Awesome news!

Now all we need to do is make some proper segragated bike lanes, something beyond just painting a bike shaped logo on the side of the road.

The prices seem a bit out of wack. $5 for 30 mins, $78 for a year? Seems like one should be cheaper or the other more expensive.

It is $5 for a day. You can use bikes for 30 minutes at a time for no extra charge throughout the 24 hour period. It is $78 for the 7 months a year it is running in Montreal.

I just tried the bicycles out at Science World, very cool. They're easy to ride like cruisers, have 3 speeds (the first gear is for going up hills, the second gear is go on flats, the third gear is for going fast on flats/going down hills). You don't have to wear full out bicycle attire to ride these, whether you're in a full out business suit or in beach wear, these bicycles look good and work either way.

Membership is $78 a year or $28 a month or $5 a day and your first half hour of EACH RENTAL is free. For example, I get off at Waterfront Station, get a Bixi, ride 8 minutes to a station near my work, and return it. That ride is free. I get a Bixi at 10am to go to a client meeting in Gastown, 15 minutes there, that's free. Return trip is free. Going to Waterfront to commute home is free. The first 30 minutes is free to encourage short frequent trips. The next 30 minute of a trip is $1.50. Say I want to ride around Stanley Park, that takes about 40 minutes. $1.50 is a heckuva lot cheaper than using the rental shops. The third 30 minute period is $3.00, the fourth and subsequent is $6.00, I don't see anyone using a Bixi for more than an hour at a time though.

http://www.bixi.com/subscription-and-fees/online

I can really see this program taking off in Vancouver, especially for those who aren't hardcore cyclist but need a good, quick, recreational way of getting around casually, like me. I wish I had a bicycle downtown to quickly ride from Waterfront to work as walking and bussing both take way too long.

Are helmets provided?

That's the law they should just get rid of.

Agreed. A compromise may to make it required for children and optional for adults.

Does Montreal have this law?

One thing I noted on Buzzer Blog comment:

Either:

1.) Scrap the helmet law and instead have a waiver that any cyclists suffering from head injuries and not wearing a helmet will not have their medical expenses covered by MSP, nor will the City of Vancouver or any municipality or Bixi or any other bicycle rental shop or the manufacturer or anyone else be liable.

2.) Include a helmet rental system with the bikes, which may not be easy to implement.

It was easy enough to carry a helmet with me today, they’re feather light but just really bulky.

If enough people stopped wearing helmets... it would be impossible to enforce.

Checked out the biki demo at lunch, its really well done.
The bikes had City of Montreal logo and Montreal on the side.
The stands are 100% portable so no excavation
The pay station on the stands are 100% solar with wireless internet for credit transactions.
They look heavier than they feel.

Biki + Vancouver streetcar = no need for car downtown

no need for car downtown = phase-out smaller sidestreets?

The sidestreets/alleys are necessary for deliveries and garbage collection among other things. A lot of parkades enter/exit in the alley. You can reduce vehicular traffic but you'll never completely eliminate it.

I'm in Montreal temporarily and returning to Vancouver in 3 weeks. Bixi is one of the things that I will miss most in Montreal. I use it everyday to get to and from work. So much cheaper than a monthly metro card and way less boring. If and when they introduce it in Vancouver, I could see myself riding skytrain a lot less (I'll ride when it's raining, so maybe not that much less).
I am such a huge fan of the bixi system, I'd like to see it implemented before any other transit initiative (streetcar, skytrain extensions, etc...)
If Montreal can earn profit or break even (yet to be determined) when operating it around 6 months of the year, imagine the possibilities in a city like Vancouver where this could operate year round, you have higher or similar density, and a general population that is more active. This would be a HUGE hit in Vancouver. I can't wait.

how much to try it out there? and when is there till?

The demo at Science World? It's a free demo, just bring a helmet and ID, you can ride for 15 minutes before they hunt your arse down with the bike's built in GPS. :)

they were talking about it on the peak 100.5 yesterday - anyone go down?

I'm sure people were saying that about the horse 100 years ago.

And what has changed? The horse has become many horses in a compact area and the fuel has changed from water and hay to fossil fuels. Otherwise, it is still the same vehicle with more creature comforts.

Everything.