Flexcar is *so* passe
Linnea Noreen
Car-sharing just got a one-up. Enter Velib, the Parisian bike-sharing program.
Zipcar (or should I say Flexcar?!) is so last year. The latest and greatest is bike-swapping -- better for your health, the environment, cheaper and vastly more flexible. With the expansion of the Burke-Gilman Trail and Bike Master Plan approval, maybe Seattle is the place to start the trend, State-side?
It works like car-sharing... you pay roughly $30 for a year membership, but unlike its carbon-depended cousin, you get 30 minutes free for every trip using Velib. It is then incrementally a dollar (roughly) an hour--$1 for the first hour, $2 for the second hour-- the idea is to avoid permanent "check-outs". Bikes are available every 300 meters (few hundred feet), and are interchangable. If you want to extend the time, you can swap it with one down the road, and the clock restarts. Clever, huh?
In Seattle, the idea would be to pair the bike system with public transit -- have many pick-up locations in urban neighborhoods and suburban developments, where people can grab and go (in this case a shared bike). They ride to the park and ride, and hop on transit. After work, they hop off transit, grab one of the many bikes waiting and ride it back to neighborhood or suburban bliss.
It's really quite dreamy, and a great addition to our current transit system. Instead of wondering about whether the park and ride will be full, or how you're going to walk the extra 2 miles to your friend's house, you just grab a bike at the Transit Center. Even better, the system in Paris was entirely self-funded through advertising contracts. Image: a huge boon to mobility and convenience, with no taxpayer money. What a steal!
Comments
That would be so cool! It'd be a lot cheaper than buying a bike...when you live in the city, it's rare that you can't walk to the place you need to be; however, there's always that awkward distance that doesn't really merit a bus ride but would be a pain to go on foot.
Posted by: Bryson | March 10, 2008 1:25 AM
Sorry, it's too late for Seattle to be first - there's a ad-supported service in Washington DC operated by Clear Channel.
http://smartbike.com
Portland or Chicago may be next. You can keep up with things at:
bike-sharing.blogspot.com
Posted by: Dave Brook | March 10, 2008 10:30 AM
How much is the start up cost? I'd toss in a few thousand dollars for shares in a Seattle based company to do this. I'd bet that if we can get a couple dozen other small investors, we could make it happen here.
I loved flexcar, Zipcar is so-so, and I think this is a great opportunity.
Posted by: Michael Snyder | March 10, 2008 4:09 PM
This isn't just a Paris thing I'm fairly sure they have this type of system all over western Europe. Seville, Spain has this system too but I do think its a great idea for the Seattle Metro area. The system works to combat bike thieves as well, if you do not return a bike it charges your account 500 dollars.
Posted by: Moss | March 10, 2008 4:19 PM
If you ask me, the point is not that Seattle should be the first, but rather that it should aim to be the best. To get a feel for the job that needs to be done, we are pleased to share with you the work that we have done thus far on this subject but you can find at http://www.worldcitybike.org/.
So enjoy, but better than that... do it!
Eric Britton
Posted by: Eric Britton | March 11, 2008 3:20 AM
One problem here is our helmet laws. They had good intentions, but the end result is a chilling effect on bike use. This system would be difficult to use where there are helmet laws, as you'd have to always bring one with you. That's not a huge problem for a commuter (as long as they don't mind helmet-head), but removes a lot of would-be casual users.
Maybe we should change the laws to only require helmets if you're travelling over 15mph or are under 16? I believe they don't have helmet laws in Paris.
Posted by: Matt the Engineer | March 13, 2008 12:11 PM