Anyone use bike sharing in their city?

[nevets88]

It's basically bike stations all over the area, you insert a key and go and drop off at another station. I only know of the ones in DC, Boston and NY. It's very handy to get around, faster than public transportation in some instances. It has its problems, malfunctioning stations, empty or full stations when you pickup or drop, and the occasional dodgy bike.

https://www.capitalbikeshare.com

[p1n9183]

Yes, there are here in Buenos Aires Argentina. A few years ago i use them and worked OK.
We have the limitation of one hour to return the bike.

[nevets88]

In NY, it's 45 minutes, DC, 30. Perhaps you can drop off/pick up at a station along the way.

 

[nevets88]

Way to go Raleigh.

Quote

Even those who aren’t totally comfortable pedaling a bicycle through downtown Raleigh will be able to take part in the new bike-share program.

The Raleigh City Council on Tuesday agreed to begin contract negotiations with Saint-Georges-based Bewegen and New Jersey-based Corps Logistics for a bike-sharing initiative set to launch next spring.

Raleigh plans to deploy 300 bikes at 30 stations throughout the city for people to rent on a short-term basis – maybe for a quick trip across downtown or a leisurely ride on the greenway system. The goal is to encourage healthy lifestyles and make Raleigh more appealing to tourists and professionals who desire an urban lifestyle.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/raleigh-report-blog/article155256839.html

[dennyjones]

They were just initiated in Detroit within the last few weeks.   A credit card swipe and a unique pin if you choose to park it and return.    There are multiple places throughout the city to return the bikes.    I personally have not used the service.   

 

We were in Chicago a few weeks ago and they also have the bike service.  

[nevets88]

Most major cities in the US have a bike share program:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle-sharing_systems#United_States

[nevets88]

This is sad, you knew something eventually was going to happen, that is the nature of so many vehicles in close quarters, but still. Will continue to ride on, but warily.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/nyregion/citi-bike-death-manhattan.html

[David in FL]

2 hours ago, nevets88 said:

This is sad, you knew something eventually was going to happen, that is the nature of so many vehicles in close quarters, but still. Will continue to ride on, but warily.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/nyregion/citi-bike-death-manhattan.html

Anyone who rides knows how dangerous it is when we mix cars and bikes.  I'm honestly amazed that there haven't been more.  Maybe due to the relatively slow traffic speed in NYC?

 

[Kalnoky]

Portland has had bike service for years. I would never do it. Everyone I know who rides a bike in the city has been hit by a car, and some multiple times. My buddy's niece was hit on purpose by right-wing extremists, who hate bicycles, Prius, and basically anyone who doesn't perfectly resemble them.  

My brother wound up in the hospital one day from a collision with a car and decided to give up cycling altogether. I'm very happy he dad. This was in Seattle. But I know of similar stories in Phoenix and Los Angeles. 

In Manhattan I'd be afraid to hit a pedestrian on my bike. Not so much in the other boroughs. But I think New York City is fairly unique.  

Edited June 13, 2017 by Kalnoky

[nevets88]

I've been riding in the NYC area for ages. Long distance from Manhattan to Bear Mountain via the GW, ~80 miles round trip and short rides all over the city. The two times I fell was a long time ago when I first was learning how to use pedal clips, was slowing to a stop and uh-oh, can't take my foot off the pedal, how do I unclip again, too tight, not coming off, here comes the ground, boom. I saw something like this happen to a guy on a motorcycle recently but I digress. The second time was unseen black ice in Central Park. Have had lots close calls and a lot of body bumps into riders too close. Haven't had any close calls with cars or trucks yet, I am very very careful of anything larger than a van. If you ride defensively and exercise extreme common sense, assume people are going to break the rules, with luck, you should be okay. But thinking I'm very lucky as well. 

You cannot go very fast on the shared bicycles. They are tanks on two wheels, I hate going uphill, considering my road bike is 19 pounds and a bike share is almost 45. Since you can't go fast, that minimizes the chance of an accident although all it takes is a mistake from a careless driver. I will continue to use bike sharing here and whatever city I find myself in. The chances of an accident are the same as driving or walking. If you haven't been to Brooklyn or Manhattan for awhile, one thing you'll notice is just how many more cyclists there are, especially in Brooklyn. 

I didn't use Citi Bike as much as I wanted to this past year, but got a lot out of it well worth the annual fee and it's definitely enriched my life, crossed the Brooklyn and Williamsburg many times, seen many places I would not have gotten a chance to, Manhattan is a big place that is constantly changing. It's so easy, just pop in the key, green light, go.

 

[nevets88]

OK, I definitely do not ride like this. This guy is too fast and not checking for getting doored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTVHwjdff9g

[nevets88]

So the NYPD was wrong, surprise, surprise, cyclist did not swerve into the bus, the bus clipped him according to review of video footage, not released as to not traumatize cyclist's wife and kids. 

http://gothamist.com/2017/06/15/citi_bike_video_hanegby.php

[nevets88]

 

Quote

18 cyclists were killed in NYC traffic in 2016, which is more than the 14 killed in 2015. Hanegby becomes the fifth cyclist killed so far in 2017, according to city data.

http://gothamist.com/2017/06/13/cyclist_killed_chelsea_citi_bike.php

[bkuehn1952]

We have a bike rental system in Ann Arbor, similar to many larger cities.  The University of Michigan is propping the program up with a large initial grant.  My fear is when their money runs out, the taxpayers will get stuck with the continuing expense.  The program's revenue is minuscule.  I have never used it because I ride my own bike to work or just walk around town.

I am extremely cautious and polite to cars/trucks. Can't win a fight with a motor vehicle.

[saevel25]

The City of Dayton did a bike sharing system. It was privatized. You can buy a pass which was a pretty good deal. Dayton let them install them in some pretty good spots around town and the University of Dayton. They seem to get a pretty good amount of use. 

[nevets88]

Frequency of bike sharing vs street parking usage, time lapse, one hour. This looks like somewhere around 23rd and 5th. The last couple of days, the weather has been amazing and made for some fun riding around the city.

 

[nevets88]

This guy carrying his crutches while riding.

https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/06/22/proposed-citi-bike-expansion-would-finally-include-all-five-boroughs/

Quote

While the city has spent millions on several new ferry routes, its bike share program remains far more popular. Right now, the program averages around 60,000 trips daily — even the rosiest projections of the city’s new ferry service puts its ridership at just 12,500 people per day.

 

[nevets88]

A big problem w/sharing.