Montreal Canada Launches Public Bike System
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06.20.08
Montreal's new public bike sharing system or "PBS," as it's being called, relies on a new bike design, solar powered stations, wireless inventory management, and software to manage it all. The website is wonderful, and we suggest you pay it a visit here.
The entire system was designed from a clean sheet, intended to marry the practical with the aesthetic. World-renowned industrial designer Michel Dallaire was entrusted with the design of the physical components. The bikes themselves feature clean lines and a sleek look that in no way compromises their sturdiness and safety. Design elements are carried over to the technical platforms, bike docks and pay stations. All with the intention making the PBS an enhancement to the urban landscape, not an impediment to enjoying it.The best part: riders can find the rental bike nearest them via internet. At last, a non-frivolous use for cell phone browsers.
Innovation is another hallmark of the PBS. It employs cutting-edge technologies to their best advantage: the entire system is solar-powered and uses wireless communication. All the components are modular. With no need for permanent installations or external energy sources, the technical platforms that constitute the base of the stations can simply be dropped off at any desired location without incurring expensive infrastructure work. No need to excavate or anchor the platforms to the street. And no need to install electrical or communication cables.See our earlier coverage in Montreal Wants Paris Style Bike-Sharing.
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- California Colleges Pay Students to Bike
Looks wonderful. I wish we had one in Houston.
What type of protection would stop thieves from stealing the beautiful bikes? The site doesn't say much.
What protection protects any bike system? I'm curious. And what if somebody damages one really badly?
Looks fantastic. I look forward to them rolling out across the globe - especially Bristol.
Congratulations to Montreal! Stolen shared city bikes from Paris have been found as far as in Eastern Europe, let's hope their anti-theft system works well....
I haven't seen any of these yet in Montreal,
and the pictures on the website are not real, they're 3D renderings.
Maybe you meant to use the future tense in this article?
I don't see any start date mentioned anywhere.
For God's sake, a bike rental station? Bikes are cheap, just buy a freakin bike.
quikboy, the credit card deposit stops them from stealing the bike. Well, not if they mug someone and take the bike who is in the middle of riding it or didn't put it back properly. I'm somewhat assuming this is like all of the European systems where the bikes are connected physically and electronically to the stand and locked back in at the end of rides.
This is a great step forward in bike usage, I applaud the visionaries behind the idea.
quickboy, I think that the uniqueness of the bikes is enough to discourage theft, every thief needs a fence and who would buy a bike which is so obviously stolen?
Hopefully the execution is as admirable as the intention.