Public Bikes

flyingdutch Wrote:
they been trying. the 'helmet' thing apparently has been a stumbling
block according to JCD gal sprooking it. pity...
noted even the city rep, rode off without a helmet... seems that at the
pace they can ride and in an area that is max speed 30klm per hour, the
helmet isnt on the agenda in Lyon., wouldnt be hard to have a helmet
box on the back and an IR device similar to an airport kiddie alarm, (
kid wanders off from mom/dad more than 10 feet alarm goes off and cant
be turned off until back in range)... I guess the head nits thing could
be an issue, but a replaceable liner would do it....like a toot seat
liner in a fabric that is sanitised and slips on to velcro like
patches... ( hmmm where does it end?)


--
rooman

rooman wrote:

flyingdutch Wrote:
they been trying. the 'helmet' thing apparently has been a stumbling
block according to JCD gal sprooking it. pity...
noted even the city rep, rode off without a helmet... seems that at the
pace they can ride and in an area that is max speed 30klm per hour, the
helmet isnt on the agenda in Lyon., wouldnt be hard to have a helmet
box on the back and an IR device similar to an airport kiddie alarm, (
kid wanders off from mom/dad more than 10 feet alarm goes off and cant
be turned off until back in range)... I guess the head nits thing could
be an issue, but a replaceable liner would do it....like a toot seat
liner in a fabric that is sanitised and slips on to velcro like
patches... ( hmmm where does it end?)

Ew - not even with a liner, thanks.
I wonder if inflatable bike helmets would be a goer. Seriously.
They'd have to be standards compliant of course, maybe a thick
heavy duty rubber shell with kevlar reinforcing at critical points,
and adequate ventilation. Probably would be heavier than
styrofoam, but less bulky and would fit in a bum bag when
deflated.
I'd buy one.

--
beerwolf (remove numbers from email address)

"beerwolf" wrote in message
...
rooman wrote:

flyingdutch Wrote:
they been trying. the 'helmet' thing apparently has been a stumbling
block according to JCD gal sprooking it. pity...
noted even the city rep, rode off without a helmet... seems that at the
pace they can ride and in an area that is max speed 30klm per hour, the
helmet isnt on the agenda in Lyon., wouldnt be hard to have a helmet
box on the back and an IR device similar to an airport kiddie alarm, (
kid wanders off from mom/dad more than 10 feet alarm goes off and cant
be turned off until back in range)... I guess the head nits thing could
be an issue, but a replaceable liner would do it....like a toot seat
liner in a fabric that is sanitised and slips on to velcro like
patches... ( hmmm where does it end?)

Ew - not even with a liner, thanks.
I wonder if inflatable bike helmets would be a goer. Seriously.
They'd have to be standards compliant of course, maybe a thick
heavy duty rubber shell with kevlar reinforcing at critical points,
and adequate ventilation. Probably would be heavier than
styrofoam, but less bulky and would fit in a bum bag when
deflated.
I'd buy one.

Then there'd be the triathlon ones which are a hydrodynamic sleek thing when
deflated to help you cut through the water and which then inflate in a
fraction of a second in the transition with a CO2 canister.

*patents*

"Resound" wrote in message
...

"beerwolf" wrote in message
...
rooman wrote:

flyingdutch Wrote:
they been trying. the 'helmet' thing apparently has been a stumbling
block according to JCD gal sprooking it. pity...
noted even the city rep, rode off without a helmet... seems that at the
pace they can ride and in an area that is max speed 30klm per hour, the
helmet isnt on the agenda in Lyon., wouldnt be hard to have a helmet
box on the back and an IR device similar to an airport kiddie alarm, (
kid wanders off from mom/dad more than 10 feet alarm goes off and cant
be turned off until back in range)... I guess the head nits thing could
be an issue, but a replaceable liner would do it....like a toot seat
liner in a fabric that is sanitised and slips on to velcro like
patches... ( hmmm where does it end?)

Ew - not even with a liner, thanks.
I wonder if inflatable bike helmets would be a goer. Seriously.
They'd have to be standards compliant of course, maybe a thick
heavy duty rubber shell with kevlar reinforcing at critical points,
and adequate ventilation. Probably would be heavier than
styrofoam, but less bulky and would fit in a bum bag when
deflated.
I'd buy one.

