why not set up an
"options market" for the bicycles... ultimately the price of bicycles at
high-demand (source) nodes would be higher than ones at low demand
(sink) nodes.
Depends whether the goal is to design a system that will provide equal
access to moderate cost transportation or if it is to get the most from the
resource.
I'm proposing a system that optimizes (or at least satisfices)
"utility". The system as designed seems to have included a constraint
of a "flat rate" buy-in to the system. This flat rate has *some*
utility to the users (they can predict the cost) and to the system (ease
of administration).
In my example, the subscribers could continue to get the service at a
given flat rate, but the "system" would then price the value of those
who move bicycles according to supply and demand. There is not a
stated constraint of providing "jobs" to the movers at a fixed rate? My
example did transfer the disparity in value of bikes at sinks/sources to
the users.
I'm not sure what else might incentivize users of the system other than
money. Some kind of quota/rationing of "scarce" resources might be in
order, but generally that only works to shift services around inside the
constraints of the system.
LLNL has (used to have?) a collection of bicycles to be ridden by anyone
at anytime across the lab (inside security gates). If a bicycle proves
to be under-maintained, the standard is to leave the bicycle upside down
(virtually anywhere) to be picked up and repaired by a maintenance crw.
I don't know how well it actually works... the few times I used the
bikes, they were incredibly clunky and under-maintained (even by my own
weak standards) but I think there are waves of maintenance/upgrade in
the system.
Could this system be implemented ON TOP of the current system (e.g.
without permission of the city authorities)?
Could the city's attempts to plan for the needed capacity be destabilized
by these sorts of agents?
Surely... especially if the city didn't take this into account. There
might *already* be examples of people "scalping" bikes in high demand
areas. Even if the system requires you to check in a bike before you
check another out, imagine circling the bike parking area and offer to
park it for someone for a price. I'm sure they will hire additional
transit cops to prevent this. Wouldn't it be better to build it into
the ecology?
- Steve
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