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We noticed a short Fran Spielman piece today reminding us about Daley's globe-trotting and found something we didn't expect — bikes!
When we first read about Paris's new bicycle initiative, Velib, we salivated. The city peppered the city with more than 20,000 heavy-duty rental bikes in an effort to become a city of bikes.
The program almost seems too good to be true. The bikes can be rented from 750 stations throughout the city, free for the first 30 minutes, something like a $1.30 for the next quarter hour and so on. Regular users can get a yearly membership for dirt cheap (about $40) — and this is the part of the story that made us pee our pants a little with glee — the rentals can be made from the same card one uses for the public transit.
Daley will talk the plan over with the mayor of Paris on his way back from giving a speech in Italy. The plan evidently caught our own "city of bikes" mayor's eye because of the flexibility. You can also rent a bike from one location and return it to another for no extra fee. We feel like little kids asking for something outrageous for Christmas, but — pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease can we have this program? There is no danger of us shooting our eyes out, we promise.
Image via farm1.static.flicker.com.
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I read this article twice, looking for the requisite Alicia Dorr gaffe--something inflammatory, overly broad generalizations, insinuations of bad faith on the part of non-liberal-minded persons--you know, the usual flamebait. I think she must have hit the submit button too early this time.
that sounds awesome. especially if public transit continues to suck ass. isn't there some yellow bike program out west where you just use them and leave them? am i making that up?
i prefer igo (non-profit and use enviro friendly vehicles), but i didn't realize you could return anywhere with the zip. i'll stick with my igo peeps, though.
Is this daley’s solution to the transportation crisis? Who needs the cta ride a bike?
It's amazing he can travel to Europe so often and not bring back one fucking idea to improve mass transit here. All we get some bike bullshit that will do nothing significant.
Such are the ways of the Irish munchkin leader.
This would be pretty awesome, I was reading about pretty much the same set up in Lyon, France. Very cool! But I also agree fix the CTA dummy.
Alicia and Jocelyn, you can't actually return a Zipcar to any location. It has to go back to the one it was reserved from. I wish you could, but alas. I still love them though.
https://www.zipcar.com/help/during#return
This is nice in theory. Unfortunately, I am too scared to ride a bike on the city streets of Chicago, given the traffic and incompenent driving of some people. What the city should do is also develop more bike lanes that make it better for bikers. Oh, and bikers need to follow the rules of the road as well.
My guess of what will happen in Chicago if we get these bikes? Unlike Paris, we will pay high rental fees, and the bikes will not be there. They won't be able to be paid for by transit cards, and they will only be in a few locations.
How about this: Let's fix the CTA first.
actually they rolled out a test run of velib first in lyon, france. (second largest city in france). i was in lyon earlier this year visiting my sister and i saw people riding those red bikes everywhere.
there are bicycle ports all over the city. you just swipe your card and go, and it tracks how long you keep the bikes for. the bikes had a big basket on the front and looked to be really well kept up; shiney and red and kind of had a vintage look to them.
you can even borrow a bike on a one-time basis by using your credit card.
i thought it was the coolest thing i have ever seen. exercise, economically safe, and a very classy way to get around town.
As a Parisian who's experienced Velib and loved it,I can tell you that this would work nicely but for two aspects of American life :
- Liability and
- Lawsuits.
In Paris, nobody wears a helmet (apart from the expats, that is) and you cannot sue the City for a real or invented mis-step on the sidewalk. Ambulance-chasers are not advertising on billboards. Hobos don't try and get hit by cars at crosswalks in order to cash in their 300 grand.
But wait - maybe it would work here because no motorcycle rider worth his/her weight wears a helmet !
Also interesting, more on the bike program:
http://westnorth.com/2007/08/01/bike-share-not-news-to-city-hall/
Boulder CO. has a program where you just use a bike and leave it where you're going. I think they'r all yellow bikes or red or something, but they are city bikes people can just use from place to place.
Don't know how that would work in Chicago though, I would imagine thievery would put an end to it fairly quickly.
This is nice in theory. Unfortunately, I am too scared to ride a bike on the city streets of Chicago
This is like the CTA catch 22, service declines and as a result so does ridership, anti-mass transit folk happily exclaim 'people don't want mass transit'. Less people braving the streets on bikes less drivers concious of bikers.
I agree the lack of a helmet will be a problem in Chicago. While experienced bikers may choose to go without them, an inexperienced biker (who is the most likely to use this program) should not be riding on busy streets or in the loop without one. Chicago drivers are just not as careful as european drivers when it comes to bikers. Besides the helmet issue (which could easily be solved by giving renters an option to use one), it seems like a great idea.
Yellow bike program -- Lexington, KY has one and I just saw a large bunch of yellow bikes over Labor Day weekend in the U.P. They are, in fact, free and the theory is that you just grab one and go. Lexington's are limited to the downtown area (a very small area). Lexington cops are authorized to confiscate the bikes if they are found outside of the designated area for whatever reason.
So, if Chicago does something like this, make sure your bike isn't the same color as the city's :)
I'm all for this program. I rode my bike to work for the first time and it shaved 20 minutes off my commute (and I just take one bus, straight down Damen). Bike power! And yes, I will eat my words the minute it gets cold.
oh, thanks for the zip news. no reason to stray from my igo love, then. :)
The funny thing about Paris is that they don't really need the bike program since you are never more than 250 meters from a subway stop.
Daley seems to love these dopey, drop-in-the-bucket "green" programs. Riding a bike will be awesome in January!
Daley seems to love these dopey, drop-in-the-bucket "green" programs. Riding a bike will be awesome in January!
Lots of people ride in January, don't be such a wimp.
For the sake of the question, lets pretend that the CTA is in a bit better shape, so a bike program would make sense.
After departing an L station and proceeding directly to the bike station would that count as a transfer?
Obviously no one has this answer, but its an interesting possibility.
Navin, yes and no. I think this is different than the CTA. Riding the CTA does little to compromise my personal safety (in regards to accidents, not crime).
It is an issue of safety, not convenience for me. I am not skilled enough or feel comfortable enough riding a bike on the city streets. I would feel okay on the Lakeshore Path, but that is not near work. I would probably feel better if there were more dedicated bike lanes. I honestly wish I could bike. It is great excercise, it's green, and a good way to get outside. But, for me, when it comes to issues of my personal safety, the culture of drivers needs to change before I can feel comfortable biking. Call me a wimp, but I am not going to risk getting hurt to change the culture.
I have been to Amsterdam and Paris and have experienced the bike culture there. Drivers are more conscientious. There are dedicated bike lanes all over Amsterdam. I would feel more comfortable biking in either of those cities. Those cities have pretty good public transportation, too.
Like I said, it's good in theory. I do hope it happens and it happens the right way, not the Chicago way. But, I am skeptical.
Will Mayor Daley ride these bikes? If he does, I hope he rides the bike with a bike seat. We have many problems in Chicago, Mayor Daley is on another vacation in Europe. I hope he is not stuffing cash into a swiss bank.
Sparky,
I feel ya, 10 years ago I was poking around the streets on a rickety mountain bike a bundle of nerves. Take residential streets and get your confidence up, gradually you'll feel more confident. I completely agree with you though, I'd like nothing better than to have more dedicated bike lanes and a city that *really* works to make all citizens aware. Until that time though I don't think anything will change until bikers at all levels increase their presence and force the issue.
Hey Navin, I ride in January, asswipe.
wow, all you january riders must be sooo stroooooong!!!!! Grrrrrr!!!!! Ride that bike, bitches
Hey Chicagoist - we want this too! http://londonist.com/2007/08/pay_as_you_go_p_1.php