tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498571578300107.post1953800703542683322..comments2024-01-03T04:02:30.439-05:00Comments on Hub and Spokes: Bike Sharing in MPLS: No bixi for memides@hunter.cuny.eduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17692416995015371649noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498571578300107.post-37277115089568975942010-03-16T08:56:30.333-04:002010-03-16T08:56:30.333-04:00Have you ever heard someone say: Why do we need th...Have you ever heard someone say: Why do we need that bike lane, I never see anyone using it?<br /><br />Urban bike sharing is a great way to raise the profile of cycling, and to make cycling more accessible. Long distance bike commuting is intimidating and a turnoff for people for the reasons you list: you get sweaty, there are no facilities, etc. This is different: people are riding short distances, and they don't require special equipment.<br /><br />When DC started its bike sharing program, like you, I had misgivings. I thought tourists we going to be mowed down. Quite the opposite has happened. The funny red and white bikes have helped calm traffic--inspite of a lack of facilities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498571578300107.post-1443112532381187872010-03-12T01:43:35.993-05:002010-03-12T01:43:35.993-05:00Why not take a look at the data? When Paris starte...Why not take a look at the data? When Paris started, a tiny minority rode bikes. There was very little bike infrastructure. 3 years later, it's huge. Infrastructure has followed. <br /><br />The target are not current bike commuters. If you own a $5,000 bike, you're not about to commute in a 3 speed. It's for everyone else. And it's not for home-work. It's for getting from the office to lunch, or to the train station, or to a meeting a few blocks away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498571578300107.post-45119976147227411442010-03-11T12:49:22.199-05:002010-03-11T12:49:22.199-05:00On the other hand, bike-sharing programs have a pr...On the other hand, bike-sharing programs have a proclivity for (re-)introducing people to transportation cycling much faster than anything else. There's no need to re-imagine yourself as a cyclist, tune-up a bike, buy a fancy messenger bag or whatever. People find themselves standing next to a useful bike on a nice day with somewhere to go. There is basically no barrier to entry. <br /><br />Almost every high-tech bike sharing program has greatly increased overall ridership as noobs take to it and eventually find themselves dusting off their own bikes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com