The new Social Bicycle System, SoBi, brings a whole new aspect to bike sharing by eliminating the idea of a station only systems. Users can now dock bicycles on any regular bike rack within the restricted riding area. This revolutionary system is made possible by the bicycles attached lock system and built in GPS.

The system depends only on these regular bicycles with the attached lock systems. Since specially designed bicycles aren’t needed, bicycle-sharing programs can save thousands of dollars. This will make these systems more cost efficient and manageable.

After an interview with the founder, Ryan Rzepecki (previously an Urban Planner for the New York Dept. of Transportation), we got some insight into his SoBi idea. He mentions that bicycles will be set under a restricted riding area so no user can ride off with the bicycle to places other people can’t reach easily. There also will be stations in high use areas, where SoBi bicycles will always be in abundance. Users can sign up online, via mobile application, or call the SoBi service line. All of his ideas seem to support realistic situations and make this system very viable for new bike-sharing programs.

A test trial will be conducted soon in New York City on a small scale system containing 20-25 bicycles.  The flaws of the system will be identified in this test trial and an improved system will come out of the results.  Check out Ryan’s video for more information:

The Social Bicycle System from Ryan Rzepecki on Vimeo.

The Boston Globe reported last Friday that the federal government has awarded $3 million to Boston’s forthcoming bike share program, which is expected to cover the capital costs of the apx. 500-bike, Bixi deployment next Spring. So… “next spring” huh? We have heard that before as CityRyde previously reported in our last blog post on the subject. With this $3 million in hand as well as another $2 million from previously awarded sponsorships and grants, however, count on a program around next Spring after all. Stakeholders anticipate the system to be an integral component to the multi-modal transportation network the City will surely soon boast as the deployment connects to the MBTA subway and bus routes.

While the programs annual membership fees are on the high side ($85) in comparison to others around the world, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, David Watson remains adamant the system will see success and a large user base, “It opens up the possibility of biking for a lot of people who either don’t have bikes or don’t think of themselves as everyday bicyclists.’’ Watson’s assurance is shared by Nicole Freedman, who runs the City’s Boston Bikes program.

While we didn’t see the system this past Spring as we hoped program pushers are well on track to show us a program by next. In the meantime the City is expected to continue their efforts in improving the City’s bike infrastructure to make it much more conducive for the bike share.

Won’t be long until we are riding the shared bikes along Bean Town’s Freedom Trail now…

The Japanese city of Toyama recently launched Japan’s first full scale bicycle sharing system on Saturday.  Like many others, Toyama’s bike sharing system was established in hopes of lowering traffic congestion on many busy highways while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

The system was launched by Cyclocity, Inc. a subsidiary of the French advertising giant, JCDecaux.  Cyclocity will evaluate the popularity of Toyama’s bike share system with hopes of one day expanding bike sharing throughout all of Japan.

The system includes 15 stations that are positioned every 300 meters in central Toyama with a total of 150 bicycles being available.   Users can ride bicycles for up to 30 minutes without an extra charge for the monthly pass fee of 500 yen (around $5.50 USD).  The city’s government invested 150 million yen ($1.66 million USD) to improve facilities for the bike share system.  The system will rely on advertisements for profits as there is advertisement space available on the stations and bikes.

Author: Timothy Lehman

Bike Sharing systems have become a growing trend on college and university campuses alike.  As the world continues the push to become more sustainable, students and faculty of many institutions have joined the green movement by launching bike share systems for their campuses. In this post, we’ll take a look at the progression and advancement of 1^st, 2^nd, and even 3^rd generation bike sharing systems on campus.

Colleges that first adopted bike sharing to their campus followed the code of first-generation bike share systems. Colleges and Universities like Middlebury College, Cortland College, the University of Maine and others introduced bike share systems to their students on the honor system.  The system is pretty simple.  Using bicycles that are either donated or purchased, the schools typically mark the bikes in some way (either paint or label), then allow students to borrow the bikes for an allotted period of time.  An upside of first-generation systems for colleges is the cost.  Since the rental process is conducted on the honor system there is no need for any extra security level-other than a bike lock.  However there are downsides of first generation bike share systems for campuses as well.  The vandalism and theft rate is much higher in first generation systems because there is no real check-in/check-out process, nor is there any way for schools to track usage.

More commonly, schools have trended towards second-generation bike share systems.  These systems are likely managed and maintained by the college or university themselves.  Schools like Drexel University, allow students to check-in and check-out bicycles by presenting an identification card and filling out a release form.  The duration of the rental can vary per school.  Recently, CityRyde launched Spark, the first off-the shelf software solution for 2^ndgeneration bike share systems.  Spark was launched as a pilot project at the University of Chicago, and has recently been expanded to fit the university’s bike share program.  For more on Spark’s success in Chicago, click here.

After noticing the great success of 3^rd generation bike share systems like Paris’ Velib and Montreal’s Bixi, St. Xavier University in Chicago launched the first ever 3^rd generation bike share system on a college campus.  The University’s Green Bike Program allows students, faculty, and staff to swipe a card and unlock a bike for a ride-in no time!

So there you have it.  Bike sharing has continued to advance over the years in cities, municipalities, and even college campuses.  Campus bike sharing brings increased enrollment, reduced carbon footprint, national publicity, increased campus mobility, reduced parking shortages, and increased quality of student life- just to name a few.  And to the incoming students, no need to worry about the infamous “Freshman 15,” bike sharing is a great excuse to exercise and burn off a few of those extra calories courtesy of your unlimited meal plan.

