This is fun!

by Chris S on Mar 7, 2009 11:06 am • link • report

How about some sort of partnership with Zipcar? Having the ability to go from a rented bike quickly into a rented car without separate passes, signups etc would be great..

by C on Mar 7, 2009 12:27 pm • link • report

"where would we put 625 bike sharing stations?"

Another relevant question in light of what we've been reading here is "how could we possibly accomodate that many more bikes on our roads?"

Personnally, I don't and won't ride my bike in periods of heavy traffic. It's not safe and I don't think it can be made safe.

by Lance on Mar 7, 2009 9:49 pm • link • report

Ideas like these are appealing to a certain age group I'd imagine,and after a certain age, people just don't care about these things, or they might look upon them as a waste of money, time, resources.

Article today on bike manners in NYC:

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=596&sid=1618186

by Jazzy on Mar 8, 2009 8:58 am • link • report

Jazzy, I think you might have pasted the wrong link?

by Michael Perkins on Mar 8, 2009 9:11 am • link • report

Lance, by taking about that many cars OFF the road.

Having ridden route 29 in Fairfax County in rush hour, I see where you're coming from about it being unsafe, or certainly intimidating to say the least. I ended up on the sidewalk for much of that trip. However, road design can make a difference. Fairfax Drive in Ballston, with a bike lane, is never impassable any time of day. Also, don't underestimate the safety in numbers that will result from more bikes on the road.

Just curious, what areas do you ride in that you consider unsafe in heavy traffic? I've heard downtown DC is to be feared, but have only been there on two wheels during inauguration.

by Scott on Mar 8, 2009 11:37 am • link • report

It would be great if I could bike one way (either to or from work) but not feel committed to doing both in the same day. I live in Takoma Park and work in Shirlington so its not a short commute by bike or bus or train.

by Dave-el on Mar 8, 2009 11:42 am • link • report

@Scott: Downtown DC was dreadfully dangerous during the bike-messenger era. The danger, of course, was from the completely lawless messengers on their bikes, not from cars as such. That era, thankfully, seems to be over, and I haven't noticed any special problems in recent years. The sheer volume of car traffic combines with the grid configuration to keep things manageable (unlike, say, on major suburban roads designed to minimize the restraint of cross traffic).

That said, I avoid afternoon rush 9th Street NW with its wall-to-wall Virginia-bound traffic, and parking garage exits can get a bit hairy at that time of day also.

by david James on Mar 8, 2009 12:07 pm • link • report

I guess people in SE aren't worthy of being part of the bike -sharing system?

by MPC on Mar 8, 2009 1:49 pm • link • report

There are a lot of stations in Southeast already in Capitol Hill and Anacostia. If you mean the rest of River East, that's why I specifically said, "Please don't interpret the lack of markers in any area as a recommendation not to have stations there. Instead, add one there!" I don't know the good spots well enough to suggest them. Hence the collaborative process. Please put some at suitable locations!

by David Alpert on Mar 8, 2009 1:53 pm • link • report

Jazzy, I think you might have pasted the wrong link?

by Michael Perkins on Mar 8, 2009 9:11 am

Darn it all, I did. Thanks for pointing that out. By now, most people have probably read it. Here it is anyway.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/nyregion/thecity/08bike.html?_r=1&hp

by Jazzy on Mar 8, 2009 3:44 pm • link • report

@Scott, I don't think it's as simple as "more bike available for rental = one less car on the road".

For one thing, as we've discovered/discussed on this blog, because cars and bikes follow different rules of the road, they don't mix well in the same traffic flow. Bikes create chaos for cars, and cars create chaos for bikes. As it stands today, cars rule that traffic flow ... but will "tolerate" some chaos from a limited number of bikes. Add significantly more bikes to the mix and the chaos will increase not proportionately, but geometrically as bad things tend to do ... And this will most certainly lead to cars not tolerating any bikes ... and even more likely lead to a public backlash against ALL bikes on any road devoted to car traffic. I.e., We'll blow the "share the road" concept literally "off the road" ...

by Lance on Mar 9, 2009 8:17 am • link • report

Using your logic, Lance, a reduction in the number of bikes would be advantageous from a "chaos" perspective. I'd like to hope not, but as cities with more cyclists have found, the more there are, the safer they feel, and there are actually fewer accidents, because the cars get better at working in a dual-mode environment (which the cyclists pretty much have to know if they are to survive).

