a midway bikelog

Montreal has debuted a new shared bicycle program called Bixi, and it’s the most ambitious and advanced project like this yet. It’s getting some good ink (pixels? bits?) in the New York Times and Salon, and it sound very promising.

They’ve made some improvements on the bikes and infrastructure over the Vélib system used in Paris, making the bikes and racks more robust, and designing the bike stations to be portable. The stations are solar powered and connect to the mother ship by wifi, so they can be stored away for winter (as they’re planning), or moved to different parts of the city as usage patterns evolve. This would also allow them to cluster stations together for special events, which might come in handy for say, jazz fans.

Another key element in the system that should help improve overall longevity is the payment system. Users can use the bikes hourly by checking one out from the station with a credit card, or by buying a season pass. The first half hour is free, and it’s $1.50 CDN per half hour up to $5, so rates are very low. The card used has a deposit held on it until the bike is returned, so chances of theft are greatly reduced (except for those paying with stolen cards). The sheer number of stations (300 to start with) means that users will be more likely to just check the bike back in after a trip, so locking bikes during a trip is less of a concern. Season pass owners get a chip-encoded key to unlock bikes, and that key is tied to their account, so again, the bike user is known and tracked.

The bikes and stations are a new design for enhanced durability and parts theft-resistance. They sound similar to the Coasting bikes that Shimano has been promoting here, featuring a dynohub and built-in LED lighting, except with a mechanically-shifted hub gear rather than the auto shifting mechanism. I like this idea too, it’s sound design for city riding, and helps with the idea that a commuting bike should be complete with things like lights, a rack and fenders.

It’ll be interesting to see how these systems come into use as they’re tested in US cities. Tourist spots and areas with easily walkable commercial districts will likely be successful amongst shoppers and perhaps bar-hoppers. It’s a big investment, but one that could be very effective in increasing the visibility of cycling and the further improvements in cycling infrastructure. After all, the more people who get on a bike, the more people there are to want to bike more and further.

What i’d do though? Bixi alleycat. Start at one station, and make a route to tag a handful of bike stations along the way. Racers must complete alleycat-style checkpoints, plus swap bikes at stations along the way, ending up back at the beginning.