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Good point. I think a great way to address this issue would be to take away a parking spot and place a kiosk there instead of on the sidewalk. Multiply by 400 or so in order to get 4,000 bikes safely and conveniently placed around the city.

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I think we need to stay local. Too many cities have significantly worse budget issues than we do right now, and the discretionary stimulus package grants will be spread throughout the country. Philly would be a great as a bike share city, but they are currently shuttering libraries and closing city pools and rec centers. This is the case in many other metropolitan areas as well, and not many residents are mobile enough to need bike share access for the every other weekend they spend in NYC or wherever, so let's get active in DC first. Just a thought. Great post, David.

I think all of you bike advocates out there need to raise visibility. Check out a smartbike even if it is a total pain in the butt to do so. Hold on to it for 2 hours and 58 minutes; then, return to the kiosk that is always full, call, and ask where the nearest kiosk is. Openly gripe over how far away it is, etc. I am joking, but I do think raising visibility is key. Although I own a good road bike and have no need for the bike share program, I am a subscriber and make an attempt to use it occasionally. Almost every time I've checked it out, I've answered questions from interested passers-by. If every GGW commenter got out and checked out a bike regularly, we'd have an army of more or less intelligent and enthusiastic advocates riding the streets of DC and inadvertantly bumping into curious people who want to know more. What a great way to generate interest!

Just get out, ride the bikes, and have fun! (also, call DDOT!)

by JTS on Mar 6, 2009 3:14 pm • link • report