Then there'd be the triathlon ones which are a hydrodynamic sleek thing
when deflated to help you cut through the water and which then inflate in
a fraction of a second in the transition with a CO2 canister.

*patents*


Due to helmet laws here it looks like JCDecaux can just keep on with
blocking the footpaths with their monster bus stop advertising panels and
forget about supplying free bikes. Why they cant put a few holes for
visibilty in those end panels or make them smaller I dont know. Makes
cycling on footpaths dangerous (for the kids of course, not me, mostly).

Maybe if free bikes were provided for use only in an area of lower speeds,
say 30 K like in Lyons CBD, the helmet law could be suspended.

fb in sunny sydknee

Fractal wrote:

Maybe if free bikes were provided for use only in an area of lower speeds,
say 30 K like in Lyons CBD, the helmet law could be suspended.

By the look of the bikes in the Lyons documentary, you'd be pushing
it to do 30K on a slight downhill with a tailwind.

--
beerwolf (remove numbers from email address)

Fractal wrote:
Due to helmet laws here it looks like JCDecaux can just keep on with
blocking the footpaths with their monster bus stop advertising panels and
forget about supplying free bikes. Why they cant put a few holes for
visibilty in those end panels or make them smaller I dont know. Makes
cycling on footpaths dangerous (for the kids of course, not me, mostly).

Those monster bus stops with intrusive advertising panels are
proliferating in Brisbane, from a company called Adshell, otherwise
known as AdsHell. They plonk them wherever, with no regard to ped and
(legal) bike lines. The Briz city council is well aware of the problems
and battles with the company over it, so we are told. The upside is the
company bears the horrific cost of maintaining bus shelters, that our
bogan element so loves to trash.

If you haven't got AdsHell yet, they are coming to your town. Make sure
your council's contract is watertight on site approval and
specification - they could do well to learn from Brisbane's mistakes.

Donga

Dateline Transcript - Archives - September 13, 2006

Lyon: Velov City
Next up Dateline is in France to take a look at an intriguing
collaboration between private enterprise and the city of Lyon, where
the aim is to reduce car use and promote the humble bicycle as the
vehicle of choice. Ginny Stein reports that the innovative scheme is
working like a charm.

REPORTER: Ginny Stein

In France's second-largest city of Lyon, a decades-old idea has been
recycled - a public bicycle program that has moved into top gear with
the aid of modern technology.

MAN1 (Translation): For instance, here, in Lyon, you do not need to
have a bike, you can go anywhere and get a bike. You do not have to
worry about bike maintenance, you hire one and return it.

DR SIMON CHAPMAN, PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH, SYDNEY UNIVERSITY: It is
just fabulous. Every now and then you will come down and there will be
an empty lot, they have all gone. Occasionally you will come down and
there will be broken ones there, which is a little frustrating, but the
frustration usually only lasts about five minutes, until someone brings
another one back.

And the city council is claiming that its public bicycle scheme, called
Velo'v, is doing more than getting people moving. It is also led to a
reduction in car traffic.

GILLES VESCO, LYON COUNCIL: Already, in 2005, the car traffic growth
has stopped and now we are scratching, little by little, 10% of the car
traffic, thanks to Velo'v. That is a great achievement.

The idea of public bikes dates back to the '60s in the European cities
of Amsterdam and Copenhagen and has since popped up elsewhere, but with
limited success as too many bikes went missing.

JACQUES LE GARS, JC DECAUX, MANAGER NEW TECHNOLOGIES: If you want to
use a bicycle, you just touch here, then you key in your PIN number.
This is a simulation. Then the system is proposing a bicycle so you
select your bicycle and that is it. I selected bike number one, so then
I have a couple of seconds to activate bike selection. And that�s
it.

Jacques Le Gars helped design the system. He says that as each user is
identified through their PIN number, there is a strong incentive to
return the bikes in good condition.

JACQUES LE GARS: With this agreement with the banks, if the bike is not
properly given back or if it is damaged, we have the possibility to take
the deposit. So we have that agreement with the bank that in case of
problem, the deposit issue is solved.

REPORTER: How much is the deposit?

JACQUES LE GARS: �150.

REPORTER: It would not cover the cost of the bike.

JACQUES LE GARS: No. It is just a dissuasion issue really. But it works
very well.

