French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
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Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#2 Daily use averages 50,000 to 150,000 trips, depending on the
season, and the bicycles have proved to be a hit with
tourists, who help power the economy.
At least 8,000 bikes have been stolen and 8,000 damaged so
badly that they had to be replaced — nearly 80 percent of
the initial stock, Mr. Asséraf said.
JCDecaux must repair some 1,500 bicycles a day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjelkeman/2436951384/in/set-721...
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#3"Many of the specially designed bikes, which cost $3,500 each"
What were they thinking???
Surely it must be possible to design a cheaper bike for that purpose? The electronics shouldn't be much more complicated than an average mobile phone?
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#4Daily use averages 50,000 to 150,000 trips, depending on the season, and the bicycles have proved to be a hit with tourists, who help power the economy. At least 8,000 bikes have been stolen and 8,000 damaged so badly that they had to be replaced — nearly 80 percent of the initial stock, Mr. Asséraf said. JCDecaux must repair some 1,500 bicycles a day. It would be interesting to see what the comparable numbers are in…
This article seems oddly focused on France. I also know of similar efforts in Germany. And I have seen similar bikes in Spain.
It would be much more interesting to get a European perspective.
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#5Why didn't they just subsidize bike and bike lock purchases for individuals?
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#6"Many of the specially designed bikes, which cost $3,500 each" What were they thinking??? Surely it must be possible to design a cheaper bike for that purpose? The electronics shouldn't be much more complicated than an average mobile phone?
Over-engineering. They could have done the same with bikes that cost significantly less.
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#7"Many of the specially designed bikes, which cost $3,500 each" What were they thinking??? Surely it must be possible to design a cheaper bike for that purpose? The electronics shouldn't be much more complicated than an average mobile phone?
I seriously doubt they cost that much.
The only electronics on the bike I can think of is the head light LED and the dynamo to power it. The rest of the electronics are in the docking stations.
I'm thinking the $3500 price probably includes the docking station which is kinda misleading.
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#8Daily use averages 50,000 to 150,000 trips, depending on the season, and the bicycles have proved to be a hit with tourists, who help power the economy. At least 8,000 bikes have been stolen and 8,000 damaged so badly that they had to be replaced — nearly 80 percent of the initial stock, Mr. Asséraf said. JCDecaux must repair some 1,500 bicycles a day. It would be interesting to see what the comparable numbers are in…
This article seems oddly focused on France. I also know of similar efforts in Germany. And I have seen similar bikes in Spain. It would be much more interesting to get a European perspective.
Switzerland also has a bike rental program in several cities (http://www.suisseroule.ch), and students can borrow them for free (insured against their university account). During the summer, I saw people riding those bikes around all the time, but I have no idea how popular the program is. You can also rent bikes at all the major train stations.
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#9Why didn't they just subsidize bike and bike lock purchases for individuals?
What is great with this program is that you take the bike only when you need it. You don't have to carry it with you all the time. You can combine subway, bus and bike. There are a lot of stations around Paris. You can use the bike one way only if it is raining for example, and use the bus/subway to go back.
Re: French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality
#10Daily use averages 50,000 to 150,000 trips, depending on the season, and the bicycles have proved to be a hit with tourists, who help power the economy. At least 8,000 bikes have been stolen and 8,000 damaged so badly that they had to be replaced — nearly 80 percent of the initial stock, Mr. Asséraf said. JCDecaux must repair some 1,500 bicycles a day. It would be interesting to see what the comparable numbers are in…
This article seems oddly focused on France. I also know of similar efforts in Germany. And I have seen similar bikes in Spain. It would be much more interesting to get a European perspective.
Not just European: Montreal, Canada has this too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixi
Interestingly enough, vandalism seems to be much lower, though still significant: "...one in five bikes have been damaged and 15% of bike racks are defective..."