A bicycle built for sharing
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/bicycle...718/story.html
All eyes are on a pilot project designed to promote green travel downtown
BY CASSANDRA DRUDI, THE OTTAWA CITIZENJUNE 8, 2009 10:56 PM
Cassandra Drudi tests the NCC's new pilot project of a bike-sharing system.
Photograph by: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — I’m cycling east on Rue Laurier in Gatineau, coming up to the light at Rue Elisabeth-Bruyère when a young woman crossing the street spots me on my silver bike.
“How does it ride?” she asks, after taking her headphones out.
I’ve been on this step-through commuter for about two minutes, having just picked it up at a bike-share station by the Museum of Civilization. I’ve only just figured out that the gears change with a grip-shifter on the right handlebar.
An authoritative answer on my part right now seems a bit premature.
“Not bad,” I say. “It’s pretty good.”
“Interesting,” she says, then thanks me before popping the bud back in her right ear and continuing on her way.
I pick up my pace and continue east, turning right to cross the river at the Alexandra Bridge, the wooden slats of its bicycle and pedestrian crossing rattling under the wide tires as I make my way from one province, and one bike-share station, to another.
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It’s not exactly usual for someone to stop and ask me how my bike rides. But the silver step-through commuter I was riding Monday is not exactly a usual bike.
It’s called a Bixi, and is one of a fleet of 50 bikes available for public use through a trial bike-share program the NCC is running in conjunction with the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau.
The trial run, which started Monday and runs until the end of September, is part of a feasibility study for a permanent program that could start in 2010 and is designed to promote green methods of travel within the urban core.
As well as the bike-share station at Laurier and Victoria streets in Gatineau, there are stations at Promenade du Portage and Laval Street in Gatineau, Sussex Drive and York Street and Elgin Street and Lawrence Freiman Lane, near the National Arts Centre, where users can pick up and return their rides.
The bikes are utilitarian commuters, with a step-through frame that could accommodate a full skirt, and a wire basket in front of the handlebars that fit my laptop bag without a problem. A sturdy elastic holds bags in place, and the extra weight on the front had no noticeable effect on the steering.
It’s a solidly-framed bike with three mid-level gears up to the task of running errands in the city or pedalling along pathways at a respectable pace.
Outfitted with a bell and flashing front and back lights powered by pedalling, the only safety item missing is a helmet.
The bikes that have just hit the streets are the same as those on offer in Montreal, which launched its bike-share program in May. By June 7, the service was expected to have 3,000 bikes at 300 stations. Over the first 16 days, about 26,000 trips were taken using the system. In late May, about 100 new monthly subscribers were joining daily, and 2,200 people had signed up for monthly ($28) or annual ($78) subscriptions.
The Bixi was inspired by similar systems in France. Vélib, the Paris bike-share system, started in July 2007 and clocked one million rentals in its first 18 days. It has a citywide fleet of 20,000 bikes docked in 1,450 stations.
Although much used, the bikes have also fallen prey to vandals, with more than 7,500 bikes stolen and more than 11,500 damaged since the program launched.
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It’s too soon to guess what kind of use the 50 bikes in the trial run will see. I can say that three people rented bikes from the Elgin station as I was returning mine, and most pedestrians slowed to take a good look at them.
I took the Bixi out three times for a grand total of $3 — the fee for access to the bikes for 24 hours. I rode from the Museum of Civilization to the NAC. After returning the bike and taking it out again to test- drive the basket, I rode from the NAC along the canal to Pretoria Bridge and back.
I tried unsuccessfully to print a receipt, and was only able to find out how much I’d spent after calling the customer service number.
Just as with the Montreal and Paris programs, the first 30 minutes of riding is free. After that, the cost rises rather quickly: the second 30 minutes is an additional $1.50, $3 for the third, and $6 for the fourth and each subsequent 30-minute block.
If you’re taking the bicycle out for a quick jaunt, you’re not likely to exceed the first free half-hour. Theoretically, you could take a Bixi out for any number of errands over the course of a day and have your wallet only $3 lighter by the end of it.
The results of the feasibility study are expected in the fall. While the trial run is under way, users are encouraged to submit their feedback online at
www.ottawa-gatineau.
bixi.com.
How to rent a bike
1. Go to one of the four bicycle-share stations, located at Laurier and Victoria streets in Gatineau (near the Museum of Civilization), Promenade du Portage and Laval Street in Gatineau, Elgin and and Lawrence Freiman Lane (right by the NAC), and York and Sussex in the ByWard Market area.
2. Approach the pay station, credit card at the ready.
3. Follow the prompts that take you through 47 screens worth of terms and conditions. Touch the checkmark icon to say you agree.
4. Swipe your credit card.
5. If this works — and don’t make the mistake of leaving your credit card in the machine, as this does not result in a successful transaction — the next screen will read: “Code to unlock bike: print or view.”
6. If you choose print, you get a paper copy of the five-digit code that releases a bicycle from the station of your choosing. If you choose view, you have to remember the number.
7. Go ahead and choose a bicycle. Enter the five-digit code on the keypad to the left of the front wheel.
8. When the light above the keypad turns green, the bike is ready for release. Pull the bicycle out assertively and you’re ready to roll.
What it costs
• $3 for 24-hour access to the Bixi system, subject to the hours of the bike stations, which are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• The first 30 minutes of riding is free.
• The second half-hour is an additional $1.50
• The third half-hour is an additional $3
• The fourth and any subsequent 30-minute blocks cost an additional $6
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