Bike Sharing

I will now offer a forewarning: I am going to talk about New York City again. I sincerely don’t mean keep talking about nyc, but since I’ve lived under a rock from most my life in the city, it’s fascinating to learn about all the sustainability factors the city currently does, or striving to do.

In “Bicycling Renaissance in North America?”, the authors write about steps to increase cycling in North America. All seven proposals seem fairly reasonable and although these proposals were meant to be seen on the national level, I surprisingly came across a city-wide initiative to increase bicycling in New York City.

Starting March of 2013, New York City will have the opportunity to rent out 10,000 public bicycles located at 600 self-service docking stations. The CitiBike initiative aims to provide bicycles where the demand would be high, such as near the ends of subway lines, major culture and tourist locations, and any other areas where there are gaps in the subway and bus system.  More than half of New York City residents make trips two miles or less on a daily basis, and the convenience of a bike share program will decrease the congestion that occurs in public transportation (especially during rush hours), and the amount of people hailing cabs for less than 20 blocks and paying around $10. And that doesn’t even include the reduced CO₂ emissions and health benefits from riding bicycles. An annual pass for unlimited use is only $90, and various rates depending on biking time.

As I’m reading about this ‘new and exciting’ program rolling out next summer, I’m thinking about if CitiBike will really be as successful as other bike sharing programs in other nations. Anne VanderMey from Fortune magazine clearly illustrates my sentiment in an introductory paragraph to an article about bike sharing in America:

In the Netherlands, there is such as thing as the bicycle school bus, a 12-person rig that children can pedal while an adult steers them to school. In Japan, cyclists deposit their bikes into curbside machines that subsume them into robotically enabled underground parking structures. In China, the government has made the development of electronic bikes -- bicycles with built-in mechanical assist -- a national priority. In America, however, it's not unheard of for people to drive to the end of their driveway to get the mail.

Yes, New York isn’t as car dependent as other areas in the US, but as the largest bike sharing initiative the US has ever planned on, this one in NYC, might not even work. Critics have argued that bikers and motorists fight over precious road space daily, and increasing the amount of bicycles on the road as a ‘fashionable niche interest’ is absurd.  Additionally, the health benefits, and reduced pollution don’t quite justify the amount of taxpayers money that goes into high capital, technological, and maintenance costs. Well, luckily, the CitiBike sharing initiative is all privately funded so critics can’t take a stab at the economic costs of introducing a city-wide  biking initiative (because gosh- the US can’t spend a little extra to reduce obesity rates, or the amount of CO₂ placed in the atmosphere).  Well, way to be pessimistic.

Bus Shelter, especially for those who like
dry seats for rainy days

If these were all the criticisms the critics can come up with, I can’t see why this share biking program can’t take off. I’m sure there are other details involved but as a former resident of the city, I would much rather ride a bike 2 miles to the post office than to take the train during rush hour. The mayor has incorporated bike lanes throughout major parts on the city, installed bike shelters, and the city has even handed out red light tickets to signify they mean business when bikers have the same rights and play by the same rules as motorists. There are Summers Street Festival days where streets are closed to motorists and the streets become quasi- fairgrounds.  

Buffered Bike Lanes! Bicycle safety should remain
a priority for NYC

Will this bike initiate change anything in the city? I like to think on the bright side, and say yes.  Will it change the bike culture around the nation? It’s getting there. Numerous other cities have bike sharing programs- DC being one very prominent program. In the next coming year, 17 new bike sharing programs will hit the US including San Francisco, Baltimore, and St. Petersburg.  Apparently, this is the year to look for bikes around your neighborhood. I would love to hear thoughts and experiences of those who’ve done bike sharing programs around the world, but even more so around the nation.