A pre-paid card, which costs less than a couple of dollars, allows free
rental for the first half-hour. After that, it costs about a dollar an
hour. Almost 90% of all journeys are less than 30 minutes, so it is
basically a free ride.

STUDENT: I think it is very, very good. I bought a card for a longer
time, which a lasts one year, for �10, and it is very good,
especially for students because we don't have a lot of money.

And this is how the system is tracked. Each bike has an on-board
computer.

ANTHONIN DARBON, JC DECAUX, VP CYCOLCITY (Translation): Here you insert
a microchip card, which is the bike's "Medicare card" and ID card. Hire
details are encoded on this card. When the bike is returned, the card
can show us if there are any problems. For instance, it can tell us if
the lights don�t work properly or if there is a problem with the
brakes. When the bikes are returned, it is this gentleman�s job
to make sure that the card works properlyand all the bike�s
parts are in good order.

There are now more than 2,500 bikes currently in use, with plans to
increase that number to 4,000 by next year. Across the city centre,
bike bays are positioned within 100m of each other. Visiting Australian
public health specialist Professor Simon Chapman signed up when he
arrived in Lyon. He says the rewards for individuals and the community
as a whole are even greater than what is immediately apparent.

DR SIMON CHAPMAN: Obviously I am getting more exercise than I would
otherwise get, I'm seeing parts of the town - so my mental health is
improving - I might not have ever seen before. There is a certain
conviviality amongst Velo'v riders as well. We sort of give each other
a bit of a nod as we go past. It is a bit of a communal thing.

The scheme came about as part of a commercial deal with an outdoor
advertising company. For the right to display their billboards across
the city, JC Decaux now runs the bike scheme it created.

JACQUES LE GARS: As in any tender, it is a full package. So in that
package there were several dimensions. We had to offer, of course, bus
shelters. We had to offer some other, companion products to bus
shelters. We had to offer 2,000 bicycles, 200 bike stations, a server
and all the maintenance for a long-term duration. And we hoped, of
course, if our calculations are correct that the advertising revenues
were going to be at the same level and the expenses linked to that.

One year on, the Lyon city council is basking in the scheme's success.
They get a well-run public bike scheme for nothing and it has been a
clear vote winner. For the advertising company that pays for and runs
the scheme, they get exclusive access to public billboards across the
city. Every day in Lyon, bikers make an average of 25,000 trips
throughout the city. The collective distance pedalled is more than
40,000 kilometres, which is greater than the circumference of the
Earth.
High usage means high maintenance. This is where dead bikes come to be
brought back to life. More than 60 bikes are repaired at this workshop
each day.

ANTHONIN DARBON (Translation): You wanted to know what was the biggest
problem we had with our Velo�v, it is the wheels. A bike can be
returned to us in this sorry state.

Mobile repair teams are directed by text messages to individual bays
across the city to pick up bikes for repair.

MAN (Translation): Personally, when I see bikes in that state, I feel
sad, because these bikes are for everybody and to see the way
they�ve been mishandled makes me feel a bit sad. It�s the
other users who suffer.

City councillor Gilles Vesco is also a keen advocate and user of the
system. He says the program has exceeded all expectations but the
council has worked hard on creating the conditions for it to succeed.

GILLES VESCO: We doubled the number of the stations to put the bike
really at the disposal of the public - at almost every corner of the
city. So,you know, that's push-and-pull strategy. We push the product
to the people and then we create bike tracks and bike lanes. And we
created 30km/h zones for districts in the core city centre of Lyon.
30km/h zones, so when you lower the speed you improve cohabitation.

And for the outdoor advertising company that is behind it all, Lyon is
just the beginning. The Belgian capital, Brussels, has already signed
up for a similar deal and bids are currently being considered for
Paris.

JACQUES LE GARS: The Lyon phenomenon really brought a lot of big cities
visiting Lyon just to understand what was happening there. Most of the
big cities in the world, in Europe and in the United States, are very,
very interested in this project. So it will be a matter of time but
presumably in five years time it will be quite common to have that kind
of program in most of the major cities throughout the world.

GILLES VESCO: So you only need to press the brakes and the base frees
the bike and then you can go. OK, bye-bye. See you later.





