Of all places, China seems like the last that would need a snazzy bike-sharing system. But officials are indeed kicking off a cycling scheme, similar to the Velib program in Paris, in hopes of getting people moving by pedal power.
Shanghai transit authorities launched the new system to coincide with World Car Free Day a couple weeks ago, and they're looking to get the citizens excited for the theme of the 2010 World Expo, "Better City, Better Life."
To encourage short trips and fast turnover the first half hour will be free; you'll pay up to three yuan (50 cents) an hour after that. There's also a 200 yuan ($29) deposit per rental, as a friendly reminder that, uh, it's not your bike.
John McCain and Barack Obama may be sparring over the best ways for America to burn even more fossil fuels, but come convention time--August 25-28 for Dems and September 1-4 for the GOP--bike sharing will be the way to go thanks to the Freewheelin program.
Sponsored by the healthcare company Humana and the non-profit group Bikes Belong, Freewheelin is a free cycle sharing scheme that will both provide transportation during the events and introduce policy makers and journalists to the idea of public bikes. Each city will have about eight locations for 1,000 bikes, and they'll be available from roughly 7 am to 7 pm. (Just a couple weeks out, the exact details are still a little sketchy.)
You'll need to register for the program before you get to town; you can do that here.
Yesterday we happily posted about Velib Bikes and the transformative effect they've had on Paris. But it's hardly the only bike-sharing program in the world; lots of other European cities offer similar schemes.
Instead of covering them all ourselves, we rely on The Bike-Sharing Blog, an aggregator of public cycling news from a consulting firm that specializes in the subject. Perhaps the coolest thing they've put together? A bike-sharing world map that tracks which cities have programs and gives links to those individual websites. Find it embedded after the jump.
Happy belated birthday, Velib! The Parisian bike-sharing program turned one on July 15, and things are still going gangbusters with 1,451 stations, 20,600 bicycles and 3 million subscribers. There's even an iPhone app to help you find the Velib locations closest to you.
While haters will point out that a few dozen people have been injured and even killed while touring the city on Velibs, the environmental impact of the cycle-sharing scheme can't be denied. Biking advocates on the other hand wax poetic about how much nicer the program has made the city for residents and visitors alike.
After the jump, a well-done video about Velib's first year.
In April, we mentioned a new bike-sharing program in Washington, DC that was supposed to start in May. Judging from this snapshot we took on the corner of 7th Street NW and F Street NW, that launch date has been pushed back.
Whenever it finally gets going, the Clear Channel-sponsored bike program will start small, with just 120 bikes at 10 rental kiosks throughout the city. (Here's map of the rental locations.)
We wonder, though, how useful the SmartBike DC program will be to visitors. So far, rentals are only available via a $40 yearly subscription.
We know all about Paris' Velib bike rental program, but as it turns out, the City of Light isn't the only European destination with a biking obsession. Barcelona, Seville and Stockholm all have bike rentals available, though the Spanish programs seem like a bit more of a hassle than they might be worth.
In Barcelona, the scheme is called Bicing and will cost you €1 for a weekly subscription and about $1 an hour after your first, free 30 minutes. You'll have to register for the rentals before arriving in Spain, unless you're planning to be there awhile and don't mind waiting for your rental card to show up.
Seville's program is Sevici, and it's €5 for a weekly subscription with small charges added for riding time. Its burly bikes are more reminiscent of Paris', while the Barcelona bikes are a bit lighter duty.
That same style of bike is also in play in Stockholm, where the rental season is set to wrap up this Wednesday. While that may seem like bad news, do you really want to be riding on two wheels in the dark, frigid Swedish winter? Better to wait until next April when the program restarts with more bikes and more stations all over the city.
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by kjb
