Portland bike-sharing plan wins city transportation bureau OK

The Oregonian ^ | 8/16/2111 | Joseph Rose

[Greysard]

It costs around 30 bucks an hour to ride the bike

At this cost it's easier to get a cab:

1. The overall cost is the same
2. You don't need to sweat pedaling the thing
3. You can transport suitcases or boxes in a cab
4. You have far less chance to die under wheels of some truck
5. No $200 deposit required
6. Any origin, any destination (not tied to rental places)
7. Once you arrive you pay the driver and the contract is over. Rentals can always bite you long after the ride is finished
8. You arrive faster

[Poser]

This is just so dumb. We have had a bike sharing program in my college town for 10 years. The bikes are trashed and rusty and nobody ever uses them. The program was an abject failure.

If you let people use something for free, they will give it no value and have no problem treating the bikes like junk, which they will be after a few months.

[Mr. Bird]

I wasn't familiar with these programs until I read about the one here in DC about a month ago. I can't support the public funding of it. If it paid for itself, ok. If it had a substantial positive impact on the populace, I might be ok with it even if it were subsidized.

But, it is utilized by a very small minority whose presence may in fact hinder transportation in all the ways cyclists inadvertently gum up systems designed for automobiles.

With that said, if they extend the DC program into Arlington like they plan to, I will likely use it on occasion for trips too far to walk and too short to Metro.

[NorthStarStateConservative]

Or it’s better just to buy a BMX for 20 bucks at the local thrift store when you’re in town and donate it back when you’re done. That’s what I did when I was in Orlando and I needed to get around town.

[West Texas Chuck]

The bike shop I work for in Dallas is in the process of building 200+ bikes for San Antonio to run a similar program.

I forget the exact numbers, but I think we sold them Gary Fisher Tarpons for less than $300 each.

[bgill]

No thanks. I’d rather drive my gas guzzling SUV with tush friendly seats, A/C and that will carry more than a bic pen.

[vette6387]

Good old Portlandograd! Just like some of our cities in California, that have been taken over by Marxists from NYC and other Leftist cities on the East Coast. After they’ve succeeded in crapping up their birth nests, they move on for “cleaner” pastures.

[Greysard]

Or it’s better just to buy a BMX for 20 bucks at the local thrift store when you’re in town and donate it back when you’re done.

Absolutely; $20 for any length of "rental" time more than 40 minutes surely beats the $30/hr.

But I never had even a chance to consider such a way of locomotion - not since I was much younger :-) I don't travel much these days - doing zero flying at least, but making plenty of car trips, for fun and profit. When I used to fly for business (before 9/11) the company wouldn't even listen to such "nonsense" about bicycles. They would have me all set up by the minute - land, grab a rental car from Hertz, drive to company A, have a meeting there, drive to hotel B, go to a dinner meeting at restaurant C, etc. Time of employees is too expensive to waste; when on a business trip I was working harder than when in the office.