Also, we don't find the places with the most bikes, say Portland, experiencing a backlash from drivers--not at all. So I have no reason to believe it's more likely here.

-----------

I totally understand many people's aversion to riding in traffic. My own experience commuting for many years is that downtown traffic has little to be afraid of, because so much of the time it is essentially standing still, and it's rarely moving faster than I can cycle along with. That said, 1-way streets are much better than 2-way, so I would generally modify my route to be on 1-way streets as much as possible.

"Personally, I don't and won't ride my bike in periods of heavy traffic. It's not safe and I don't think it can be made safe."

Safety is in the mind of the beholder. From some perspectives, taking a shower isn't entirely "safe." What you may find to be unsafe, I find quite reasonable and vice versa. As said earlier, I totally understand people who feel uncomfortable riding in certain circumstances, and we should continue to improve safety, since for each increment there will be additional people who before felt unsafe but now feel safe. You may never feel safe riding in traffic, and that's okay, but that doesn't actually make it "unsafe" in general.

by Steve Offutt on Mar 9, 2009 12:07 pm • link • report

I agree with Steve. I should give riding downtown another chance. I just hate inhaling all that carbon monoxide.

14th Street this weekend was a speedway, yet again, compared to 15th street.

by Jazzy on Mar 9, 2009 12:10 pm • link • report

I like heavy car traffic because when cars go slower (or sit there waiting in queues) it makes bike travel easier, not to mention more satisfying. That's why I try to ride during rush hour. Rush hour is ironically named, because it's the period when cars cannot do much rushing and instead just creep along. Ha ha.

Regarding location of smartbikes, I don't have time to go on the google map, but I'd recommend creating a tourist option, where you can buy a day pass on the spot, and put the stations near the Mall, East and West Potomac Park, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park, Roosvelt Island, and the Arboretum. That would be the recreational version of smartbike.

by Ward 1 Guy on Mar 9, 2009 6:32 pm • link • report

Hmm, I can add points, but when I go back to admire them later, they are no longer on the map - regardless of how close I zoom in.

by lucre on Apr 1, 2009 6:56 am • link • report

I have added a bunch of locations around the Takoma Park / Silver Spring area. With a population that is already largely environmentally conscious, and with some neighborhoods that are already walkable, I think a bike sharing program in this area would be a great idea.

When choosing locations, I was particularly looking at potential sources and destinations of bike share users. Sources include metro stations, colleges (Montgomery and Columbia Union) and Walter Reed medical center. Destinations include libraries, recreation centers and shopping areas.

Having a bike share station at a destination would allow bike share users to safely park their bike without having to worry about locking it up (which is currently difficult to do with the ClearChannel program). They could use another bike to get home.

Takoma Park Middle School would be a great bike share destination, for example, because a number of events that draw large numbers of people happen there every year, including the 4th of July fireworks and a folk festival in the spring and fall. It's little too far to walk from the Takoma Metro station, but by bike it's perfect!

I also considered the numerous parks and bike trails already in the area, such as Rock Creek, Sligo Creek, and the future Metropolitan Branch trail. It would make a lot of sense to allow people to drive to a park entrance, leave their cars and rent a bike for a few hours. This would be especially popular for people who enjoy biking but don't like riding on busy streets.

by Andrew on Jul 6, 2009 11:10 am • link • report

Lucre,

When you add points, it appears that you have to press the "Done" button on the left side; otherwise your points are not saved. I had to go back and re-add mine a couple of times until I figured this out. ;-)

by Andrew on Jul 6, 2009 11:12 am • link • report

Also, sadly, the Google My Maps implementation only shows the first n points, relegating the rest to page 2. You have to click through to the map and then click "next" at the bottom of the list of points to see the rest of them. That means many people have added some points in the same spots as other existing points, because they couldn't see the points. Oh well.

by David Alpert on Jul 6, 2009 11:17 am • link • report