i bet the comments are very supportive.San Luis Native wrote: ↑Jul 03, 2017More (new?) info on Bi-State's push for bike share: http://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/al ... cdefe.html
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Might you be suggesting the average STL metro citizen is not as supportive of cycling as a means of transportation (and just plain fun) as say a Bay Area or Portlandia citizen? Well... You'd probably be right... But that doesn't mean it can't change in the futureurban_dilettante wrote: ↑Jul 03, 2017i bet the comments are very supportive.San Luis Native wrote: ↑Jul 03, 2017More (new?) info on Bi-State's push for bike share: http://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/al ... cdefe.html
Totally agree. I wonder tho how much they might consider bike share to be direct competition from a business standpoint? For example, I like to randomly take short trips (2-5 days) to various cities to check out how they're progressing from an urban development / built environment standpoint. I always try and use any combination of public transit, bike share, rent a bike or ride sharing and then will rent a car as a last option. Visiting Minn/St. Paul summer 2015 this worked AWESOME. Their bike share system was AWESOME. Did not once say "I wish we had a car" during the 4-5 days there.hiddeninput wrote: ↑Jul 03, 2017I have no inside or other information, but I think it would be cool if Enterprise, which considers itself a general transportation provider, stepped up as a big sponsor for bike sharing in St. Louis.
STL is pretty much only largish city not to startup a bikeshare system. Even Wichita started one this year. Omaha and Des Moines have decent systems. Milwaukee, Cincy, Cleveland, Columbus, Indy, Detroit all have it. KC's started in 2012 and is getting very good now, expanding north of river last month with more infill stations coming later this year.San Luis Native wrote: ↑Jul 04, 2017Might you be suggesting the average STL metro citizen is not as supportive of cycling as a means of transportation (and just plain fun) as say a Bay Area or Portlandia citizen? Well... You'd probably be right... But that doesn't mean it can't change in the futureurban_dilettante wrote: ↑Jul 03, 2017i bet the comments are very supportive.San Luis Native wrote: ↑Jul 03, 2017More (new?) info on Bi-State's push for bike share: http://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/al ... cdefe.html
For cities that may struggle to get started, starting small probably better way to go. STL is trying to start with 60 stations out of the gate. Would probably have better success starting just in CWE, Forest Park to Delmar Loop and then when people see it working sponsorship for expansion would come easier. STL could have done this years ago possibly w/out a fed grant. If STL doesn't get grant this round, might be the way to go.
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^Yep, agree. Seems starting small is a very reasonable idea.
If it's too small, it won't work.
It's supposed to be a point-to-point thing. There has to be a station near your origin and near your destination.
Fewer than maybe 30-40 stations is a waste, just to say we've got bikeshare.
For example, look at Indianapolis.
https://www.pacersbikeshare.org/station-map
There are effectively only a handful of stations and they're so close as to make it probably equally easy to walk than to go to the bike share station, click through a dozen screens, check out a bike and ride.
It's supposed to be a point-to-point thing. There has to be a station near your origin and near your destination.
Fewer than maybe 30-40 stations is a waste, just to say we've got bikeshare.
For example, look at Indianapolis.
https://www.pacersbikeshare.org/station-map
There are effectively only a handful of stations and they're so close as to make it probably equally easy to walk than to go to the bike share station, click through a dozen screens, check out a bike and ride.
There are several systems that have started small and have since grown. KC's started with 20 stations downtown and has since grown to Midtown/Westport, Plaza, Brookside, Waldo (about 70 blocks from downtown), recently North KC and later this year more infill stations. If you place the initial startup stations wisely it can work. IE place near key transit stops and then popular places that people want to go that is a bit of a walk from the stop.
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You need stations downtown to cater to tourists, out of towners, and complement the Metro.earthling wrote:STL is pretty much only largish city not to startup a bikeshare system. Even Wichita started one this year. Omaha and Des Moines have decent systems. Milwaukee, Cincy, Cleveland, Columbus, Indy, Detroit all have it. KC's started in 2012 and is getting very good now, expanding north of river last month with more infill stations coming later this year.San Luis Native wrote: ↑Jul 04, 2017Might you be suggesting the average STL metro citizen is not as supportive of cycling as a means of transportation (and just plain fun) as say a Bay Area or Portlandia citizen? Well... You'd probably be right... But that doesn't mean it can't change in the future
For cities that may struggle to get started, starting small probably better way to go. STL is trying to start with 60 stations out of the gate. Would probably have better success starting just in CWE, Forest Park to Delmar Loop and then when people see it working sponsorship for expansion would come easier. STL could have done this years ago possibly w/out a fed grant. If STL doesn't get grant this round, might be the way to go.
