How does /n/ feel about Bike Share programs?
I've tried the one in my city (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), and I've liked it. The system works fine and the city has enough bike paths for it to be not completely suicidal to try. But it has enough downside - the questionable maintenance of the bikes, the charges after 30/45 mins and the fact all the paths are along metro lines - that I don't think I'll get the season pass.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle-sharing_system
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle-sharing_systems
>>976772
Seattle's is absolute shit.
>>976780
>Seattle's is absolute shit.
What's wrong with it?
>>976781
It costs $8 to rent a bike for 30 minutes. The stations are far apart and the bikes are clunky. The city has bought it but there is no free transfer between transit and bikeshare. Helmets are required by law and cost another $2 to rent. There is no electric assist for Seattle's steep hills to entice the casual rider. $10 for 1 bike ride is far too much.
Pic related: Our literal faggot mayor on one.
Mixed feelings. The bikes are big and slow and have shitty ass weak lights. The stations are only in a few parts of the city where the super-rich live. The people riding them are idiots who disregard traffic laws, ride on the sidewalk, have no situational awareness, and go the wrong way down one way streets. They cause people who never ride bikes to have reasons to oppose bikes.
On the other hand, they give more people the chance to gain the perspective of a cyclist and see what it's like to contend with murderous death cages on the streets. This tends to result in more bike-friendly laws being passed. They also cause cagers to become more aware of bikes in general and therefore safer. Also, since they are only in super wealthy areas, they promote the idea that cycling is a thing rich people do, and since cagers are less inclined to murder someone who they believe (rightly or wrongly) to be rich, it makes them less likely to murder me by extension.
In the balance of things, I'm ok with them, although I still look down my nose at the irresponsible, 30 RPM pedaling, wobbling wrong-way-riding swerving idiots who yell at pedestrians not because they're assholes but they legitimately have no idea that they are supposed to yield to peds at crosswalks and stuff.
>>976789
>It costs $8 to rent a bike for 30 minutes. The stations are far apart and the bikes are clunky. The city has bought it but there is no free transfer between transit and bikeshare. Helmets are required by law and cost another $2 to rent. There is no electric assist for Seattle's steep hills to entice the casual rider. $10 for 1 bike ride is far too much.
That sucks, the Bixi was only 2.75 Maplebucks for 30 mins, with lots of docking stations around.
Just eyeballing it, but it looks like the Seattle bikes are similar to the Montreal bikes.
>>976790
>The people riding them are idiots who disregard traffic laws, ride on the sidewalk, have no situational awareness, and go the wrong way down one way streets.
Yet apparently, nobody has died on those bikes yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgJo7GnGorg&nohtml5=False
>>976795
Well, yes. Intentionally gimping a bike is probably not a bad plan when you're designing a bike share system for idiots. That said, a responsible cyclist who isn't out to set strava KOMs, but just wants to get to work, is better off with a bike that isn't gimped.
I read a lot of these stories about cyclists riding home at 1 AM from the East Village or Williamsburg getting killed, and while I hate to engage in what sounds like victim blaming, I have to wonder how many of them are those edgy /n/ types that brag about how they can totally handle riding with their Beats by Dr. Dre after a couple of beers (what are you a lightweight? I ride better while I'm buzzed!) They may have been on a 20 pound bike when they got struck by a vehicle, but the weight of the bike was the least relevant factor in the equation.
>>976772
I wish more people used them since I ride a train that has way too fucking many bikes on it, even with dedicated bike cars.
LONDON
>pros: hundreds of stations, tens of thousands of bikes (of course they're clunky - they put up with a lot of abuse) pretty cheap
>cons: generally terrifying riding in London, shitty rental software meaning you have to poke the screen 9 million times to flick through various notices and disclaimers before you rent
![Lyon-stall[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/pqcW84F.jpg "Lyon-stall[1].jpg")
Lived in Lyon for a while, where they have Vélo'v (Velo+Love). Pretty much the bike-share system that started the bikeshare trend in Europe.
They're super cheap. Annual subscribtion 25 euro. Or 1.5euro for a day-pass. First 30min free - which is what you typically aim for, and 75c for your next half hour.
Can sign up/buy a pass with your credit card at most stations (tourist friendly)
Bikes are heavy and clunky but totally fit for purpose. Decent to excellent bike infrastructure in the city. And drivers are used to retarded cyclists so they are patient and tolerant.
They have the typical bikeshare issues of full/empty stations at key spots (by the river and parks in the summer + at the top plateau of the one big hill in the city).
They have "gamified" some of the trickier stations (up the top of the hill) by rewarding you with credit on your account if you ride a bike uphill. Otherwise there's regular trucks shifting the bikes between full/empty stations.
I think they are rad. The first month or so I used it was tough. They bikes are tanks with poor fit and limited gear range. Now I am used to the handling though and I can appreciate them for what they are and what they designed for. A 12 month membership cost me about $90 which is probably leass than wear and tear maintenance on my own bike. It nice to not have to carry around my own lock and tools too. And once you dock it you can forget about it. I also think they are actually safer than most bikes being slower and with such a high rider position for visibility. And the more "normal" folks riding and using the streets and infrastructure the safer it is for everyone. My only real gripe is that in my city they are so popular it can be challenging to get or park a bike at certain times of the day.
