Cycling in Melbourne Australia
The New bike share contract
As I'm sure you know, RACV-ALTA has just signed a contract to bring Bixi-style street rental bikes to Melbourne.
Bixis come from Montreal (The word is a combination of bike and taxi) where 5000 of the bikes have just finished a very successful summer, with millions of rides taken. These sturdy bikes are now spreading around the world. There will soon be Bixis in Boston, 6000 Bixis in London and, yes, 600 in Melbourne, well, maybe.
I found out there's a stumbling block. At the Melbourne Bike Futures Conference, where ALTA made a presentation, it was revealed that Bike Share has never been set up successfully in a city with compulsory helmets.
Why is that? The near impossibility of automatically dispensing a legal, sterilized, helmet on the street along with the bike.
In the movie I've made at the conference, viewable on my blog, And So To Bike, Http://datillo.wordpress.com/ Alison Cohen, presnting for ALTA, candidly admits the difficulties they face because of helmets .
There is no doubt for me that Bike Share would be a huge plus for any city, and it's no surprise that its speading around the world like a bushfire, despite the much publicised vandalism problems of the 30,000 Velibs in Paris.
. Bike share decongests cities, bike share brings in a whole new class of riders, people who've never thought of using a bike for transport before, now try doing so for free, and love it. (The first half hour is usually free)
Most importantly, bike share is making cycling safer, both by upping the number of bikes on the roads, and by bringing in the sit-up-and -beg style of bike (All bike share schemes use this type of bike)
Whilst they are solid, slow, and heavy, Bixis are safer because you see better, and are seen better. This is, after all, the way 89% of Eurpeans who are using bikes as transport, ride. And they, even without helmets, since it's always a choice in Europe, have less serious accidents than we do.
How ironic it would be if the only thing our Federal Govenrment has ever done for bike safety, namely bring in the compulsory helmet law, proves to be the one thing which prevents this far greater, in my opinion, contribution to safety, from hitting our roads.
In any case, true safety under the wheels, not on the head as they Dutch with their 29,000 kms, of bike ways and tiny accident rate, prove
Anyway, this is a drama which is just beginning ,and one we'll all be watching with great interest, I'm sure. Mike Rubbo
Bixis come from Montreal (The word is a combination of bike and taxi) where 5000 of the bikes have just finished a very successful summer, with millions of rides taken. These sturdy bikes are now spreading around the world. There will soon be Bixis in Boston, 6000 Bixis in London and, yes, 600 in Melbourne, well, maybe.
I found out there's a stumbling block. At the Melbourne Bike Futures Conference, where ALTA made a presentation, it was revealed that Bike Share has never been set up successfully in a city with compulsory helmets.
Why is that? The near impossibility of automatically dispensing a legal, sterilized, helmet on the street along with the bike.
In the movie I've made at the conference, viewable on my blog, And So To Bike, Http://datillo.wordpress.com/ Alison Cohen, presnting for ALTA, candidly admits the difficulties they face because of helmets .
There is no doubt for me that Bike Share would be a huge plus for any city, and it's no surprise that its speading around the world like a bushfire, despite the much publicised vandalism problems of the 30,000 Velibs in Paris.
. Bike share decongests cities, bike share brings in a whole new class of riders, people who've never thought of using a bike for transport before, now try doing so for free, and love it. (The first half hour is usually free)
Most importantly, bike share is making cycling safer, both by upping the number of bikes on the roads, and by bringing in the sit-up-and -beg style of bike (All bike share schemes use this type of bike)
Whilst they are solid, slow, and heavy, Bixis are safer because you see better, and are seen better. This is, after all, the way 89% of Eurpeans who are using bikes as transport, ride. And they, even without helmets, since it's always a choice in Europe, have less serious accidents than we do.
How ironic it would be if the only thing our Federal Govenrment has ever done for bike safety, namely bring in the compulsory helmet law, proves to be the one thing which prevents this far greater, in my opinion, contribution to safety, from hitting our roads.
