sh*t." Well, if you were a New Yorker, you might sound like that.
If no one takes advantage of the offers, then you know you're right. Until you try, you only know what you assume.
The other possibility is to charge a premium/surcharge for biking between popular station. The extra money raised from the surcharge could pay people to ride the bikes back. Worst case scenario: you charge enough to pay to bring the bikes back by truck, but the question is whether that is worth anyone's time to load them in the truck and deliver them.
Last edited by tandempower; 02-18-16 at 11:32 AM.
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The list is certainly not up to date. Pittsburgh PA has had a bike share program for a while now.
https://pghbikeshare.org/
I used the bike share in Glasgow Scotland. It was great. If you were a member I think you got the first either few miles or 10s of minutes free. After that it was only... a pound for 10 minutes? Super cheap and easy. I spent 10 pounds on it in the week I was there.
https://pghbikeshare.org/
I used the bike share in Glasgow Scotland. It was great. If you were a member I think you got the first either few miles or 10s of minutes free. After that it was only... a pound for 10 minutes? Super cheap and easy. I spent 10 pounds on it in the week I was there.
Last edited by corrado33; 02-18-16 at 12:20 PM.
#80
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I wonder if I could get the ear of someone who might consider this. Maybe they've thought of it, and maybe they haven't.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#81
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The list is certainly not up to date. Pittsburgh PA has had a bike share program for a while now.
Pittsburgh Bike Share | Connecting Communities through Active Transportation
I used the bike share in Glasgow Scotland. It was great. If you were a member I think you got the first either few miles or 10s of minutes free. After that it was only... a pound for 10 minutes? Super cheap and easy. I spent 10 pounds on it in the week I was there.
Pittsburgh Bike Share | Connecting Communities through Active Transportation
I used the bike share in Glasgow Scotland. It was great. If you were a member I think you got the first either few miles or 10s of minutes free. After that it was only... a pound for 10 minutes? Super cheap and easy. I spent 10 pounds on it in the week I was there.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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Do any of you use bike share bikes as part of your commute?
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#88
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I'm a member of Citi Bike here in NYC, but I can't use it for commuting because I have a long commute, almost 14 miles. About two days a week, I ride my own bike. I have enough room in my apartment for a bike, and I bring it into my office at work and stand it up near my desk, obviating one reason for bike shares (interior space). The service area goes up to 110th St. I live near 10th St and work at 240th St, well beyond the service area.
Even if Citi Bike reached that far -- and I hope it does one day, for many reasons -- I don't want to ride those 50 klunkers for 14 miles. On the rare occasion I ride it 5 miles or more, it gets annoying and tiring.
I use Citi Bike for social and shopping trips. It has gone up to $155/year, which is still insanely cheap, even for me, and I use it less than many people do.
Occasionally, I'll do something silly like ride it from the station near my home to a station near the subway station, so I get in a half-mile-or-less ride. I do it because I'm dying to ride and will take whatever I can get. I may or may not save time this way, but I do gain a little fun.
Even if Citi Bike reached that far -- and I hope it does one day, for many reasons -- I don't want to ride those 50 klunkers for 14 miles. On the rare occasion I ride it 5 miles or more, it gets annoying and tiring.
I use Citi Bike for social and shopping trips. It has gone up to $155/year, which is still insanely cheap, even for me, and I use it less than many people do.
Occasionally, I'll do something silly like ride it from the station near my home to a station near the subway station, so I get in a half-mile-or-less ride. I do it because I'm dying to ride and will take whatever I can get. I may or may not save time this way, but I do gain a little fun.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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