Bike Sharing

Anyone who claims that bike-sharing is a European-style transportation innovation has clearly never set foot in Hangzhou, China. The 50,000-bike system in this southern China city of almost 7 million people (about 1.5 million people fewer than New York City) blows all other bike-shares off the map. As Bradley Schroeder of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy said, "I don't think there is anywhere you can stand in Hangzhou for more than a minute or two where you wouldn't have a Hangzhou Public Bike go past you."

BikeTalk this Saturday featured an extended discussion about the technicalities, challenges, and beauties of a bike share programs. On the show we had Phil Brock, Santa Monica Parks and Rec commissioner, Ryan Rzepecki from with Social Bike, who are developing the intelligent locking system which can operate independently of return stations, Todd Loewenstein, Co-owner of Baiku Bikes, who will roll out a few stations in Manhattan Beach soon. Todd shared a lot of insight into the economics of these systems proposed a system of 12 criteria for a successful system. Also participating was Michael Cahn from Sustainable Streets, who raised some questions about the costs and specific benefits of these systems, and Andrea White from Long Beach Bike Station.

The early data is in on one of the country's pioneering bike-sharing systems, and it brings some encouraging news.

A fantastic new visualization of 16 bike-share systems around the world lets you see how people are using public bikes from London to Melbourne. You can watch animated graphics, for example, of bikes getting picked up in one part of town and dropped off in another during rush hour. The site, created by Oliver O'Brien, a researcher at University College London, also lets you compare bike-share usage from city to city.

Comrades,

Earth Day is coming around the bend, and cities are timing their new green initiatives to coincide with the public’s heightened eco-consciousness. Here’s one we’re partial to: In Denver, Mayor John Hickenlooper and city leaders are using the occasion to launch their 500-bicycle, 50-station bike-share system. It will be the largest bike-share system in the … Continued

The City Council met today and discussed two cycling related issues.  The first was the ongoing discussion of whether or not the city should have a bike sharing program.  Second, the Council debated how to create an ordinance that would better protect cyclists from harassment.

When Streetsblog spoke with Councilman Bill Rosendahl about his priorities as Transportation Committee Chair, he promised a number of sweeping changes and regular "bike themed" committee hearings.  Next week he is going to make good on some of his projects when he chairs his first "bike-only" City Council Transportation Hearing.  You can read the full agenda here, or just read on as we'll preview each issue that will be discussed.