San Francisco Moves Towards Bike-Sharing
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio 
on 10. 4.07
Although a few cities are scaling down bike-sharing programs, many cities are exploring the option for their citizens. Copenhagen, for example has 2,000 bikes at 110 stations through the city. Paris? Ten times that many bikes and slightly more than ten times the stations. And, with many of the advantages of car-sharing, such as not needing a personal vehicle, and the eco-cred of zipping around the city with human power, it's no wonder. So who's next to jump on the bike-sharing bandwagon? It looks like it could be San Francisco. The best part might be the cost to the city - close to nothing. Take that budget cuts!
A company vying to advertise on the city's transit shelters would have to hook the city up with a bike-sharing program if San Francisco decides to start one. The system of funding is similar to Paris', which is funded by a contract with a billboard company. So, although the contract doesn't spell out how many bikes and stations would be included, the city has French inspiration to look towards.
::Via San Francisco Chronicle
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Not only is it a good idea for the enviroment but it would be good for the users health and for keepin the pounds off the booty!
It's not exactly true to say that the bike sharing scheme implemented by JCDecaux in Paris costs nothing to the city...
The system 's operation and maintenance cost is estimated at around 2500€ (3,500$) per year...with 20000 bikes in Paris at the end of the year, that's 50 millions € !! of advertising revenue that the City won't get...but the trick is that it doesn't have to put the money on the table for the bike scheme...
The problem is : the more bikes you need, the more ads you get in the city...and everybody knows that more ads won't help us to solve the problems of our overconsuming world...
I wish new york would adopt this. I don't have room to store a bike in my apt., but really miss riding around town.
Olivier is totally right. I have researched how these bike sharing programs are actually financed. Check out my blog: http://www.greenjoe.com
this is a great idea! I don't mind more ads, hardly look at them anyway. I don't mind the advertising as long as ALL of the city gets to use these bicycles. (ALL, including hunter's point!!!) And yes, i wish we could install a program like this without all the advertising, but if this is the only way to do it now so be it.
From an ecological, economical and social standpoint, the benefits of this kind of program in san francisco are absolutely enormous.