Why Bike Sharing Must Be Saved

treehugger.com:

But after five years, something scary started to happen, in addition to the vandalism and abandonment that plagued Bicing and other big programs...ridership started to decline.

Read the whole story: treehugger.com

Comments

[SteveDenver]

05:41 PM on 09/02/2010

I don't know specifics about Barcelona (gawd I wish I DID!), but Denver's bike sharing program is a huge success. Starting in the central business district, bike stations were put in central destinatio­ns and outlying city housing and parking. The rush of red bikes into downtown in the morning is exhilarati­ng to see. The same occurs after work when trucks filled with bikes are waiting to replenish electronic "check out" stations. Users have to have a credit-car­d for daily membership or monthly. People who work downtown but live in neighborho­ods on the outskirts find it a quick way to avoid cab fare when they're running too late to walk (or would rather bike than walk).

[santiago sherwood]

06:55 PM on 09/05/2010

In paris where I first saw bike sharing I thought is was so cool, but later I learned about the vandalism problem and the theft issues, it became a huge problem in Paris, I don't know about a lot of other places but the lack of respect for public property is severe in Paris. With 20% of the Bikes needing replacemen­t in only a few months.No one figured on the vandalism either and paris is not a safe place for bikes, Some of the sections of the city where they are trying to get people to ride, the drivers are very nasty. but when was in Copenhagen it was perfect so a lot has to do with culture and peoples respect for property and the city they live in. Not all cultures are capable of communal property.

[BannedNBoston]

12:32 PM on 09/02/2010

Just spray a little WD-40 and even disc brakes slip!!

The Gates Foundation just bought a whopping 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock.

Gates Foundation Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth Is

http://blo­gs.alterne­t.org/spea­keasy/2010­/08/26/gat­es-foundat­ion-puts-i­ts-money-w­here-its-m­outh-is/

[Just4theHalibut]

11:17 AM on 09/02/2010

The "common plague of brake tampering"­??!? Are you kidding me? Who does this and why haven't they been arrested..­. Does this happen in Portland Oregon too?
I guess you could say that bicycle share programs can only be successful in cities where there
aren't sociopaths­.

[PigsOnSoma]

11:30 AM on 09/02/2010

A noticed could be affixed to check the brakes first. Unless whoever has removed the pads, or actually cut the wires, it's usually a simple fix. I know I have sometimes forgotten to reattach my brakes when I put my bike in the trunk.

[timo96]

10:23 AM on 09/02/2010

soooo many of the world's very big, very real problems could be greatly diminished if an effort were made to promote and make safe bike commuting. Air pollution, road congestion­, our obesity problems, petroleum issues / imported oil / deep sea drilling, etc... heck, even mental health issues, since few things match the kind of serenity you get from burning a few calories on the back of a bicycle.

[roadwobbler]

08:51 AM on 09/02/2010

Aiken, SC tried a bike sharing program - it only lasted a couple of years. Having said that, we need to develop more bike routes.