Many large (and several small) cities have bike racks with programs allowing you to rent the bikes with your credit card, or some special prepaid card, or, as recently done in Pasadena, by associating them with the local public transport system. It has not been clear to me how well the program works (or does not) in different cities. In Berkeley for instance there are some near the bottom of the hill, and some at the top. Would people always use them to just go downhill? That would ensure that the program goes downhill too, unless they are transported back frequently using a carrier.
Or what when the city streets are crowded and it is hot? I am presently in Santiago, Chile for a LSST meeting. The two conditions - crowded and hot - definitely apply to Santiago. As I walked from my AirBnB to the faculty of Engineering for the meeting, I noticed such a bike-rack with 20 spots, and no bike in sight. It was 8:30 AM, and if you wanted a single bike you could not get it. Was the program abandoned? Were the bikes stolen?
After a longish day, I returned at 6(.37) PM and found that now there were a few bikes there. It wasn't all that bad then. At least some people were using the program. Then, like the locals, I went out for dinner late. When I returned at 11(.42) PM, 17 of the spots now had bikes. Clearly the program is a success. If anything, they need more bikes. Though the roads are crowded, like most civilized cities there are some bike lanes and people clearly take advantage of it. One of my colleagues at the faculty of Medicine mentioned that she bikes to work as well.
Go Santiago. Ride.
The bike rack. The building on the left is where I stayed. 13th floor, lovely views.
Or what when the city streets are crowded and it is hot? I am presently in Santiago, Chile for a LSST meeting. The two conditions - crowded and hot - definitely apply to Santiago. As I walked from my AirBnB to the faculty of Engineering for the meeting, I noticed such a bike-rack with 20 spots, and no bike in sight. It was 8:30 AM, and if you wanted a single bike you could not get it. Was the program abandoned? Were the bikes stolen?
After a longish day, I returned at 6(.37) PM and found that now there were a few bikes there. It wasn't all that bad then. At least some people were using the program. Then, like the locals, I went out for dinner late. When I returned at 11(.42) PM, 17 of the spots now had bikes. Clearly the program is a success. If anything, they need more bikes. Though the roads are crowded, like most civilized cities there are some bike lanes and people clearly take advantage of it. One of my colleagues at the faculty of Medicine mentioned that she bikes to work as well.
Go Santiago. Ride.
The bike rack. The building on the left is where I stayed. 13th floor, lovely views.
