Thanks for the post, Robbie. A B-Cycle membership is also a fun thing to have on hand for out-of-town guests. I think all of the hotels on the Isthmus should offer them to their guests at check-in.
-india On Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 4:17 PM, Robbie Webber <[email protected]>wrote: > Thought the Bikies might be interested in an article I wrote for work > about a special session at the National Bike Summit on bike sharing. > http://www.ssti.us/2012/04/bike-sharing-an-on-demand-mobility-solution/ > > One thing I didn't put in the article was a comment from one of the people > helping to get a program started in Portland (OR): "We learned that bike > advocates make terrible advocates for bike sharing. They don't see the > need, because they already have bikes and ride them anywhere they want to > go." > > I had to stifle a laugh, because that was my experience in Madison as > well. Much as I love all the Bikies, many people who are dyed in the wool > bike commuters and bike advocates just didn't "get it" when it came to B > Cycle. People said, "If people want to ride, why don't they just get a > regular bike?" or "People could keep a bike at work, if they don't ride > want to ride every day." > > Folks, it's not for us, that ride every day and everywhere. It's for > people that come to downtown/campus some other way - bus, state vanpool, > carpool, or even *gasp* by car - and then want use of a bike once in > awhile. I even know people that live downtown but use B Cycle because they > have a really nice road bike and don't want to ride it for errands and lock > it up outside. Or they don't feel like hauling the bike out of the small, > inconvenient space where it is stored just to run out to buy milk or bread. > Voila! Instant bike use with none of the responsibilities of your own bike. > > I'm just waiting for all the commuters from outlying communities to > realize they can *gasp* drive to an area outside the 2-hour parking zone > and grab a B Cycle for the rest of the trip. That's pretty common in other > cities. There aren't any stations on the west side that are outside the > restricted parking areas, but there are a few places on the east side where > that would work. > > Anyway, in case anyone is interested in a B Cycle, or has a neighbor, > colleague or loved one that might benefit, they are having a sale on annual > memberships: $32.50 for an annual, or $20 is you have a UW affiliation. > http://madison.bcycle.com/ > > > Robbie Webber > Transportation Policy Analyst > State Smart Transportation Initiative > www.ssti.us > 608-263-9984 (o) > 608-225-0002 (c) > [email protected] > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > -- WeAreAllMechanics.com [email protected] Stay connected- Follow WAAM on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics>
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