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Just scanned other posts - seem to have a lag on mine from UK - Love the idea of calling the DC Bikes Dixi the colour scheme of grey is a step in the right direction.

Think the link with WMATA needs to develop more thes bikes ARE public transport.

Good thinking to deliver a small scheme in a concentrated area to get required density of bikes & hire points

For commuter use you need a different model which can use the same bikes BUT a charging system that allows the commuter to take a bike to work for the whole day. RfL and the Canadian taxpayer are propping up the cost of using vans to move bikes around where the massive tidal flow of commuters - especially from Waterloo Station (handling 4 times as many passengers per day as Heathrow Airport on a fraction of the land take and in the centre of the city)

If you have a bike sharing system and it has heavy tidal use you will need twice as many docking points as you have bikes in circulation - for a general mixed flow patter you only need around 50% more docking points.

OV Fiets model resolves this but as with Montpelier you can have the same bikes operating with different tariffs for different users. The other system - operated manually at present is the Brompton Dock which launches automated operation next month with 2 rail companies. Here a single docking point can support 2-4 bikes on hire, because the users keep the bike with them in the office or apartment when not using it and take it on board buses trains and taxis (or in their car to park out of town and cycle in).

The Arlington scheme might get additional funding through the advertising route but through the operator offering branding and docking point opportunities - either directly or through an agency. Copenhagen bikes have had core funding for maintenance for 15 years through selling the branding oin their bikes - the original being the red Coca Cola style. NB the White House may still have the presentation bike in 'Ground Force 1' colours. Maybe the President needs a fleet of Presidential Bixi's for getting around the Capital?

by Dave Holladay on May 23, 2011 6:09 am • link • report