Posts tagged Sharing

In early summer this year launched the Ajuntament (Council) of Barcelona, the first phase of a new initiative developed the transport network to provide an inexpensive, convenient and environmentally friendly solution to an increasingly crowded subway and bus system in the city was Barcelona.
It seemed an innovative and progressive solution. Residents would register online and for a modest fee of 24 euros per year in order would be a 12-month membership smart card, which will enable them, one bicycle for up to 2 hours by a borrowing of 100 strategically located bike stations outside U-Bahn and bus stops and heavy traffic areas in the zones of the city’s main arteries.
All users would have to do is swipe their card to their next bike station to unlock a bike from the rack. With a free half hour to the bike to any station in the city return, and a modest € 30 cent fee for the additional half-hour intervals seems, the idea of affordable and clever.
But affordable and clever seem the properties that have led to problems with the system. Encouraged by the offer of half price entry fee to 6 July, had signed up 80,000 users in the first three months. Great have a strong public reaction, but not so great if the system currently supports only 1,500 bikes.
Another major obstacle is an obvious underestimation of the demand for space back in popular areas such as La Rambla and the beach area Barceloneta. Users report of frustration when trying to return to shelves already full of bikes with no available return space, and no other choice but to ride and hope that it will make room for their bike at the next station.
Damaged bicycles, also proving to be a hassle. Designed to be lightweight and easy to ride, many bikes are quickly rendered unusable due to slipping transmission, faulty brakes and broken lights and bells.
“It is not unusual roll up to a rack with several bicycles, only through the screen, none of them available, because they are defective,” says Gemma, who I meet at the bike rack on the bottom of the Rambla de Raval be told.
“It is not uncommon to take a bike off the shelf and return to it, because the gears are slipping or shaking the seat. Many times has this happened to me and I have to find it again only it was the only available bicycle. ”
While the Bicing site has a real-time count of how many bikes are available at each station, the stations themselves do not. Gemma’s options then go to the next station and hope that there are bikes available, or wait at the station in the hope that someone return their bike soon. “Not exactly cheap, if you to be somewhere,” she says.
Gemma does not seem to be the only one with frustrations. On a hot Sunday afternoon, I watched as three Bicing que Hopefulls sigh when another driver does not return to her rack her bike. The next three bicycle I pass, none of which are empty, have to wait even people.
Lucas, second in line to me says he only waited 20 minutes. Then adds that in this 20 minutes, he could’ve reached your destination, if he had caught the subway.
Although the check to support trucks seen circulating the city, and maintain the bicycles and again shuffle distribution, if you are full and others are empty, but it does not seem fast enough to meet the demand, will work.
Another user told Daniel that he did not use the wheel when he go to work, a meeting or something important. “They’re too un-reliable, so I only with them on weekends, when I go to save time,” says he to have. “It’s a good idea. A nice way to take the city, but I do not think the original purpose of Bicing was meant to be for recreational activities.”
Daniels is speculation by the words of the Spanish Minister for the Environment, Cristina Narbona supported when, during a publicity event in May, she visited the Plaza Catalunya in Bicing Rack: “It is a good measure to combat climate change and thus contributes to sustainability in the big cities, “she said.
She added that the combination would be using public transport systems already exist, Bicing help to reduce emissions through the City’s residents. A valid motivation, perhaps, but if the reality of the system inefficiency and unreliability, is it really possible that Bicing is long enough to be in a position to make a difference?
Early studies in Amsterdam and Cambridge were abandoned in the UK, theft of bicycles and poor management saw the system to collapse before it could catch on in popularity enough to further investment in the idea of making a possibility.
In an article in the Spanish newspaper El Pais, a spokesman for the Barcelona de Servicios Municipales published says: “I dont believe that there is a serious imbalance between supply and demand. In any case, the service is still not 100% operational.”
That may be so, but this alone raises the question as to why the release of the Bicing was not planned better to the public’s reaction will be managed? Originally level one and two of the plan was to see the release of only 750 motorcycles. Ahead of schedule, had provided more Bicing new stations completed and published more bicycles than expected data.
It seems the least developed Adjuntament seriously underestimated the demand for the niche of the public transport system in order to fill the bikes were.
Barcelona is not the first European city to launch a public bike-sharing system. Models like those in Paris, on 15 July will be released with an initial release of 10,600 bicycles and 750 stations, set to be launched, be doubled by early 2008.
Unlike Bicing in Barcelona, the system is in Paris a prepaid system. Users must not only register their credit card details, but also a pre-paid security deposit and advance payment “credit” for bicycles, which increased if the user has expired before they can rent again. The bikes are also a lock and alarm system to be activated when the bike is not returned in time to deter theft and damage to the bikes are mounted.
The system is also more expensive in Paris, with half hour increments after the first free being calculated at 1 EUR. The organizers of Velib what “free bike” in French, developed the model of Paris initiated as a process, the first successful in Lyon.
Advertising company JC Decaux, operators reported the two systems start up and development in Lyon, but after a few glitches, the system is now running successfully, leading to the development of the model in Paris.
One of the biggest problems in Lyon was the theft of almost half the original fleet of 2,000 bikes, but this is for the construction of the upfront deposit, which Paris is from the first day of its activity led to enforcement. If a bike is not returned within 24 hours will forfeit the security deposit will be, and the user card de-activated.
It seems that by more responsible users of the system, the company succeeded in reducing the damage and theft to induce the fleet. Today is the system in Lyon is to double the fleet size, it starts with, and run less loss of profit due to misuse and theft.
The Paris branch is largely funded by pre-paid advertising space, so that the company start the project with a much larger fleet and the relatively short turn around time for increasing its size by next year. Obviously, the organizers have learned some valuable lessons and are preparing for a smooth start this month in Paris.
While it would be unfair to expect the city council of Barcelona, that the resources and experience of JC Decaux, we can only hope that the Ajuntament will learn from his mistakes, and the public interest in Bicing remains long enough to make up for the Council to offer and demand. With plans to expand operations Bicycle for tourists in the coming months include his work cut out Bicing has to sort out these initial problems.
Prior to his bicycle, Gemma said to me: ‘I it works, hope, because this city is really carried out, to be experienced on the bike. Its so nice to ride around in the sun with the fresh sea air. ”
The public reaction really shows that people want to use the service. Let’s hope the Ajuntament of Barcelona may lose the training wheels and allow the smooth ride Bicing in the future.