Trail Cruiser
Well-Known Member
Law makers should focus on this more serious issue rather than bother the private (non business) ebike owners.
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Bike share emerging problem that needs to be regulated before it gets out of hand.
- Thread starter Trail Cruiser
- Start date
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p0ppyman
Guest
I'm curious what their city permitting process included. You would think this should have been discussed on the front end before permits were issued. Then a pilot should have been conducted before the final permit was issued.
We have Chase pedal bike share in San Francisco where you have to rent from a dock and return to a dock. That system works well.
We have Lime Bike here in San Mateo. They are not docked. They have a cafe lock which is controlled through an app. People leave them strewn all over the place. If we could just get people to set them on their kickstands at the curb in the street it would be a big improvement. People in San Mateo are starting to complain from what I can tell reviewing network neighborhood.
I hope in our area things get sorted out. If the bikes were self driving they could take you to your house or intended location and then take themselves to the nearest dock that had capacity to dock itself. That would be a good solution.
We have Chase pedal bike share in San Francisco where you have to rent from a dock and return to a dock. That system works well.
We have Lime Bike here in San Mateo. They are not docked. They have a cafe lock which is controlled through an app. People leave them strewn all over the place. If we could just get people to set them on their kickstands at the curb in the street it would be a big improvement. People in San Mateo are starting to complain from what I can tell reviewing network neighborhood.
I hope in our area things get sorted out. If the bikes were self driving they could take you to your house or intended location and then take themselves to the nearest dock that had capacity to dock itself. That would be a good solution.
Ann M.
Well-Known Member
Most cities have not designed their major districts & downtown areas with bicycles in mind; that has come from public pressure to retrofit the streets & walkways to accommodate bikes. The lack of racks where renters could park & lean these free range ebikes adds to the problem. Why people are so unconscious of sharing sidewalk spaces with others is beyond understanding; however, when there's no readily apparent place to put these bikes and no repercussions for misuse enforced by the bike rental companies then these problems cascade.
In Austin TX bikes & escooters (except for a handful of Segways) were not permitted to ride or be on the downtown business district sidewalks. The logic for this was to was to keep the space open and safe for pedestrians and small outdoor cafes and reduce car traffic. This was blatantly ignored by the dockless ebike & escooter companies who have bullied their way onto the sidewalks without contributing to infrastructure to support it.
In Austin TX bikes & escooters (except for a handful of Segways) were not permitted to ride or be on the downtown business district sidewalks. The logic for this was to was to keep the space open and safe for pedestrians and small outdoor cafes and reduce car traffic. This was blatantly ignored by the dockless ebike & escooter companies who have bullied their way onto the sidewalks without contributing to infrastructure to support it.
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p0ppyman
Guest
Seems now that I have purchased an ebike for commuting I'm more aware of the lack of infrastructure including racks or poles designed to help you secure your bike. I've had a road bike for years but only used it for weekend rides so I never paid much attention to available bike infrastructure.
Today I want to ride my pedal road bike to Costco to pick up my eye glasses. I can't count on them to have a bike rack. I do get it though, Costco being a big box store you would expect there not to be a lot of people riding bikes to shop.
So I'm now motivated to see which group(s) I can find and join in my city who work with city government to keep bike infrastructure interests of the bike community in front of them.
And as to the issue of people just getting off their Lime Bikes and laying them across a person's lawn, or in the middle of the side walk, all I can say is people are often thoughtless and inconsiderate of others.
Ann M.
Well-Known Member
p0ppyman, I've found that when folks seek out a solution to an issue rather than just grumping a lot good creative thinking and conversations can happen. I'm sure your city will have several groups like our Texas Bike Coalition, Bike Austin, etc. Don't be bashful about reaching out via email & phone calls to Costco's corporate offices with a request for bike racks in a safe, well lit area. Also consider asking to speak with the manager of your local Costco and speak with that person about benefits of ebiking and how you and others would appreciate racks & lights. You might be surprised to find a positive response to this since it's not particularly expensive for big corporations to do these small things and it helps them fulfill corporate civic duty. Sometimes it's about helping them with the awareness of the value in what you request.
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p0ppyman
Guest
Great advice Ann.
Trail Cruiser
Well-Known Member
I would not be surprised if some of these bikes find their way to the USA. Just convince some susceptible US local politicians (wink wink) to allow them to operate in their cities.
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Nova Haibike
Well-Known Member
Here in Washington D.C., the dockless bikeshare company Ofo has ceased operation, citing the local government's restriction on the number of bikes they can have. The bikes are being donated to a local non-profit bicycle co-op.
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