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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,563 posts, read 81,131,933 times
Reputation: 57767
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCforever
They seem pretty popular
Seattleites have taken to dockless bike sharing like nowhere else in the country. Not only does Seattle have nearly a quarter of all the nation's dockless bikes, its bikes get three times the usage of those elsewhere in the US. More than 350,000 riders have covered more than a million miles in the scheme's first five months, and 74 percent of the city is in favor of them, according to a transportation department survey. Three-quarters of rides are being used to access public transit, helping to fill in the gaps left by those established systems.
The article talked about the success in the first five months, but that was in the summer and fall. Red on to lower in the piece and you will see this:
"The thousands of new bikes in circulation inevitably led to conflict with residents. According to the feedback collected by Seattle's transportation department, car owners are blaming shared bikes for scraping their vehicles. Residents are peeved that unsightly bikes are clogging up sidewalks, parks, and driveways, making the streets less navigable for pedestrians and annoying local businesses. Vandals have been systematically cutting brake cables of bikes from all three companies. Some activists are now trying to oust the bike companies.
Dockless bike share was meant to be the opposite of Uber—green, healthy, equitable, and affordable. But as 10,000 new bikes sprawl over the city, Seattle's latest transport revolution is pitting residents against each other, with the programs' fans and foes arguing over its effect on the city. Seattle residents want access to bikes, that much is clear—but couldn't the bikes be just a little less annoying?"
[quote=Hemlock140;53731157] But as 10,000 new bikes sprawl over the city.....quote]
So many of our problems are problems simply because of the numbers involved-- a couple drinking straws, an occasional plastic shopping bag, a few balloons etc ect have no impact on anything, but when a million of one thing or another is involved, it can become a headache.
Bikes don't make sense on a farm. They don't make sense in a large metro area where they're in the way. They do make sense in those mid-sized burgs where travel distances are not too great and population density is not too high. Goldilocks.
A Fact of Life routinely ignored by the Libs is that one size almost never fits all.
One thing I don't understand about these ride-share, free bikes things is that a bike is pretty cheap. If you're inclined to ever use one, just buy one. Look at all the people in big cities who buy a $30G car, pay $1G/yr for insurance and a fortune for parking but then let it sit idle most of the time while considering $50 for a used bike a waste of money if it's only occasionally used. ???
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,563 posts, read 81,131,933 times
Reputation: 57767
[quote=guidoLaMoto;53732291]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
But as 10,000 new bikes sprawl over the city.....quote]
So many of our problems are problems simply because of the numbers involved-- a couple drinking straws, an occasional plastic shopping bag, a few balloons etc ect have no impact on anything, but when a million of one thing or another is involved, it can become a headache.
Bikes don't make sense on a farm. They don't make sense in a large metro area where they're in the way. They do make sense in those mid-sized burgs where travel distances are not too great and population density is not too high. Goldilocks.
A Fact of Life routinely ignored by the Libs is that one size almost never fits all.
One thing I don't understand about these ride-share, free bikes things is that a bike is pretty cheap. If you're inclined to ever use one, just buy one. Look at all the people in big cities who buy a $30G car, pay $1G/yr for insurance and a fortune for parking but then let it sit idle most of the time while considering $50 for a used bike a waste of money if it's only occasionally used. ???
They are actually not free, making your argument for buying a bike even more sensible. Limebike raised their rates to $1 to unlock and 5 cents a minute when the competitors Ofo and Spin refused to pay the higher permitting fees to the City, packed up their bikes and left town.
We saw tons of these bikes littered around a San Diego suburb last month. The main thing we noticed was that the bikes were blocking the handicapped ramps on the sidewalk corners. So now we have good intentions conflicting, not to mention blocking the sidewalks for people who are just walking.
As for rural and suburban residents flocking to cities? Not going to happen. We like our cleaner air, trees and more open spaces.
The article talked about the success in the first five months, but that was in the summer and fall. Red on to lower in the piece and you will see this:
"The thousands of new bikes in circulation inevitably led to conflict with residents. According to the feedback collected by Seattle's transportation department, car owners are blaming shared bikes for scraping their vehicles. Residents are peeved that unsightly bikes are clogging up sidewalks, parks, and driveways, making the streets less navigable for pedestrians and annoying local businesses. Vandals have been systematically cutting brake cables of bikes from all three companies. Some activists are now trying to oust the bike companies.
Dockless bike share was meant to be the opposite of Uber—green, healthy, equitable, and affordable. But as 10,000 new bikes sprawl over the city, Seattle's latest transport revolution is pitting residents against each other, with the programs' fans and foes arguing over its effect on the city. Seattle residents want access to bikes, that much is clear—but couldn't the bikes be just a little less annoying?"
So some people in Seattle are not happy with bikes. That's a BFD in my opinion.
Million dollar bike paths, buses, scooters, bicycles, trains, anything except cars. Where are we going with this? I am not trolling. It's a serious question. There are countries where these ideas have been tried. Is this what we want?
There are cars in that picture. What are you talking about?
I don't disagree with your characterization but citieis can never absorb all of the suburbs and rural population. Yes, rental bikes are "everywhere" but you see them out of the window of the car you're in. It may work for a sliver of population living in some tropical paradise living a mile from work.
Tropical paradise? Like Copenhagen?
41% of all commutes to work, trips to school, errands, etc. are done by bike in Copenhagen.
This would really suck big time in Minneapolis in the winter.
There's no such thing as bad weather-- only the wrong clothes.
A few years ago, I was fueling up my MC, bundled up pretty well as it was Dec. in Chicago and temp was ~30deg. A guy was fueling up his pick up on the other side of the pump. "Pretty cold for that today??" he asked rhetorically. I looked at his trailer with two snowmobiles on it. I gave him one of those one-eyebrow-raised looks,,"At least I don't have snow blowing in my face as I ride."
But you are right-- it's not the temps that limit 2-wheeling in winter-- it's the ice on the roads. One might argue that you 2-wheel when you can, then use the car when you have to-- but that means maintaining a car with more down time-- even more inefficient.
Cities have gotten too big--often very difficult to live near work & recreational areas simultaneously where foot & bike without car is convenient.
If you read the Sherlock Holmes stories set in 1890s London & surrounding countryside, those two guys do a heckuvalot of walking-- 1-2 mile hikes is routine and they don't seem to think it's any kind of a hardship.
Don't be silly, of course cities can absorb the rural and suburban populations. US cities, even New York, are relatively small by international standards.
In DC our official bike company averages about 10 thousand bike trips a day. That's more than a sliver and certainly not in a tropical paradise. People use the bikes to commute to work in downtown DC.
Yes, but would they want to move to the city? Or, said another way, what will motivate them to? Price them out? Laws? The barrel of a gun?
I can see a potential good of bikes when it comes to food shopping in that, if you have to carry what you buy on your back, in saddle bags, or on a trailer, will it force for there to be far less packaging around the food?
Of course, one has to be leaning toward raw goods in the first place......and are city dwellers like that? That is one thing I have in the past and now try to do in the present when I grocery shop, to make one major trip a month, to have a pantry full so I eat off that, so I don't respond to comfort food impulses. As such, I load up the Forester on that trip, perhaps make a few stops, at HEB for most of my food, Wally World for day old bread (goes in freezer), perhaps some wine shopping.
Being conservative, economical, for trips into town do cost fuel and money. Will going to bike, Uber, subway force people not to be so economical since they can't combine trips anymore?
It can go both ways.
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