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Wherever the first area is, point being is you don't need to start with city-wide access or 60 stations for it to succeed. Many have started with 12-20 stations in just one area then expanded to more areas over time. When it hits one area, other areas see it working and want it, then it naturally grows and you also get more infill as companies/residential buildings may sponsor their own stations. It helps reduce need for larger Fed grants to get started, which STL is trying to do.
STL should target either Bcycle or Motivate as you can use a monthly/annual pass in other cities they operate. Motivate is not in many cities but is in NYC and Chicago. Bcycle is in a lot more cities and college towns, maybe 3X more than Motivate. Is nice to use my Bcycle pass in those cities. Dallas is trying a stationless system but it has a lot of logistical issues. STL should avoid stationless even though it's cheaper to startup.
If STL doesn't get the Fed grant, STL could maybe leverage Bcycle/Motivate to provide a 'demo' starter system with say 12 or so stations for a year at a low cost where the operator owns the stations/bikes. If it fails, the operator can use the stations/bikes in other cities. If it succeeds, the city or orgs can then buy those stations/bikes (or payback loaner startup over time) and expand from there.
STL should target either Bcycle or Motivate as you can use a monthly/annual pass in other cities they operate. Motivate is not in many cities but is in NYC and Chicago. Bcycle is in a lot more cities and college towns, maybe 3X more than Motivate. Is nice to use my Bcycle pass in those cities. Dallas is trying a stationless system but it has a lot of logistical issues. STL should avoid stationless even though it's cheaper to startup.
If STL doesn't get the Fed grant, STL could maybe leverage Bcycle/Motivate to provide a 'demo' starter system with say 12 or so stations for a year at a low cost where the operator owns the stations/bikes. If it fails, the operator can use the stations/bikes in other cities. If it succeeds, the city or orgs can then buy those stations/bikes (or payback loaner startup over time) and expand from there.
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oh, i support it 100%. and absolutely it can change--though i fear it's going to have to be forced. my other fear is that it will be too expensive to be useful. i used it occasionally in Boulder (B-cycle i think) to bike to the bus station and unless you bought a membership it was about $8 to take out a bike and then i think $3 per additional HALF hour.San Luis Native wrote: ↑Jul 04, 2017Might you be suggesting the average STL metro citizen is not as supportive of cycling as a means of transportation (and just plain fun) as say a Bay Area or Portlandia citizen? Well... You'd probably be right... But that doesn't mean it can't change in the future
but, yes, the average metro citizen will call it a waste of money that should be spent on highway interchanges because them.
As much as I hate to give all the attention to the central corridor, 10 to 20 stations from downtown to Clayton would make sense.
That might be spread too thin for large area and <20. Probably should start in just one area first - like Downtown first or CWE/Clayton area, not both if only 20 stations. Once one area kicks into gear, other areas will want it and may spur up sponsors. It's common in many cities to just start in one area. But if STL gets the Fed grant and able to start with 60, the more areas off the bat the merrier.urban_dilettante wrote: ↑Jul 05, 2017As much as I hate to give all the attention to the central corridor, 10 to 20 stations from downtown to Clayton would make sense.
Here are KC's Bcycle rates...urban_dilettante wrote: ↑Jul 05, 2017i used it occasionally in Boulder (B-cycle i think) to bike to the bus station and unless you bought a membership it was about $8 to take out a bike and then i think $3 per additional HALF hour.
https://kc.bcycle.com/top-nav-pages/rat ... hip/rates2
The more sponsors you have the more stations and potentially lower rates depending on how local operator wants to distribute. STL has the potential to build up a very robust system if sponsors get on board. KC started slow with only a few sponsors. There are a couple dozen sponsors now and expansion came with it.
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When in Minn/St. Paul buying a $6 all day pass with Nice Ride MN worked well. This gives you unlimited 30 minute rides for 24 hours. If you go over 30 minutes it's $3 per additional 30 minutes, but I don't recall ever going over the 30 minutes on a single ride. There were tons of stations all over. It was super easy to drop off a bike and pick up a new one.earthling wrote: ↑Jul 05, 2017Here are KC's Bcycle rates...urban_dilettante wrote: ↑Jul 05, 2017i used it occasionally in Boulder (B-cycle i think) to bike to the bus station and unless you bought a membership it was about $8 to take out a bike and then i think $3 per additional HALF hour.
https://kc.bcycle.com/top-nav-pages/rat ... hip/rates2
The more sponsors you have the more stations and potentially lower rates depending on how local operator wants to distribute. STL has the potential to build up a very robust system if sponsors get on board. KC started slow with only a few sponsors. There are a couple dozen sponsors now and expansion came with it.
MSP has a great system, one of first in US. Over 200 stations now after about 10 years operation. But it did start out much smaller.
