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  #81  
Old Posted May 21, 2012, 3:13 PM
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electricron:
Quote:
Of course it's a fad in America, Federal funds have been open and private enterprise and local authorities feeding off Federal pork have quickly moved in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_sharing_system
To date, no publicly owned and administered bicycle sharing program has yet been able to consistently operate as a self-funding enterprise, using only revenues generated from membership subscriptions or user fees and charges.

I wonder how many bike sharing organizations will still be operating after the source of public funding ends?
This is truly one of the more idiotic things I've read in a long time. How many roads are operating without any public funding?

DC's Capital Bikeshare system recently had it's two millionth ride, all in less than two years. Our system has also introduced tens of thousands of people to the benefit of bicycling, many of whom purchase their own bikes and become avid, committed, cyclists.

It has been stated many, many, times but the goal of transportation investments isn't to earn a profit but to improve mobility, something Capital Bikeshare and the other bike-sharing systems have unquestionably done. Even so, Capital Bikeshare nearly covers its operating costs, something certainly no roads in the DC region even come close to doing.

Capital Bikeshare Nearly Operationally Profitable
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/04/20...ly-profitable/
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  #82  
Old Posted May 21, 2012, 6:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
Does anybody else think bike sharing is starting to become a bit of a fad?

It seems to have this "me too" thing, with it spreading all over the country so quickly.
It's becoming popular because it's incredibly cheap and easy to do. For basically the cost of a couple of mediocre city bus routes or an arterial road intersection widening, you can introduce a very high profile entirely new mode of transit into a city. The cost per trip to the transportation agency is basically nil, especially considering that operating costs largely pay for themselves, and that it's easier to form public-private partnerships that pay the capital for small projects like this than for any other mode. And it works like gangbusters. It makes urban transportation cycling much more convenient, and much more accessible to large numbers of people.

The idea simply makes sense. It satisfies a large progressive voter base and is basically free (compared to road or traditional transit projects). People who think it's a fad really don't understand how transportation funding works in this country. Compared to almost anything else you can do, bikesharing is cheaper and more effective. The *only* reason not to do it is political, and those objections will melt away as fewer and fewer cities remain without such an obviously beneficial product.

Before Capital Bikeshare opened I predicted that within 5 years almost every major city on the continent would have bikesharing. That prediction looks more and more correct every day. Bikesharing is simply too affordable, too high-profile, and too effective at moving people for decision-makers to ignore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron
To date, no publicly owned and administered bicycle sharing program has yet been able to consistently operate as a self-funding enterprise, using only revenues generated from membership subscriptions or user fees and charges.
This is a ridiculous statement. Roads and transit don't do that either. Meanwhile, most bikesharing systems recoup a higher portion of their operating costs than most transit agencies. If "self funding enterprise" is what you want, then you're going to have to close most of the streets in America. There could not be a bigger red herring.
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  #83  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2012, 5:30 PM
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Bike-sharing program is on a roll (Boston Globe)

Bike-sharing program is on a roll


The Hubway bicycle program station at Beacon Street and Massachusetts Avenue. (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff)

Boston Globe
June 3, 2012
By Eric Moskowitz

http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...ine/?page=full

"If you’ve been seeing a lot of sturdy silver bikes rolling past lately, you’re not imagining it. The Hubway bicycle-sharing system in Boston had its busiest day yet last Sunday, recording 2,531 station-to-station trips. On Tuesday, it eclipsed the 250,000 mark for total rides.

“It’s absolutely incredible. It’s blown away what we thought projections would be for the system,” said Kris Carter, interim director of Boston Bikes, the city program overseeing Hubway. “To hit that mark this early is really phenomenal compared with [other] bike-share systems across the country.”

That’s a quarter-million trips in six months (and 27 million collective calories burned, according to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council), all without a serious accident. Hubway debuted July 28, came down for the winter after Thanksgiving, and began reappearing in mid-March, though the full complement of 61 stations and 610 bikes was not in place until early April..."
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  #84  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2012, 4:02 PM
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This was posted in City Discussions, but I closed it because we have this thread.
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Originally Posted by Double L View Post
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  #85  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2012, 4:15 PM
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Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
electricron:


This is truly one of the more idiotic things I've read in a long time. How many roads are operating without any public funding?

DC's Capital Bikeshare system recently had it's two millionth ride, all in less than two years. Our system has also introduced tens of thousands of people to the benefit of bicycling, many of whom purchase their own bikes and become avid, committed, cyclists.

It has been stated many, many, times but the goal of transportation investments isn't to earn a profit but to improve mobility, something Capital Bikeshare and the other bike-sharing systems have unquestionably done. Even so, Capital Bikeshare nearly covers its operating costs, something certainly no roads in the DC region even come close to doing.

