Comments on: Excuse Me While I Move To Europe http://www.ghotifish.net/2008/11/excuse-me-while-i-move-to-europe/ Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:34:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Teague http://www.ghotifish.net/2008/11/excuse-me-while-i-move-to-europe/comment-page-1/#comment-11877 Teague Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:32:04 +0000 http://www.ghotifish.net/blog/?p=191#comment-11877 <p>I've been to both Barcelona and Lyon since they started their programs, and there were a lot of people using the bikes. It was especially noticeable in Barcelona, it was rolled out shortly before my visit. (Hard to compare their effect on the feel of the streets, of course, since I'm used to American ones.) A practical note: If you visit and want to use the bikes, make sure you get a credit card that has one of those little gold chips on the front, because none of the card readers we saw read magnetic strips.</p> <p>I think the DC program has been underway for a month or two now. I'm not that optimistic about its success. The reasons you cite are a factor (as is the helmet issue they mention in the article), but I think the biggest obstacle is the limited number of stations. In Barcelona, there are 375 stations; in DC there are 10. Since the bikes can't be locked up, you need to be taking a trip that starts next to one of the stations and ends next to one of the others. DC isn't huge, but the chances still aren't that great that your trip will work on SmartBike. All of the stations are in downtown, so for most people it's impossible to use it for a trip that starts or ends at home.</p> <p>There's a station a couple blocks from my office, but I've only seen bikes on the street twice since it started. The city's political leaders didn't want to take the risk of rolling out a big program, but creating a small one would seem to just doom it to failure.</p> I’ve been to both Barcelona and Lyon since they started their programs, and there were a lot of people using the bikes. It was especially noticeable in Barcelona, it was rolled out shortly before my visit. (Hard to compare their effect on the feel of the streets, of course, since I’m used to American ones.) A practical note: If you visit and want to use the bikes, make sure you get a credit card that has one of those little gold chips on the front, because none of the card readers we saw read magnetic strips.

I think the DC program has been underway for a month or two now. I’m not that optimistic about its success. The reasons you cite are a factor (as is the helmet issue they mention in the article), but I think the biggest obstacle is the limited number of stations. In Barcelona, there are 375 stations; in DC there are 10. Since the bikes can’t be locked up, you need to be taking a trip that starts next to one of the stations and ends next to one of the others. DC isn’t huge, but the chances still aren’t that great that your trip will work on SmartBike. All of the stations are in downtown, so for most people it’s impossible to use it for a trip that starts or ends at home.

There’s a station a couple blocks from my office, but I’ve only seen bikes on the street twice since it started. The city’s political leaders didn’t want to take the risk of rolling out a big program, but creating a small one would seem to just doom it to failure.

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