In any case, true safety under the wheels, not on the head as they Dutch with their 29,000 kms, of bike ways and tiny accident rate, prove
Anyway, this is a drama which is just beginning ,and one we'll all be watching with great interest, I'm sure. Mike Rubbo
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maree Carroll on -
Put a canteen bandanna dispensing unit next to the bike dispensing unit and those who wish to ride without nits can support a charity at the same time?
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Permalink Reply by Mike rubbo on -
Can you flesh that out a bit, Maree? Who's your benefitting charity?
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Permalink Reply by Maree Carroll on
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CanTeen would be the benefiting charity. Their bandannas "raise millions towards the camps, services and programs that help young people living with cancer"
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Permalink Reply by trundlebug on -
I find this very exciting, but it can't possibly work with the existing mandatory helmet laws. Even if brain-buckets were supplied at the bike stations, they would be swiped if for no other reason than they'd be easily swipeable. And the bikes themselves are pretty snazzy. You'd want some pretty heavy duty docking facilities, but I guess the existing models would have gone through all the teething problems, which makes the helmet factor the sole threat to practical implementation.It seems bizarre that it should get to the contract stage without it being addressed. Or has it?
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Permalink Reply by Mike rubbo on
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It is indeed Bizarre, Trundlebug. True what you say about testing. The Montreal desingned Bixis, have been very thoroughly tested, and 5000 of them survived the summer very well. These are the same bikes as would come to Melb. The Paris Velibs have suffered a lot of vandalism. I would he bike would far here. Would there be a public pride in them or would they be seen as challenges to trash?
As for the helmet problem, What I find fascinating is that new stake holders who've hitherto taken no interest in cycling or helmets, are going to suddenly take notice. Tourist boards, chambers of commerce, merchants assoc, are all going to be asking, "why cant we have a flexible, tourist friendly bike share like everywhere else ?"
It really struck me riding around Sydney one sunny day and in 6 hours seeing only six other bikes. and yet ther were certainly thousands of tourists in the city that day, and not one on a bike.
hve a look at the film. it's called biking up the wrong tree and it's on my blog, And So To Bike, httep://datillo.wordpress,com/
it would be nice too if some of this discussion could take place on the blog too because the media may see it ere and pick up on the story. I've written to various parts of the ABC and directed them to the movies on my blog. Mike
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Permalink Reply by Steve Jay on -
The insanity that is Sydney traffic is as big a contributor to lower cycling levels. Trust me, coming from Hobart, and having seen cyclists in Sydney traffic, Melbourne is cycling heaven from this outsider's perspective. I don't think it's helmeting that discourages Sydney cycling.
I do believe helmeting will trip up the Bixis badly, sadly, and in Melbourne at least, I'd feel perfectly safe without a helmet in most parts, and would probably ride a little more sedately without one.
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Permalink Reply by Hielke on -
Pretty snazzy bike indeed, Trundlebug! I was able to ride one around Ottawa last June(?) and I must say I was pretty impressed. Much better experience than the one in Paris (bike quality wise). In fairness to Paris, the Ottowa bike scheme had just opened less than a fortnight it seems. I was inundated with questions from local Ottowanians wanting to know how it was. But if the fact that RACV is going to run this BIXI scheme here is not alienating enough, check the pics. Melbourne share bikes, brought to you by Rio Tinto and the RACV?
I hope the photos display alright. Cheers, Hielke
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Permalink Reply by Steve Jay on
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These look great and it's be a crying shame to see this fail because of helmet laws.
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Permalink Reply by Mike rubbo on
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They haven't failed yet, Steve. if a city wants them bad enough and there's a blockage, pressure on that blockage may well flush it out. that's simple physics. Mike
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Permalink Reply by Steve Jay on
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Sorry, early shift sleep deprivation, I meant that in a prospective sense, rather than a definite article. Should have been "it'd" rather than "it's"
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Permalink Reply by Steve Jay on
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Hopefully, as RACV-ALTA is part of the car lobby, they might successfully campaign for an exemption for bixi riders, which might be the thin edge of the wedge for getting the bucket laws repealed completely.
Meh, I'm dreamin'.
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Permalink Reply by Mike rubbo on
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How is the RACV thinking about this. Share bikes do cut down car us in cities. it's been impressive in cities. Wouldn't that worry them, or do they see it's time to back off before the car becomes even more hated by any?
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