1,000 bikes for public use? Could be
Posted on November 7th, 2008 – 12:18 PMBy Roadguy
Before I dashed off to the Guthrie last night, I swung by to have a look at a bike kiosk that was visiting from Montreal:
Here’s another view:
The short story I wrote for the newspaper is pasted below; more info about the program is at twincitiesbikeshare.com.
MINNEAPOLIS IN GEAR TO ROLL OUT BIKE-SHARING PROGRAM
Biking enthusiasts got a sneak peek Thursday at how Minneapolis’ ambitious bike-sharing program might work if everything falls into place by the time spring rolls around.
The city’s goal is to have 1,000 bikes at 75 self-service kiosks located around downtown, Uptown, and the University of Minnesota campus. Members paying about $50 a year would be able to use the 3-speed bikes for up to a half-hour at a time at no charge and drop them off wherever there’s a kiosk; non-members could buy a one-day pass for about $5 by sticking a credit card into one of the solar-powered stations.
Memberships would be sold on the Internet, and that’s also where users could see, in real time, whether a bike is available at a certain kiosk. It’ll be bring-your-own helmet, but the sturdy bikes include generator-powered lights that switch on automatically when the bike is pedaled.
The nonprofit program would cost about $3 million to set up, said Bill Dossett, who works for the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation, which is working with the city to set up the service. Organizers are hoping for a combination of federal, local, corporate and grant money.
One of the goals is to provide mobility for people who take the bus or train into the core of the city and need to get from their transit stop to another destination.
15 Responses to "1,000 bikes for public use? Could be"
$50/year plus $X for going over a half hour vs. $5 for a whole day? Weird.
Bikes are probably less likely to be stolen by people who have registered for a year-long account.
But that brings up a thought — I suppose they don’t come with locks to prevent them from being stolen after you’ve checked out a bike, ridden it to a store, and parked it as you go inside…
433: the $5 for the day would be subjected to the same half-hour-type restrictions — the idea is to have people use bikes to get between stations rather than for longer trips.
Mulad: The bikes do have separate locks that riders can use to stop for coffee, etc.
It’s interesting that a non-profit model is being pursued. I like that this will keep the stations free of gaudy advertising, but it means significant investment which may (or may not) be more effective in increasing bicycle and transit mode share being used in other ways.
Of course, the City of Paris has demonstrated that this sort of program can be successful being fully funded by private interests which would free up this money for other investments.
Here’s the TC Streets for People story:
I like this system except for the 30-minute thing. France has a system (loosely translated to “free bike”) that is a very inexpensive pay-to-bike system like this, except that you are charged based on how long you keep the bike, with 4 euro or so (about 6 dollars) being the maximum daily charge. You just find an open spot at a kiosk to return it and reinsert your “smart” credit card to check the bike back in. If you don’t return it, you just get charged the 200 euro or so for the cost of the bike.
You and I think much alike, Matty!
A program rep recently explained this at a DMNA meeting a couple of months ago. The idea is to encourage short trips - less than a 1/2 hour - for more turnover and less about one person using it for recreation. The $50 really isn’t much at all.
Also, yet another strange area where Matty and I are in agreement - support for this program.
Although (and proving that we’re not always perfect), how about including instructions with the bike noting that there’ a dedicated bike lane on 3rd Street, so we better not see you blocking a lane on Washington Avenue.
Do you mean 2nd Street, Prof. S.? There is no (not yet anyway) dedicated bike lane on 3rd Street. (This comment should not be interpreted as agreement that bicycles have no right to Washington Avenue.)
Also, I meant to add an “that’s just silly” about the idea of people traveling on bicycles staying off of Washington Avenue.
How is this going to work better than the Yellow Bike failure that St. Paul attempted?
Might work a lot better, Carmudgeon. If they have your credit card number, you aren’t likely to steal, abandon, or crash the bike. Just like renting a car.
Sounds like a cool idea.
Whatever it takes to reduce traffic congestion is worth a try! The three mil seems a bit high, but they’ll get some of that back.
I’m shocked! shocked! at what a little individual accountability can do for the potential success of a program. *cough*
to bad individual accountability is not needed for other social programs, such as welfare…
Maybe they system could add another fee option that would allow for a two hour use twice a week for a trip to the grocery. The baskets on the bikes shown look rather smallish for anyone having to cart anything. Say compared to the Barcelona bikes http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/barcelona_has_g.php
