Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
snow is one thing, ice is quite another. i'm a year round bike commuter here in chicago, but when ice season comes around, i won't roll unless i have the safety and security of my my studded winter tires on my winter bike. i had taken some nasty spills on ice in the past before i got wise about studded winter tires.
but the whole winter bike thing in cold winter cities does bring up the problem of what people who become accustomed to using these bike share systems are supposed to for the 4-5 months when they're shut-down. real transportation solutions need to be available all year long, because people's lives go on all year long.
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People will deal with it as they always do. Lots of cyclists in Chicago currently only ride during the warmer months and drive or take transit during winter.
I think bikesharing isn't really well-suited for
commuting in Chicago unless you live in the central area or you ride into the central area using transit. Very few people will use a bikeshare bike to ride from Wrigleyville to a West Loop job, for example, but they might ride the Brown Line to Merchandise Mart and pick up a bike there for the final leg as an alternative to walking or the confusing tangle of buses.
It's also a great option for trips that don't go to the downtown... if you're riding from DePaul to Wicker Park, for example, it's a pain in the ass to go by transit even though the distance isn't huge.
I'm sure there are similar situations in other cities - bikesharing isn't a primary transportation method for many people, but it's convenient for occasional short trips and it helps make dense neighborhoods more cohesive by filling in the gaps that major transit lines can't serve very well.
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