>>976789
you sound poor.
I've had an annual membership with the bike share program in the city I live in for two years now (Columbus OH) and have finally decided on getting my own road bike. I've absolutely loved the program though, stations right where I need them, grocery store, apartment, school, etc.
Pros are they're heavy duty bikes anyone can absolutely abuse, and with regular maintenance vehicles making rounds they're pretty reliable as far as my experience has been.
The biggest con I've faced and reason I've decided to buy my own bike is that you really just can't go anywhere outside of the radius of stations with the 30 minute limit so you're constantly timing yourself and don't have as much freedom as you should.
My city spent 1 million USD on 100 bikes. $10000 per bike. They shoulda just subsidized bike purchases at local businesses.
>>976789
might as well just uber/bus at that point
or y'know, use your own bike
I looked into it when I lived in Washington DC but it seemed way too expensive.
>>976795
1st death only days ago.
http://chi.streetsblog.org/2016/07/01/police-divvy-rider-critically-injured-at-belmont-and-sacramento/
>>976772
I asked the hotel lady in barcelona: "¿Por qué todo las personas tiene una bicicleta roja?" and she laughed at me and that's all the experience I have.
>>976824
Uber/Lyft literally costs the same price at that point and your own bike+the metro is 1/10th the price.
Poor and unable to compare pricing are different things.
Chicago's Divvy system prob has the best coverage of any system in NA and it continues to get better every summer. It's pretty nice.
Good idea but I hate the riders. All of them run reds and ride side by side on paths going 12mph.
>pro
It's free
Helmets are provided
>con
your ID is a deposit
who wants to use a share helmet?
But helmets are the law here so it's better than nothing I guess.
>>976890
Most people go with the annual membership, paying single use pricing is insane. That's just for tourists and people testing the water.
I don't understand the purpose of these programs. A serviceable second-hand bike costs no more than $50 via local classifieds, while being as clunky and hulking as these rentals. Is their primary demographic tourists? Because if not, the locals who use them are pretty moronic to be quite honest
>>976966
The point is that you don't have to worry about bike maintenance or locking it up wherever you go. As hard as it may be to believe everyone isn't an autist that enjoys tinkering on bikes when they're not shitposting on a Mongolian bike herding bulletin board.
>>976969
inb4 MGTOW collective REEEEE and you're accused of being nikki and/or sieg
>>976823
>90$ yearly wear and tear on a commuter bicycle
take it easy dude
I'm all for these bikes, but our city is reducing paid permit parking to install these right in front of where people live. There's already a shortage on space, the cost is too high for average local person to use these daily - what a joke!
>>977018
>oh no my overcrowded city is deprioritizing cages that take up 70 sq ft per person in favor of something sane, it's the holocaust!!
Staten Islander logic
>>976789
Ya the system is fucked and most people hate it.
>>976966
In my experience, it works well as "another option" in cities which already have functioning public transport.
eg
>caught metro into school
>go for lunch with friend who has their bike, I hire bike to join him to lunch spot 2km away
>bike back to school
>metro to evening activity across town
>metro to get home
I agree than in straight A-B-A commuting, having your own bike makes more financial sense. But for transportation freedom, these schemes can be awesome.
>>976822
Lived in Lille last year and they had similar pricing. I think a year subscription was 75euro though. No incentives for big hills, probably because Lille is entirely flat. The system is called v'lille.
How much do you guys have to deposit to rent? Like a charge on your card that gets cancelled once you return it?
>tfw poor people can't rent bike because 200euro deposit
Melbourne Australia has the same kind of bikes as Boris bikes. Arnie came here last year and was riding one a round a cop hassled him for not wearing a helmet. What a fucking joke. :(
LA just got their system in downtown. From what I understand, there is no connectivity to the system already in place in Santa Monica. That's wack but I'm sure they'll be a hit in Downtown.
I actually used a bikeshare bike in Glendale yesterday to run a quick errand. The bikes are pretty convenient to me but in Glendale, there is just one station that doesn't connect to anything and the system is run by a different agency then Santa Monica or LA. Plus, you have to deal with the notorious Glendale drivers. I can deal with it because I know what I'm doing, but the tourists(?) and office drones that the system is meant for can't even deal with Glendale cagers as pedestrians.
>>976822
>And drivers are used to retarded cyclists so they are patient and tolerant.
lolno
Lyon drivers are the worst I've experienced, in France, and obviously worst than Neth.
t. Lyonnais
Taipei's UBike System is the best.
The first half hour is >for free, afterwards it almost costs nothing, and the bikes are in a generally good condition, with stations almost everywhere
>>977033
>be me
>live in Staten island
>try to an hero
>cages beat me to it
You can do some crazy shit on a bike share bike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKN-a2IcgVE
mlps bike share is nice I like to think, 4$ per 30 min for non members, first hour free if you're a member. well placed and well spaced. I think it's a good system.
>>979278
also, they gave out these ones away free as part of a community outreach program.