To this end, we have decided to provide our readers the following google map which shows every North American city we are aware of that has publicly expressed an interest for a 3rd generation bike share program. By publicly, we mean a city that has either:

1. Conducted and or begun a Feasibility Study
2. Released an RFI
3. Released an RFP
4. Publicly announced their exploration of the subject

We have omitted the regions of all of our past, present and prospecting clients exploring bike sharing projects in their part of the woods. These details are of course available upon request. We have also excluded Washington, D.C. and Montreal, QC who currently have bike share programs in existence.

This map, updated as of November 6, 2009, includes a total of 26 North American cities:

1. Seattle, WA
2. Redmond, WA
3. Portland, OR
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Tucsson, AZ
6. Albuquerque, NM
7. Denver, CO
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. Chicago, IL
10. Philadelphia, PA
11. New York City, NY
12. Boston, MA
13. Miami, FL
14. Mexico City, Mexico
15. Boulder, CO
16. Calgary, Canada
17. Los Angeles, CA
18. Ottowa, Canada
19. Vancouver, Canada
20. Santa Barbara, CA
21. Willmington, NC
22. Arlington, VA
23. Broward County, FL
24. Santa Clara County, CA
25. Toronto, Canada
26. Palo Alto, CA

For high-level details on each location, simply click.

View North American 3rd Generation Bike Share City Prospects in a larger map

View North American 3rd Generation Bike Share City Prospects in a larger map

We warmly welcome suggestions to info@cityryde.com from all as to further details on each City and/or details on any city that we might have missed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqUoJFLsZKI

You can watch the entire video by following this link:

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2009/pedalpower/

Image courtesy Streetsblog San Francisco

Bike sharing proved quite popular with Californians this past Sunday when the Los Angeles based Brandenburger Foundation, previously discussed here, brought 7 BIXI bikes to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  Kiosks run by solar panels comprised the stations that accompanied the bikes.  Hundreds of people participated in the demo, generating much excitement about the city’s forthcoming bike share program.

Yet as Demian Bulwa of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, the deployment of the city’s bike share scheme remains stalled, among other reasons, due to a court imposed injunction given that a “local critic argued that some pro-bicycle efforts harm the environment.”  Bike projects throughout the city have been forced into stagnation until the injunction is lifted, the time frame for which is undetermined.  Furthermore, the original 50 bike and 5 station plan proposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom has been criticized as too small; many argue that a larger initial deployment is needed in order for the program to have a noticeable impact.

While the time frame for the deployment of San Francisco bike share remains indeterminate, BIXI representatives continue to visit other West coast cities – including Long Beach, Portland, and San Jose – in an effort to spread the popular bike sharing model across the Pacific.  We’ll have to keep close watch to see will win the race to become the first West Coast US bike share city…

Such optimism is, however, mixed with tones of frustration by some lamenting that Boston’s roads are far from bike friendly.  City mayor Thomas Menino describes them as “old cow paths turned into roads” but, upon hiring Freedman in 2007, has taken steps to improve upon what Bicycling magazine has thrice called one of the worst cycling cities, including the installation of five-foot-wide bike paths.  Furthermore, bikers and drivers alike express worry over the compatibility between congested, trafficky roads made even more difficult to navigate by the addition of bicycles.  Freedman recognizes the need for education to ensure that cyclists and drivers understand the rules of the road so that each can commute safely.

Boston has yet to decide on a vendor for its program but intends to do so within the coming weeks, at which time it will make such information public.  The Department of Transportation’s short list includes BikeNow, a Boston-based company founded in response to the bike share RFP; Veloway, whose parent company Veoila Transportation, runs the city’s MBTA rail; and Public Bike System, which brought BIXI to Montreal.  Regardless of its choice, things are already looking up for Boston bike share as, with Freedman’s improvements, Bicycling magazine changed its tune and in 2008 named Boston a future best city for biking.  Time will tell whether or not that plays out to be true, but we’re all eyes and ears, hopeful that a large-scale program à la BIXI sticks in the US.

Thank you for visiting CityRyde, the Bike Sharing Experts. We are offering all new customers the opportunity to register for a FREE 15 minute consultation with one of our bike sharing experts.

You can pick our brains with questions, learn about the various bike sharing options or learn more about our services. You choose the topic! To register, please visit the following address and reserve your spot today!

http://cityryde.setster.com/

Drawing by Chiyu Chen

Far from simply getting people out of their cars and onto bicycles, bike sharing is proving to become more sustainable than ever.  Chiyu Chen, a student at the UK’s Royal College of Art, has designed a prototype of a European-style bike sharing system with one huge perk: the bikes store kinetic energy from braking that can then be transferred via docking station to power any number of electricity-dependent modules, be it a hybrid car or the city power grid.

Chen has designed what he calls the Hybrake regenerative braking model (see a technical demonstration here).  He modified the generator hub typically used to power bike-share headlights to increase energy generation from 3 to 15 watts, simply by attaching a circuit to the brakes of the bicycles.  The on-bike reader indicates the number of energy “credits” garnered based on the amount of energy produced, which Chen hopes can be used to offer cyclists free rides on the Tube, bus, or elsewhere.  In an effort to maximize the sustainable nature of his system, Chen foresees the placement of cycle docking stations near hybrid bus stops so that the energy can be directly transferred from the bikes to the busses.  He hopes that bus passes for use on these hybrids could then be given to energy-donating cyclists that regularly use his system.

While Chen’s system is still a prototype, with no clear indication of sale for wide-scale development and implementation, CityRyde is particularly impressed with its ability to upgrade the green functionality of bike sharing, the impact of which could have worldwide effects.  Indeed, coupled with the carbon credit module of the Oyster back-end management solution (described here), which turns bike-miles ridden into sellable carbon credits for increased profitability, bike share vendors could ultimately consider several new streams of revenue in their financial analytics.  It is thus our hope that systems like Chen’s continue to be explored to better serve the bike sharing community, the people that power them, and the environment.