Bixi takes on Montreal

Bixi takes on Montreal

Posted: 02 May 2009 10:35 AM PDT

Large scale bike-sharing programs have been operating in Europe for a
while now, but on May 12 Montreal will become the first city in North
America with a large scale bike-sharing program. The program has been
dubbed Bixi, a combination of the words Bike and Taxi. The
torontoist.com says:

When Paris opened the Vélib bike sharing program, it changed the
mentality of drivers overnight when they were forced to adjust to an
additional 10,000 bikes suddenly sharing the road. Likewise, non-
cyclists could now see cycling as safe enough to be a viable mass
transit option, and the huge number of available bikes and station-
hubs densely dotting the city ensured there would always be a bike
nearby.

The article goes on to say:

Little details (of Bixi), go a long way in making skeptics (of bike
sharing programs) into believers. Integration into existing mass
transit options makes it part of a larger system. Real-time
availability updates and the ability to reserve a bike online—options
Veolia Transportation provides its clients—mean a bike is available
where and when you need one. A built-in bike lock means you can make
quick stops between hubs. Pricing options—such as the common principle
of the first thirty minutes being free, then increasing fares for each
subsequent half hour—make it appealing to casual users. A modular
system of station-hubs means hubs can be created, reconfigured, or
moved in minutes. They can be removed for the winter months or for
street maintenance. New stations can be established wherever demand—
even the short-term demand of special events—warrants them.
Furthermore, movable hubs don’t require the burdensome expense of
excavation or electrical hook-up to the city grid, so their added
flexibility actually comes at a savings in the cost of a system’s
operation.

While the program is already operating on a smaller scale, the program
gets a big jump on May 12 with 300 stations and 3000 bikes!

With the cost of $78 (taxes included) for an annual membership, it
seems like if you really need a bike longer than 1 1/2yrs you could
just buy a used bike for $125 and end up spending less money in the
long run. Bixi’s pricing structure was created to encourage short
trips. According to Bixi:

…usage fees encourage frequent utilization for short periods of time.
You therefore have to subscribe or acquire a 24-hour access to use the
service. For every trip, the first 30 minutes are free.

Of the Bixi bike-share program, the torontoist goes on to say:

Stationnement de Montreal, an all-profits-back-to-the-city parking
authority, realized that its parking lots already contained the space
and technology necessary to run a bike sharing program. With the
city’s encouragement (but not its funding), Stationnement de Montreal
invested the start-up capital and is pursuing the project as a self-
sufficient operation. They expect to run a deficit in the first year
and break even in all subsequent years. It’s an ambitious proposal
since no system in the world has yet broken even, but Montreal seems
well-positioned to be the first. They’ve also found ways of cutting
operating costs, such as the use of modular station-hubs. Perhaps most
importantly, by being a pioneer, Montreal has developed a turn-key
system (and expertise) that can be profitably exported in part or in
whole to other municipalities.

Bixi’s versatility and ease of use for anyone should help it attract
new cyclists, and should even help reduce the number of cars on the
road. According to Wikipedia,

Montreal began a limited pilot project of Bixi bike-sharing bicycles
in fall 2008.[13] Bixi is an effort to encourage locals and tourists
to make use of the city’s already well-established network of bike
paths[14]. The rental bicycles will be available from depots located
throughout the city, where bikes can be rented from automated stations
using a credit card.[15] The Public Bike System - as the official
municipal entity will be known - estimates that by 2009, 2,400
bicycles (Bixi is claiming 3000) will be deployed at 300 depots
throughout the metro area. The fee schedule is designed to discourage
day-trippers. In 2008 the Bixi program was ranked by Time Magazine as
the 19th best invention in their 50 Best Inventions of 2008.

Lets hope that the bikes of the Bixi bike-sharing program don’t fall
victim to ‘Bixi-Extreme’ like these unfortunate Velib bikes in Paris
did. Go Bixi or go home…

In article ,
Ablang writes:
Bixi takes on Montreal

Posted: 02 May 2009 10:35 AM PDT

Large scale bike-sharing programs have been operating in Europe for a
while now, but on May 12 Montreal will become the first city in North
America with a large scale bike-sharing program. The program has been
dubbed Bixi, a combination of the words Bike and Taxi. The
torontoist.com says:

When Paris opened the V=E9lib bike sharing program, it changed the
mentality of drivers overnight when they were forced to adjust to an
additional 10,000 bikes suddenly sharing the road. Likewise, non-
cyclists could now see cycling as safe enough to be a viable mass
transit option, and the huge number of available bikes and station-
hubs densely dotting the city ensured there would always be a bike
nearby.

Any potential bike-sharing program in Vancouver
or Victoria is complicated by British Columbia's
mandatory helmet law.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On May 4, 8:03*pm, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article ,
* * * * Ablang writes:



*Bixi takes on Montreal

Posted: 02 May 2009 10:35 AM PDT

Large scale bike-sharing programs have been operating in Europe for a
while now, but on May 12 Montreal will become the first city in North
America with a large scale bike-sharing program. The program has been
dubbed Bixi, a combination of the words Bike and Taxi. The
torontoist.com says:

When Paris opened the V=E9lib bike sharing program, it changed the
mentality of drivers overnight when they were forced to adjust to an
additional 10,000 bikes suddenly sharing the road. Likewise, non-
cyclists could now see cycling as safe enough to be a viable mass
transit option, and the huge number of available bikes and station-
Good point Tom.

As that alone is a contentious issue, I'll leave it alone, but hinders
(and really does complicate matters as you say) our city as a large-
scale bicycle-friendly city.

hubs densely dotting the city ensured there would always be a bike
nearby.

Any potential bike-sharing program in Vancouver
or Victoria is complicated by British Columbia's
mandatory helmet law.

cheers,
* * * * Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca