Eyes on Milwaukee
Bike Share Launching in 2014
Phase I of bike share program will have at least 28 stations and 250 bikes, thanks to a federal grant.
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Phase I of bike share program will have at least 28 stations and 250 bikes, thanks to a federal grant. Back to the full article.
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Categories: Eyes on Milwaukee
Just phenomenal news. I got to see this system firsthand in Chicago last week. It will change how residents and tourists alike use our city. Can’t wait to become a member.
I love this for Milwaukee but saw them still out over the weekend. Please put them away for the winter so they don’t get ruined!
Will bike Share users be able to put the bikes on the streetcar?
@Dave K Generally yes streetcars allow bikes to be rolled right on.
Sheri,
I would hope that they don’t put the bikes away for winter at all. Chicago isn’t.
I wouldn’t mind them putting away the bikes at the current station this year, but only because I don’t see the point of having that station all alone in the first place. Once the system is up next year I will be very disappointed if they close for the winter. Only being available part time is like having a bus that will only take you _to_ work, you lose half of the cost but a lot more than half of the value.
Similarly, though it’s less important, I would want to see the hours shift from 4AM – 11PM to 24/7. However I assume that is just an artifact of the current station being in a county park, not relevant to the long term plan.
This is great news.
A good complement to this would be a well-thought-out system of downtown bike routes with destination signs. That would help entice users to go places they don’t normally think about.
A few years ago I attended a workshop in Montreal and used their bikeshare extensively in conjunction with their great system of protected bike lanes. One problem they had not solved was how to counteract the normal flow of bikes: in the morning from residences (and hotels, in my case) to workplaces and universities and in the opposite direction in the evening. This meant that bikes were scarce at the origin and racks were full at the destination.
This is great news! I can’t wait to surprise.
Is there a map of proposed station locations available yet?
Bruce, other cities have the same problem matching supply and demand. For example, people take commuter trains into Manhattan in the morning and then switch to a bike to their office. At Penn Station, Manhattan’s busiest train station, Citibike has 4 bike stations with total space for 117 bikes (!), but they often run out.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/308448-citi-bike-penn-station-so-popular-even-truckloads-bikes-arent-enough/
Washington DC has a team of “rebalancers” on staff who pick up bikes from full stations and truck them to empty ones.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/286934-bike-share-behind-the-scenes-rebalancers-keep-d-c-bike-docks-stocked/
It is great that these are coming to Milwaukee and have been a success in other cities. I wonder how they will actually be used in Milwaukee. Has anyone studied this? It seems that bike commuters here have bikes already, and with the ability to put them on the bus, it makes more sense to own and transport your own bike then to take the chance on the bike you may or may not get at the share rack. I know I am particular about performance as well on my ride and do not suffer needs for repairs well. Is there a map yet of proposed bike share locations? Will there be stations in the residential south, west, and north sides, or will they be primarily located downtown, thirdward, and east side? With the ultimate goal congestion mitigation, how does this work if the users are primarily tourists and those who already do not own cars? I think the potential is great, but the actual implementation will be important to realize that potential.
@John It is true that the initial stations will primarily run from Walker’s Point (2 stations I believe), downtown, Third Ward, and parts of the East Side, but as in other cities that doesn’t limit use to only tourists. For those who drive into the city for work bike-sharing works as a form of short trip transit. And it opens up short commuting to new riders that haven’t tried before (I believe we’ve seen this in NYC of all places). And for those of us who bike (might not always have it with you), walk, or take transit it expands our mobility options and distance.
As far of the specific locations that work is in process now (though a couple locations are known…i.e. NML).
Very exciting! hope they put in a Bay View location or two!