Capital Bikeshare Nearly Operationally Profitable
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/04/20...ly-profitable/
DC's Bikeshare floored me. In comparison to Toronto's BIXI it left us on the floor.

Wide area for stations, Plus the infrastructure to promote bike use with a substantial amount of bike lanes in the City. This is something Toronto will never understand you have to step with both feet and offer safe route for people to take with the stations.

I also agree the crying of funding and money is poor. Roads loose more money than any form of transport but yet people always seem to forget that. Transit can at least turn a profit in some instances and routes.
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  #86  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2012, 2:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician View Post
Does anybody else think bike sharing is starting to become a bit of a fad?

It seems to have this "me too" thing, with it spreading all over the country so quickly.
I'm starting to wonder. I hardly ever see any bike share program bikes out on the streets, and I don't see them locked up at the typical bike parking areas. Austin is such a big bicycle city anyway. I think that most riders here already have a bike and wouldn't ever straddle a clunky bike share bike, and the people who don't care to ride at all, don't.

I've also seen some private companies that offer bikes. There's one such location near downtown. It's on a street that runs by what is Austin's equivalent of Central Park. That would seem like a good idea, but every time I've ridden my bike past their store I can't help but think that it's a bit obsolete at that location. By then if you're at that point then you're almost at your destination. That park hosts Austin's big (70K audience) music festivals. The City has done a lot to encourage people to ride their bikes to these events, which they do. The bike racks are typically covered with thousands of bikes since there's very little parking close by. Most people if they're going to ride a bike to those festival, are going to take their own, and so they're most likely coming from a good ways a way. I ride 15+ miles round trip to get there myself. It just seems that having a location that close to a destination is a bit obsolete, and it almost feels like a park and ride for bikes (although, there's no car parking). I think bike share programs/companies need to be more strategically placed so that they're being used more efficiently instead of just trying to grab a piece of the market of commuters.

I'm still for bike share programs, though. Anything to get people back on a bike and riding again is a good thing. Riding bicycles and the fun you can have on one is infectious.

Austin has had some form of a bike share program since 1997. The Yellow Bike project was the first one. It's still around. It allows people to fix their bikes and even build a complete bike using the tools at the workshop and even the parts. You only have to volunteer back your time to pay it off. The project also had a mission of finding and fixing used bikes and donating them to the needy, such as kids. They also "released" bikes into the "wild" to let anyone and everyone use them free of charge. As you might imagine, the bikes are spray painted yellow from top to bottom to identify them.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...g-2118542.html
Quote:
A new day for Austin bike sharing
Ben Wear, Getting There


Updated: 7:42 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012
Published: 7:18 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012

Bike sharing in Austin is so 20th century. But, thanks to a $1.5 million federal grant and some furious fundraising, it's about to get a 21st century face-lift.

People who have been around here awhile will remember when the Yellow Bike Project, which was founded in 1997, would periodically "release" a few refurbished bikes into the wild. The nonprofit's utopian concept was that the yellow bikes would be free-to-use, free-range transportation. If you saw one sitting somewhere and you needed to get somewhere else, the idea was that you'd simply hop on and go, then leave the bike there for the next impulse user when you were done.
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  #87  
Old Posted Jun 18, 2012, 6:20 PM
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DDOT Release: New Survey Finds Capital Bikeshare Members Drive Less and Save Big

This is from a District Department of Transportation press release I received today.

New Survey Finds Capital Bikeshare Members Drive Less and Save Big

Insight Into The Users and The Impact Of The New Regional Transit Service


"(Washington, D.C.) Capital Bikeshare members save an average of $891 per year and collectively reduce their driving miles by 5 million per year. These are just some of the findings from an extensive report released today regarding the annual survey of members of the regional bikesharing program. The report contains detailed insight on how people are using Capital Bikeshare to get around in the District and Arlington, the impact of the program and the satisfaction of users.

The survey was administered in November and December of 2011 and received over 5,000 responses. As the largest bikesharing program in the nation, and one of the few to be in operation for longer than one year, this represents a wealth of useful information to anyone interested in urban transportation.

The survey analysis and report were performed by Lori Diggins of LDA Consulting. The resulting report and executive summary, along with other data on the Capital Bikeshare system, can be found online at http://capitalbikeshare.com/system-data.

Some of the highlights include:

·83 percent of respondents said they were more likely to patronize a business that was Capital Bikeshare accessible

82 percent of respondents reported increased bike use since joining Capital Bikeshare and 70 percent said Capital Bikeshare was an important reason
Over all Capital Bikeshare members, this translates to 5 million fewer driving miles each year
·Capital Bikeshare members saved an average of $891 annually on travel

Capital Bikeshare was major/main factor for 56 percent who reduced car use."
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  #88  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2012, 5:37 AM
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Salt Lake City has jumped on the bikesharing bandwagon...