Reporter/Camera
GINNY STEIN

Editor
DAVID POTTS

Fixer
JONATHON WALTER

Subtitling
MICHELLE ROGER



Related Links
- V�lo'v Grand Lyon : http://www.velov.grandlyon.com/


--
cfsmtb

cfsmtb Wrote:
Dateline Transcript - Archives - September 13, 2006

Lyon: Velov City
Next up Dateline is in France to take a look at an intriguing
collaboration between private enterprise and the city of Lyon, where
the aim is to reduce car use and promote the humble bicycle as the
vehicle of choice. Ginny Stein reports that the innovative scheme is
working like a charm.

REPORTER: Ginny Stein.....snipss

yeah, shame the small minded VicRoads/TAC/BV etc have a limited attitude
to Nannystate helmet requirements....

I honestly think if Melb City Council go ahead with 40klmph inner city
limit for all vehicles this can work..Lyon has a 30klmph speed limit
and great open areas, like Melbourne, these bikes are convenience
bikes, not race/commute machines and that is the secret for their
popularity and success in Lyon, flexible personal transport options far
less demanding on infrastructure than taxis, buses and trams....

we live in hope that personal responsibility and voluntary assumption
of risk, can be balanced with common sense and responsible user
behaviour...

I live in hope.... the bogan factor is my worry for stopping Melbourne
ever being a less regulated place.


--
rooman

rooman Wrote:
yeah, shame the small minded VicRoads/TAC/BV etc have a limited attitude
to Nannystate helmet requirements....

I honestly think if Melb City Council go ahead with 40klmph inner city
limit for all vehicles this can work..

SNIP

the bogan factor is my worry for stopping Melbourne ever being a less
regulated place.
The 40kmh limits on Swan St and Bridge Rd (from Church St to Punt Rd)
don't seem to have made much difference - everyone ignores it. I have
been tooted in a car for driving too slow even though I was over that
limit.

It's a pity initiatives like that are not followed up with enforcement.
Or even use those portable speed detection signs to flash "10 KMH over
limit" to the law breakers.


--
sinus

sinus Wrote:
The 40kmh limits on Swan St and Bridge Rd (from Church St to Punt Rd)
don't seem to have made much difference - everyone ignores it. I have
been tooted in a car for driving too slow even though I was over that
limit.

It's a pity initiatives like that are not followed up with enforcement.
Or even use those portable speed detection signs to flash "10 KMH over
limit" to the law breakers.(Utopian statements follow

Melbourne, like most Australian cities/town, has suffered from history
with roads through shops being arterial & feeder routes to other
places...and with councils trying to preserve local shopping amenity by
adding kerb side parking through these places, plus trams and through
traffic, it doesnt work, leading to drivers sitting up your tail and
squeezing up inside lanes, etc... the car has a lot to answer for... it
drives anti social behaviour, dissociates people and communities,
consumes, pollutes air, earth and minds....(hmmm soapbox)

some roads could be well suited to permanent no parking (Punt Road from
St Kilda Rd to the Yarra-both ways)... but less cars would be my
preferred solution then in these locations all people movements can be
at human pace/concepts...just by closing selected streets to cars
altogether, just have pedestrians, and trams..(Swan Street between
Church and Punt..poifect, Sydney Rd, up Brusnwick and Coberg way, Lygon
Street, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy St StKilda, Victoria St from the the
River to Punt..Poifect....
All CBD Streets yep....ALL... poifect.... Chapel Street..no
cars...sorry rev heads...no opportunity to booom booom.....but, as a
result all city goers using Pub Transport properly, they would walk
more, and just might get a little (make that-a lot) fitter, and access
for deliveries will be just like they were years ago, small carts and
bikes....a new service opportuity for many...

I lived in Lamma Island in HK in the late 90s, no cars... just
pedestrians, bikes and some small motorised carts that were about 6
feet long and 18 inches wide, they carried all building materials,
deliveries, they were even the Police , Ambulance and Fire vehicles, it
just works.... and the sense of community from that simple no car thing
is amazing...

Cities like Curitiba in Brasil have done this,(
http://www.solutions-site.org/artman...ticle_62.shtml) they
planned alternatives for commuting traffic and left larger open spaces
in key areas car free...they refused to build an underground rail, when
a simple surface solution existed by improving the bus system and
removing cars from key streets...

Perhaps this is the future anyway....hmmm not perhaps...it will
be!!...*why wait*

(end utopian rant)


--
rooman