Seattle's failing bike share system

Seattle's bike share system, unlike most such systems world-wide, is
doing quite poorly. The city recently voted to buy the system to keep
it alive.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016...-share-service

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

Makes you wonder what Seattle is doing wrong with its bike share program. And the Australian cities. Hopefully someone will study the other cities with successful bike sharing programs and figure out the differences and how to fix them. Is Seattle bike oriented now? Like Portland. Maybe with everyone already riding bikes, the idea of renting a bike does not make sense.. My city has a bike sharing of some sort but I have no knowledge of it because I have my own bikes to ride. The lack of bike lanes in the article might be a reason its not successful. As for the Australian cities, is biking popular or even tolerated in Australia? Is everyone on a bike in Australia castigated and murdered by the cars? If so, then its not hard to figure out why bike sharing fails.

On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 3:29:36 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Seattle's bike share system, unlike most such systems world-wide, is
doing quite poorly. The city recently voted to buy the system to keep
it alive.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016...-share-service

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Seattle summer's for 2 months.....parking downtown is $$$ with seeable upscale vehicles. Hilly....the bottomland is duck/salmon/water filter marsh dikes, filled n desalted with lime from the San Juans. What hills not removed are still hilly.

Itsnot bike friendly and there's nothing to see eg NYC/SF/Baltimore.....

On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 6:59:39 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 3:29:36 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Seattle's bike share system, unlike most such systems world-wide, is
doing quite poorly. The city recently voted to buy the system to keep
it alive.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016...-share-service

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Seattle summer's for 2 months.....parking downtown is $$$ with seeable upscale vehicles. Hilly....the bottomland is duck/salmon/water filter marsh dikes, filled n desalted with lime from the San Juans. What hills not removed are still hilly.

Itsnot bike friendly and there's nothing to see eg NYC/SF/Baltimore.....

...................

Seattlians have a chip OTS.

No parking for REI's downtown store. Nothing safe. Nothing close by. The store borders a NML.

I went into the Applegate {sic} store n had to fight my way out almost throwing a guy off the balcony.

Like Cincinnati ....

On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 3:13:31 PM UTC-6, wrote:
Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

Makes you wonder what Seattle is doing wrong with its bike share program. And the Australian cities. Hopefully someone will study the other cities with successful bike sharing programs and figure out the differences and how to fix them. Is Seattle bike oriented now? Like Portland. Maybe with everyone already riding bikes, the idea of renting a bike does not make sense. My city has a bike sharing of some sort but I have no knowledge of it because I have my own bikes to ride. The lack of bike lanes in the article might be a reason its not successful. As for the Australian cities, is biking popular or even tolerated in Australia? Is everyone on a bike in Australia castigated and murdered by the cars? If so, then its not hard to figure out why bike sharing fails.

Seattle is a big city. It is wet and hilly. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-...es-self-image/

Frank will love this: Seattle's MHL hurt the program. http://bikeportland.org/2016/02/01/p...roblems-173868 That makes sense since most tourists aren't carrying helmets.

-- Jay Beattie.

In Seattle, I carry a helmet, mace and a gas propelled wand

I ask Hungarians where to next n they say SEATTLE WERA GONNA TOUR SEATTLE...
divinity deleted........

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:29:33 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Seattle's bike share system, unlike most such systems world-wide, is
doing quite poorly. The city recently voted to buy the system to keep
it alive.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016...council-votes-
to-rescue-pronto-seattles-bike-share-service

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

It seems that the hills may matter:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-...l-downhill-on-
a-pronto/

I don't know if there are other _hilly_ cities where bike-share programs
have been successful, but the bikes are, as Westneat's column says, heavy
and inadequately geared. There are _lots_ of cyclists in Seattle - but
they've got their own good bikes. The target of the program - people who
don't have their own decent bikes - won't have the strength/endurance/
will/time to deal with the hills.

I wonder how many on the City Council have tried riding these bikes
anywhere. The cost certainly seems high.

On 3/16/2016 8:21 AM, Frank Miles wrote:
On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:29:33 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Seattle's bike share system, unlike most such systems world-wide, is
doing quite poorly. The city recently voted to buy the system to keep
it alive.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016...council-votes-
to-rescue-pronto-seattles-bike-share-service

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

It seems that the hills may matter:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-...l-downhill-on-
a-pronto/

I don't know if there are other _hilly_ cities where bike-share programs
have been successful, but the bikes are, as Westneat's column says, heavy
and inadequately geared.

The bike share bikes are heavily used in San Francisco. But they aren't
for commuting in from the far flung neighborhoods, they're for getting
around the compact, and fairly flat, downtown area and Embarcadero. Lots
can be seen from the Caltrain station to downtown.

The pricing scheme discourages use for longer rides, as is the case in
many cities with bike share schemes. I really enjoyed the bike share in
Dublin Ireland. I wanted to use it in London but it was impractical for
the distances we were going.

Am 16.03.2016 um 16:21 schrieb Frank Miles:

It seems that the hills may matter:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-...l-downhill-on-
a-pronto/

I don't know if there are other _hilly_ cities where bike-share programs
have been successful, but the bikes are, as Westneat's column says, heavy
and inadequately geared.

I believe Paris is a good example - OK the city is not hilly but it
contains a few hills http://globalmoxie.com/blog/velib-bonus~print.shtml.

On 3/16/2016 10:21 AM, Frank Miles wrote:
On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:29:33 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Seattle's bike share system, unlike most such systems world-wide, is
doing quite poorly. The city recently voted to buy the system to keep
it alive.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016...council-votes-
to-rescue-pronto-seattles-bike-share-service

Other big cities with failing bike share systems are Melbourne and
Brisbane in Australia.

It seems that the hills may matter:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-...l-downhill-on-
a-pronto/

I don't know if there are other _hilly_ cities where bike-share programs
have been successful, but the bikes are, as Westneat's column says, heavy
and inadequately geared. There are _lots_ of cyclists in Seattle - but
they've got their own good bikes. The target of the program - people who
don't have their own decent bikes - won't have the strength/endurance/
will/time to deal with the hills.

I wonder how many on the City Council have tried riding these bikes
anywhere. The cost certainly seems high.


You might check back on this program after it gets some data
collected:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...-rides-in.html


--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971