bike sharing

Blogger Daniel Harren provides us with a nice overview of Bixi use over a typical work day.

Have you ever been unable to find a bixi? Or unable to find a parking spot?

I’ve downloaded a map of the Bixi system every 5 minutes for the last couple weeks, and got to working on an animation.

As the morning progresses the residential stations empty and the downtown stations fill up.

Note: "red indicate a station is full; transparent ones are empty. Sizes are roughly proportional."

I expect someone to step forward once Toronto gets its "Bixi".

(Photo: Jay the Commie)

A bike rental store owner is upset with Bixi in Montreal, claiming that Bixi, the public bike sharing service, is killing his business.

Does he have a case? Or is he full of it?

He warned the city in April 2008 that the Bixi project, launched six weeks ago and slated to expand to 400 stands housing 5,000 bikes by next month, could wreak havoc on private shops. Yet the city placed a station 40 metres from his storefront. When he complained, it was moved two blocks east.

How nice of Bixi. They were under no obligation to move the station just to reduce competition with his shop. You don't see Starbucks agreeing to move just because they are competition for the local coffeeshop. What if people actually want to drop off or pick up Bixi bikes in the area? They don't deserve to?

For those who hold that the terms "great expectations" and "TCAC" (Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee) have long since proven themselves mutually exclusive, the rumblings and ramblings emanating from Committee Room 2 of City Hall last Monday may give cause to reconsider. The regular bureaucratic tedium -- accountants' conventions are Roman orgies by contrast -- belied the significance and scope of the schemes underway. There is truly cause for (cautious?) excitement.

The Toronto Star is reporting that the City is considering starting up a new bike sharing program, similar to the Velib system in Paris.

"It will be announced sometime in the late fall and launched in the summer of 2009," Councillor Adrian Heaps said.

Heaps said Toronto plans to emulate the best aspects of programs in other jurisdictions and would include automated stations, with swipe-card access, with a subscription that would give access to a uniform style of bicycle "that is tried and proven around the world."

Do you think this will happen? Do you like the idea? Or should the city do something to bring back CBN's Bike Share program?

A number of cities are experimenting with "public bikes" or "bike sharing". In Toronto we had our own experiment with CBN's Bikeshare. Last fall, Toronto's city council directed the Chief Planner to investigating a public bike scheme and to look into starting up a pilot project for staff.

Bikesharing started around 30 years ago, in Amsterdam by the Provo anarchist group with a free white bike scheme. Last year it hit big time with the launch of Vélib in Paris (short for Vélo Liberté or bike freedom). Now a number of cities are starting up their own and the place to read all about the different projects is on the Bike-sharing Blog.

Metrolinx, our former GTTA, released two "green papers" today. Both of them take an active interest in cycling as a commuting mode in the Greater Toronto Area.

The papers are available and the consultation is taking place through this website.

"Green Paper #2" looks at mobility hubs.

"Creating easier links between walking, cycling, auto use and public transit is a key element in improving people's ability to get around," MacIsaac said. "These hubs often foster vibrant employment and residential areas, and draw amenities such as entertainment, shopping and family services to their vicinity. This mix of land use and transportation can be mutually supportive and should be encouraged."

"Green Paper #3" is specifically interested in cycling and pedestrian issues.

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blockquote>"We have engineered walking and cycling out of many parts of our region

Sooner or later public bikes will return to Toronto. What type of public bike program would people like to see for Toronto?

CBN's Bikeshare closed down all its hubs at the end of 2006, but the requests haven't died out. Since joining the board, I've answered a number of emails from people wanting to start up a bike sharing program in their community or university campus. For example, a college in Philadelphia, university in Tel Aviv, are all getting into the community bike sharing game.