Salt Lake City rolls out bike share program



From Beijing to Paris, New York to Denver, the worldwide bicycle-sharing movement is about to gain another spin city: Salt Lake.

On Tuesday, the Downtown Alliance, along with Mayor Ralph Becker and sponsors Kennecott and SelectHealth, unveiled plans to roll out bike sharing in Utah’s capital in March 2013.

The project calls for spreading about 100 bikes across 10 to 12 solar-powered stations around downtown hot spots such as City Creek Center, The Gateway and the intermodal hub. From there, participants can grab a set of wheels and tool around town.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54...-lake.html.csp
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  #89  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2012, 6:22 PM
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^Just read that San Jose is joining the party as well. From a broader Mercury News article talking about biking improvements downtown:

Quote:
The city also is partnering with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to set up 20 bike share stations throughout downtown, where public bikes can be checked out with a credit card and returned to a different location.

San Jose's bike share program will begin in September, Quirion said.
I think this is part of the regional plan fflint posted back in February. Either way, good to have a firm timeline.
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  #90  
Old Posted Aug 2, 2012, 3:23 PM
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Hubway bike-sharing kiosks arrive (Sommerville News)

Hubway bike-sharing kiosks arrive

August 1, 2012
Sommerville News


Image courtesy of Sommerville News.

"Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Somerville Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Hayes Morrison have announced that kiosk installation was under way in Somerville for the popular metro-Boston Hubway bike-sharing system.

The first wave of kiosk setup would include locations at Union Square, Beacon Street near its intersection with Washington Street and at the City Hall Concourse. Hubway is also installing new kiosks in Cambridge and Brookline as the program expands beyond its very successful inaugural run in Boston last year. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Hubway’s arrival in Somerville is scheduled for 10 a.m. on August 8 at the City Hall concourse kiosk at 93 Highland Avenue..."

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/archives/28836
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  #91  
Old Posted Aug 2, 2012, 5:32 PM
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Houston and Nashville are also starting, using b-cycle (like Denver and SLC).
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  #92  
Old Posted Aug 2, 2012, 5:47 PM
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Regarding the article I posted today, this is an update from a friend who's a transportation engineer with the city of Brookline, MA.

"Brookline Cambridge and Somerville are all joining Hubway this month. It will be awesome."
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  #93  
Old Posted Aug 17, 2012, 5:06 PM
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Both New York and Chicago are delayed until Spring 2013.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TransportationNation.org
Bloomberg: NYC Bike Share Delayed Until Spring

A press release from the NYC Department of Transportation (full text below) sent out shortly after the Mayor’s radio statement clarified the launch date will be “March” for phase 1 of the program, which will include 7,000 bikes at 420 stations. The statement did not specify what neighborhoods, or with what pace the bikes would be deployed.

Chicago also delayed its launch until spring.
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  #94  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2012, 2:06 PM
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Alexandria to Begin Capital Bikeshare Installation on Monday (Del Ray Patch)

Alexandria to Begin Capital Bikeshare Installation on Monday
Eight-station network should be operational in early September.

Bt Drew Hansen
August 24, 2012
Del Ray Patch

"Alexandria will begin installing eight Capital Bikeshare stations on Monday, more than 10 months after City Council unanimously agreed to join the popular program that’s put more than 1,600 bikes on the road in Washington, D.C. and Arlington County.

Station installation will continue into early September. Once all the stations are completed, the network in Alexandria will become operational..."


Image courtesy of the Del Ray Patch.

http://delray.patch.com/articles/ale...tion-on-monday
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  #95  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2013, 5:58 AM
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Bay Area Bike Share (BABS!) went live today with 700 bikes at 70 stations in SF, San Jose and several cities between them. It's totally underwhelming in size and scope, but the plan is to have 1,000 bikes at 100 stations by February. Hopefully it will keep growing.

Article

Photo

source
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  #96  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2013, 6:19 AM
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that pale blue is just hideous.
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  #97  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2013, 7:03 AM
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It's called "celeste"--same color as the Bianchi bikes of the same name. I tend to agree with those who argued BABS should be International Orange like the Golden Gate Bridge.
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  #98  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2013, 10:41 AM
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fflint:
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It's called "celeste"--same color as the Bianchi bikes of the same name.
Actually, it looks more like sea-foam (my friend had a moped the same color).
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  #99  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2013, 1:49 PM
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I like it well enough. My wife has the Bianchi step-through of the same color.

Anyway, between NY, Chicago, and SF (plus other smaller ones and expansions in existing cities), US bikeshare has more than doubled since January. When I put together this list at the beginning of next year, it's going to look totally different.
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  #100  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2013, 2:15 PM
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Originally Posted by fflint View Post
It's called "celeste"--same color as the Bianchi bikes of the same name. I tend to agree with those who argued BABS should be International Orange like the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Giants orange and black would have looked good as well. It is only a matter of time before we see Tim Lincecum on one of these.
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