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Seattle has 22 percent of the country’s bikeshare bikes

Started by bing101, June 14, 2018, 08:37:33 PM

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bing101

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/commuter/article/seattle-22-percent-bikeshare-limebike-spin-scooter-12975883.php
Here is an interesting study though in the Bikeshare study though.
QuoteThere were 10,000 dockless bike share bikes scattered across Seattle at the end of 2017, nearly a quarter of all units nationwide.
That was one of the findings in a new study of Seattle's bike sharing program released Monday by the Seattle Department of Transportation. It comes as the city is determining long-term regulations for dockless bike sharing companies. The study found that the 10,000 bikes from Spin, LimeBike, and Ofo were ridden 468,000 times from July 2017 to the end of the year.
   The study underscores the rapid growth of bike sharing in Seattle and the city's status of a nationwide proving ground for the concept. The program only kicked off last summer, when the city granted permits to Spin and LimeBike starting with 500 bikes a piece, a threshold that was increased later in the year. In August, Chinese bike share company Ofo jumped into the fray.
     The excitement over bike sharing has spilled over into new programs for shareable electric scooters, which have been deployed in San Francisco and Southern California, to mixed reviews, but they are not yet sanctioned in Seattle. The city is reportedly waiting to consider the issue of permitting for electric-scooter sharing until determining the long-term plan for the related bike-sharing initiatives now operating under a pilot program.


Bruce

The bikeshare bikes are great, though I've not had to pay a single cent thanks to the generous promotions and free codes that they give out. They definitely aren't turning an operating profit, but are reaping it from venture capital.

There's been a spate of bicycles with their brakes cut off (which poses a potentially fatal danger to road users), so there's definitely room for improvement. I'd like to see bikes that activate loud alarms when their lines are cut or the lock is tampered with, just to dissuade the petty thieves and vandals.

The bikeshare bikes are also rarely redistributed, despite the city's guidelines...the tops of most hills are deserted of bicycles during the mid-morning hours, because they've all been taken downhill. This needs to be fixed, possibly with the help of a bike-carrying bike.

english si

Quote from: Bruce on June 17, 2018, 01:32:23 AMThis needs to be fixed, possibly with the help of a bike-carrying bike.
Vans are the way every developed-world city with bikeshare does this - one employee can move multiple bikes in one trip, and doesn't have to carry them the whole way.

Max Rockatansky

I thought that was pretty cool to see in downtown Seattle, I don't remember the green biked everywhere in 2015.  That said I found it was way easier just to park my car and walk versus having to follow vehicular traffic on a bike.   

Bruce

Quote from: english si on June 17, 2018, 08:41:50 AM
Quote from: Bruce on June 17, 2018, 01:32:23 AMThis needs to be fixed, possibly with the help of a bike-carrying bike.
Vans are the way every developed-world city with bikeshare does this - one employee can move multiple bikes in one trip, and doesn't have to carry them the whole way.

The bikeshare companies do use vans, but they're often caught in traffic and aren't able to redistribute in time. There's a few bike rental companies here that use bicycles to transport other bicycles, like this:


Bruce

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2018, 10:10:57 AM
I thought that was pretty cool to see in downtown Seattle, I don't remember the green biked everywhere in 2015.  That said I found it was way easier just to park my car and walk versus having to follow vehicular traffic on a bike.   

They were introduced in 2017, as a replacement for the city-run dock-only bikeshare that was folded because of its lack of popularity. The lower fare, ability to park anywhere, and generally better equipment (even if vandalized/damaged) made it a huge hit.

Bicycling is definitely at its fastest during peak hours, but slower at other times. I only use the bikeshare for multi-trip stops that I would otherwise take the bus for, or to bypass traffic while heading downhill.

TEG24601

I find it funny, that Seattle has so many bikeshare bikes, when, unless you are a seasoned cyclist with proper equipment, Seattle is about the worst place to bike, unless you only intend to travel N/S or down hill.
They said take a left at the fork in the road.  I didn't think they literally meant a fork, until plain as day, there was a fork sticking out of the road at a junction.

jakeroot

Quote from: TEG24601 on June 17, 2018, 05:39:59 PM
I find it funny, that Seattle has so many bikeshare bikes, when, unless you are a seasoned cyclist with proper equipment, Seattle is about the worst place to bike, unless you only intend to travel N/S or down hill.

What goes up...must come down. This is what makes Seattle an interesting place to ride. Part of each ride can be rather grueling, but other parts can be almost too easy (downhill, no pedaling). Round trip elevation changes are nil, so overall, you're not working any harder in Seattle than in places like Holland. Riding from downtown to First Hill ain't fun, sure. But coming back, it's the total opposite!



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