Shooting self in foot STL. Bike share would complement LRT perfectly. STL seems to be only city that hasn't started a system...
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... b4e07.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... b4e07.html
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Getting a late start on bike share, maybe we should consider companies that "skips the unwieldy docking stations." Today's NY Times has this piece named, "Next Generation of City Bike Sharing Skips the Unwieldy Docking Stations".
https://nyti.ms/2vCRPO4
There are companies like one named Spin that use "GPS-tracked smart bikes that would rent for as little as $1 and did not have to be picked up or returned to fixed locations."
'Instead of heading to a docking station full of bikes, riders tap a mobile app to locate the closest bicycle left by a previous rider on a street or sidewalk, or in another public space. They typically scan a code on the bikes or punch in numbers to unlock the rear wheels. Once riders get where they are going, they find a place to park the bike, and lock the wheels again to deter theft.'
"In Dallas, which had struggled for years to fund a bike-share system, there are now about 300 dockless bikes. “I’ve been calling it ‘Bike Share 2.0,’” said Lee M. Kleinman, a Dallas City Councilman. “By dragging our feet, we ended up with the latest and greatest flavor of bike share instead of the legacy docking systems.”"
https://nyti.ms/2vCRPO4
There are companies like one named Spin that use "GPS-tracked smart bikes that would rent for as little as $1 and did not have to be picked up or returned to fixed locations."
'Instead of heading to a docking station full of bikes, riders tap a mobile app to locate the closest bicycle left by a previous rider on a street or sidewalk, or in another public space. They typically scan a code on the bikes or punch in numbers to unlock the rear wheels. Once riders get where they are going, they find a place to park the bike, and lock the wheels again to deter theft.'
"In Dallas, which had struggled for years to fund a bike-share system, there are now about 300 dockless bikes. “I’ve been calling it ‘Bike Share 2.0,’” said Lee M. Kleinman, a Dallas City Councilman. “By dragging our feet, we ended up with the latest and greatest flavor of bike share instead of the legacy docking systems.”"
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Bi-State Development, which operates Metro transit, has taken the lead on exploring bike share for the St. Louis region:
http://www.metrostlouis.org/nextstop/bi ... e-program/
Bi-State Development applied for a $1.4 million federal grant to seed a bike share program, but a staff committee of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments did not include bike share in its proposed list of grants, citing a lack of operations costs:
https://www.stlmag.com/health/can-a-bik ... -traction/
As of right now, Bi-State Development and its working group are evaluating a different approach, which may include issuing an RFP contract with a bike share vendor and growing the system as demand increases.
http://www.metrostlouis.org/nextstop/bi ... e-program/
Bi-State Development applied for a $1.4 million federal grant to seed a bike share program, but a staff committee of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments did not include bike share in its proposed list of grants, citing a lack of operations costs:
https://www.stlmag.com/health/can-a-bik ... -traction/
As of right now, Bi-State Development and its working group are evaluating a different approach, which may include issuing an RFP contract with a bike share vendor and growing the system as demand increases.
Chalupas54 wrote: ↑Aug 11, 2016Was in Omaha today, and saw that they had an extensive bike share network-something that STL doesn't have. Any plans on one for STL?
Dockless stations aren't working out too well in other cities. Bikes end up in private spaces or maybe just one bike scattered, which makes it difficult when 2+ people want to ride together. Lots of other issues. A solution would be to provide a registration for existing bike racks out there. Approved bike racks owned by others show up on the app's map. It would be much more organized while taking advantage of countless existing bike racks in cities.gary kreie wrote: ↑Aug 29, 2017Getting a late start on bike share, maybe we should consider companies that "skips the unwieldy docking stations." Today's NY Times has this piece named, "Next Generation of City Bike Sharing Skips the Unwieldy Docking Stations".
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That is great! I am a recent East Coast transplant and was very happy regarding how easy it is to bike around St. Louis. I've been biking to commute to work occasionally and mostly run errands on weekends. I was pleasantly surprised regarding how respectful drivers seem to be (didn't expect that from an ultra-car-centric city in the Midwest). A bike share program would do wonders in terms of creating a critical mass of cyclists that would then create incentives for local govt to invest in more bike lanes and induce drivers to be even more careful.
Maybe they can send some of those bikes over here.
https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... -arrogance
https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... -arrogance
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Why did anyone think dockless would be a good way to go? do they not understand the human race?
Dockless could work if using designated bike racks. The City could have a way for the public/businesses to register their own bike racks and dockless system records city approved locations and has it in their app. The bikeshare system could issue branding stickers to put on the racks, charge users if they don't return bike to a certified branded rack within a certain period. Not sure if any city is doing anything similar to this but seems like an obvious solution. Very cheap way to get into bikeshare but with some level of control. And it would encourage businesses to add bike racks.