#1
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. Putting them away for the winter makes it definite that they are strictly for the tourists. As if the lack of facilities for one-way trips hadn't already made that plain. I spoke to a representative of the folks pushing "bike share" at some event last summer, and said "We need to have more racks than bicycles . . . " He truncated my statement after "racks" and launched his canned speech about how we need lots more stations, each shoe-horned absolutely full of very expensive bikes. I'm all for more docking stations, but if they intended this program for transportation, they would get the bikes for the new stations by taking one or two from each of the existing stations, leaving people who want to ride from one station to another a place to park. -- Joy Beeson joy beeson at comcast dot net http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/ |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:50:17 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote: Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. Putting them away for the winter makes it definite that they are strictly for the tourists. As if the lack of facilities for one-way trips hadn't already made that plain. I spoke to a representative of the folks pushing "bike share" at some event last summer, and said "We need to have more racks than bicycles . . . " He truncated my statement after "racks" and launched his canned speech about how we need lots more stations, each shoe-horned absolutely full of very expensive bikes. I'm all for more docking stations, but if they intended this program for transportation, they would get the bikes for the new stations by taking one or two from each of the existing stations, leaving people who want to ride from one station to another a place to park. Does the bike share scheme actually work there? I ask as they seem to have bike share system in Bangkok, at least I pass by a "docking station" on the way to my LBS. But I've never seen anyone actually riding a "share bike". cheers, John B. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On 17/12/2018 6:50 p.m., Joy Beeson wrote:
Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. Putting them away for the winter makes it definite that they are strictly for the tourists. As if the lack of facilities for one-way trips hadn't already made that plain. I spoke to a representative of the folks pushing "bike share" at some event last summer, and said "We need to have more racks than bicycles . . . " He truncated my statement after "racks" and launched his canned speech about how we need lots more stations, each shoe-horned absolutely full of very expensive bikes. I'm all for more docking stations, but if they intended this program for transportation, they would get the bikes for the new stations by taking one or two from each of the existing stations, leaving people who want to ride from one station to another a place to park. The Bixies in Montreal just got picked up for the winter. It was supposed to have been a pretty successful year. T I guess with the amount of snow here the logistics of maintaining them is an issue but there are certainly less people on bikes here once the snow starts. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On 17/12/2018 9:28 p.m., John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:50:17 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. Putting them away for the winter makes it definite that they are strictly for the tourists. As if the lack of facilities for one-way trips hadn't already made that plain. I spoke to a representative of the folks pushing "bike share" at some event last summer, and said "We need to have more racks than bicycles . . . " He truncated my statement after "racks" and launched his canned speech about how we need lots more stations, each shoe-horned absolutely full of very expensive bikes. I'm all for more docking stations, but if they intended this program for transportation, they would get the bikes for the new stations by taking one or two from each of the existing stations, leaving people who want to ride from one station to another a place to park. Does the bike share scheme actually work there? I ask as they seem to have bike share system in Bangkok, at least I pass by a "docking station" on the way to my LBS. But I've never seen anyone actually riding a "share bike". In Montreal they are everywhere. The question was always whether they made money. Even with heavy usage they had problems with that but I think it was more mismanagement than anything else. It looks like they are finally paying for themselves. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On Tue, 18 Dec 2018 12:13:41 -0500, Duane
wrote: On 17/12/2018 9:28 p.m., John B. Slocomb wrote: On Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:50:17 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. Putting them away for the winter makes it definite that they are strictly for the tourists. As if the lack of facilities for one-way trips hadn't already made that plain. I spoke to a representative of the folks pushing "bike share" at some event last summer, and said "We need to have more racks than bicycles . . . " He truncated my statement after "racks" and launched his canned speech about how we need lots more stations, each shoe-horned absolutely full of very expensive bikes. I'm all for more docking stations, but if they intended this program for transportation, they would get the bikes for the new stations by taking one or two from each of the existing stations, leaving people who want to ride from one station to another a place to park. Does the bike share scheme actually work there? I ask as they seem to have bike share system in Bangkok, at least I pass by a "docking station" on the way to my LBS. But I've never seen anyone actually riding a "share bike". In Montreal they are everywhere. The question was always whether they made money. Even with heavy usage they had problems with that but I think it was more mismanagement than anything else. It looks like they are finally paying for themselves. I suspect that the reason that they aren't as popular here is that they seem to be intended for use by tourists. Given that the traffic in "down town" Bangkok is really chaotic and it is HOT here the tourists are probably happier riding the air conditioned elevated railroad and underground subway :-) cheers, John B. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:50:17 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote: Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. I passed the Winona station today. Three of the docks were empty -- the most empty docks I've taken note of. Probably about ten docks total. I passed the library, but forgot to check the station. (I came in from Main street on foot, and turned away from the station to continue on Main when I left.) Perhaps the person who wrote the press release thought it would be printed later than it was. Now I can't find the article. I was sure it was on page two. Ah, page 3A, under a headline saying that the device-tax disaster has been postponed five more years. --------------- BIKE PROGRAM UPDATS - The first year of the Warsaw + Winona Lake Bike Share program has concluded. The 20 bikes used in the Zagster.com-based community bicycle program were scheduled to be picked up and stored this weekend. In its first year, the program attracted 650 users, according to information supplied by the city. Zimmer Biomet is sponsoring the bike program, which has four stations. --------------- Um . . . though I've never counted them, there are definitely more than five bikes at each station. Well, the three I've seen; I haven't been out to the industrial park. Note that it doesn't say whether 650 people signed up, or 650 rides were taken. I did see someone on a Zagster bike last summer; I've also seen them parked, usually near a bike-promoting booth at a festival. -- Joy Beeson joy beeson at comcast dot net http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/ |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On 18/12/2018 11:45 p.m., Joy Beeson wrote:
On Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:50:17 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: Saturday's Times-Union says that the "Bike Share" bikes were scheduled to be picked and stored this weekend. They were still in the rack when I last passed by, but I don't think I came that way yesterday. I passed the Winona station today. Three of the docks were empty -- the most empty docks I've taken note of. Probably about ten docks total. I passed the library, but forgot to check the station. (I came in from Main street on foot, and turned away from the station to continue on Main when I left.) Perhaps the person who wrote the press release thought it would be printed later than it was. Now I can't find the article. I was sure it was on page two. Ah, page 3A, under a headline saying that the device-tax disaster has been postponed five more years. --------------- BIKE PROGRAM UPDATS - The first year of the Warsaw + Winona Lake Bike Share program has concluded. The 20 bikes used in the Zagster.com-based community bicycle program were scheduled to be picked up and stored this weekend. In its first year, the program attracted 650 users, according to information supplied by the city. Zimmer Biomet is sponsoring the bike program, which has four stations. --------------- Um . . . though I've never counted them, there are definitely more than five bikes at each station. Well, the three I've seen; I haven't been out to the industrial park. Note that it doesn't say whether 650 people signed up, or 650 rides were taken. I did see someone on a Zagster bike last summer; I've also seen them parked, usually near a bike-promoting booth at a festival. The Bixie project in Montreal is much larger. This is one of the English links that I could find: https://www.mironline.ca/a-review-of...e-in-montreal/ One thing that impresses me is that some of the areas with the highest usage are quite hilly. Their popular with students though. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Zagster
On Tue, 18 Dec 2018 23:45:50 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote: I passed the Winona station today. Three of the docks were empty -- the most empty docks I've taken note of. Probably about ten docks total. Passed again today, and the bikes had been picked up. And then the dime dropped: the press release referred to the two stations in Warsaw: twenty bikes. Sometimes it's hard to remember that these are two separate towns. The eastern shore of Eagle Lake was a long way from Warsaw when the Byer brothers started Spring Fountain Park as a place for people from Chicago to get out of the heat. The train stopped on the overpass to let the Boys Club get off and walk to what is now the mountain-bike trails, so they wouldn't have to be trucked all the way from the Warsaw depot. And now it's hard to tell where one town begins and the other leaves off; the entire shore of what is now Winona Lake belongs to one town or the other. ---------- No telling when "today" was. Most likely Friday. -- Joy Beeson joy beeson at comcast dot net http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/ |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|