Bikeshare: Yellow bikes. Yours for the Taking.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 2.05
Its hard being into bikes in Toronto. The utilities aim for the bike lanes to make them teeth-rattlingly awful; the Fedex trucks think they are their personal parking lane; drivers do not know that right-side mirrors exist and you risk the door prize every day.
But there are those who try to make a difference. After seeing ratty old yellow bikes in front of MEC we looked into where they came from and discovered the Community Bicycle Network.
CBN runs a number of programs, including:
Bikeshare,"is an innovative community bicycle-lending program in downtown Toronto that provides its members with access to a fleet of bright yellow bikes." -Just show your Season's Pass at any conveniently located hub and ride away on a retro single-speed bike equipped with lock, bell, basket and reflector tape. Use the bike for a couple of hours or the whole day and then drop it off at any hub - not just the one you signed it out of.
One way rental- this is better than owning a bike, you can subway home. We wondered about theft- it happens. However if you have two bikes stolen they cancel your pass.
Other interesting programs are lectures, a neat looking rodeo tonight that we may go look at, and other innovative programs.
Not only that, but if you donate C$75.00 they name a bike after you. ::Community Bicyle Network
"So the other day I was riding Robert and..."
I like bikes,but I like walking better.
Bikes are actually alot like cars, in some ways. The nice thing about a bike is it's yours, you can go anywhere, any time. Yellow bike programs usually last about 5 years.
In my oppinion a much better approach is the bike coop, where people build their own recycled, customised bike, or fix up a bike they have lying around, in the process getting their own bike, and learning how to maintain it.
Here in Los Angeles of all places the Bicycle Kitchen is getting huge amounts of people on bikes, or a more mainsream, new bike approach, the Bicycling Magazine Biketwon project has gotten huge amounts of people commuting by velocipide.
Alot of people, once addicted, get a nicer bike, and use give their first bike to someone else looking to get around by bike. The personal connecection to one's wheeled steed is just too important to ignore.
PS check out http://www.bicyclekitchen.com