Bringing Bike Sharing to Phoenix
Our solution addresses the rising concerns of traffic, pollution, and health in the city of Phoenix. By implementing a bike share system, we can reduce the number of cars on the road, which decreases traffic and pollution, and increase physical activity and general health of Phoenix citizens. Using the system, users can check out a bike from kiosks placed at convenient locations throughout the city. The bike can then be ridden to other kiosks at other destinations, where it is checked back in. Target locations for bike rental kiosks include restaurants, museums, places of business, and large residential complexes. The bikes use GPS tracking and unique frame design to deter theft. Users have the option of purchasing a day pass or an annual membership. In order for the system to be successful, kiosks at many locations are needed to ensure availability and usability for riders.
Send us an email at RideAndBikeAZ@gmail.com
Hi, my name is Meghana and I am part of Ignite@ASU. If you don’t know who we are, I highly encourage you check out our website igniteasu.com. We are looking for students, staff, and community members who have creative ideas to come speak at Ignite@ASU. We want you to be able to connect with the community and spread your great ideas with people all throughout ASU!
Ignite @ ASU is a public event on April 4th, 2012 in downtown Phoenix for great thinkers and doers to gather, share ideas, connect with others and create change. It features rapid-fire 5 minute presentations that bring ASU students, faculty, staff and community members together to build more connected, vibrant communities.
Our theme this semester is "The Evolution of Community." This topic was chosen so that it can encompass a wide range of topics, from architecture to social media. I think that your topic is complementary to our theme and would make an excellent presentation. As we are also trying to push sustainable transport and farming during the event, I think that your idea would fit right in.
To apply and learn more, visit igniteasu.com or contact me at myanaman@asu.edu. Submissions due on March 1st by 11:59 pm.
Application takes less than 10 minutes.
Great Idea !! It is very beneficial for our community.
This link might be helpful,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogXT_CI7KRU
I applaud this idea. Have seen documentaries regarding Amsterdam's solution and for other cities as well. It is an option well worth implementing.
Some of us seniors who are not as steady as we used to be would consider this an option if the program could provide three-wheeled bikes.
Comments?
Great idea! An awesome platform to check out is the bike share system used in Minneapolis (https://www.niceridemn.org). This is affordable, highly utilized, and seems to be very sustainable. Just an idea. Keep up the good work
Love this solution. It's done in many European countries and has the full power of being successful if done correctly
Check out Eco-Bici in Mexico City. It's a fairly new bike share program but is fully functional and quite popular with users for a number of reasons (especially that it's often the fastest option in rush hour).
This is a really great idea, however I'm not too sure the execution will be as wonderful. Establishing it is one thing, but getting people to utilize it is another. Arizona summer cannot really be compared to winter. I understand that mornings and evenings might be cooler, however a couple degrees cooler from 'extremely hot' is still pretty hot. And Arizona summer's temperature starts in March and doesn't end until near the beginning of November. Plus, many (if not most) riders will quickly realize that the heat from the sun and the heat they are creating from their body will probably not be beneficial to their immediate appearance, especially if they are going to a job, interview, or anything else that requires a proper appearance.
Also you suggested that the pricing "encourages users to use the bikes for not more than half an hour at a time." I am a little curious as to how this would benefit (or even work) for people with jobs that have shifts longer than 30 minutes and cannot return a bike?
Hi Chris and Michael. Thanks for your comments.
Regarding bike safety and encouraging our users to obey the law, we are considering the idea of increasing our annual membership rates, but offering a discount to users who take an online bike safety and laws course (e.g. if the membership was previously $70, we'll make it $90, but with a $20 discount to users who complete the course. Hopefully, by educating users, we can increase safety.
Regarding the weather, yes. It is a big concern. Will users want to use it during the day? We don't know. However, statistics from other successful bike shares have shown casual (non-commuter) riders to be a more profitable demographic. People may still be interested in borrowing a bike to go to a concert or to dinner or to a baseball game at night during the summer. Additionally, with regards to the Minneapolis program, because their winter road conditions are actually unsafe for bikers, they remove the bikes from the streets from December through March, effectively running the program for 8 months of the year, but still operate a successful program. If, after the first year of operation, we find that bike usership decreases in the summer in such a way that the program is not profitable, it may be possible to run the program September through May.
Finally, regarding the pricing. The system is structured such that a user checks out a bike from a kiosk at his starting point and returns it to a kiosk at or near his destination, thus, he is only charged for his transit time. Obviously, this means there is a chance that all of the bikes will be checked out when he goes to leave work, but this is why it is important for us to have many kiosks with many bikes at many locations.
I hope I answered your questions satisfactorily. If not, I would be happy to provide further information.
One Comment on Weather: For several years I commuted 35 minutes, each way, by mountain bike (high rolling friction) in Phoenix-Tempe carrying myself (180 lbs) and 25 pounds of books. The route was fairly level, ridden at 12 mph, on the roadways and the sidewalks, with a 7:30 a.m. and a 4:00 p.m. leg. The weather never bothered me, except in February during the first 5 minutes of the ride when I froze, not wanting to wear extra clothing in anticipation of the ride home.
One comment on Conditioning: As I worked up to the commute, I found it invaluable to use the bike-carrying function of the bus system--at first biking a quarter of the way, then the full morning distance, etc. Ensuring-expanding the role of the bus system as a way to make longer bike commutes, or salvage a cut-short commute might be a useful part of your plan.
One comment on Laws of the Road: I bike a lot, still, and I do not respect riders who don't obey the law--pedaling through intersections against the light, or without stopping at a stop sign, when no cars are coming; riding on the wrong side of the road; shifting suddenly between "pedestrian" status and vehicle status (say to make a left turn at a red light by pedaling to the right side of vehicles stopped in your lane, until you get to the crosswalk, and then turning left, as if you're a pedestrian crossing in front of the stopped traffic); etc. If there are more bikes on the roads due to your good plan, motorists will be more aware of them, yet, if the bicyclists behavior is unlawful, that awareness will not be beneficial. Could an effective plan, or education requirement, inform the users of how to do it right?
Thank you very much for your informative input. That is a good point about the Minneapolis winters, it proves that people will do what they must to get around regardless of the weather. I really hope to see this idea implemented in the near future. That would be one big step towards a more sustainable city. I suggest you look into the bike infrastructure being utilized in Amsterdam. They have done a great job of integrating bike paths, walkways, trams, and cars all in the same area; and it seems to work very good for them. One more suggestion if I may. The kiosk should have some sort of awning over it to keep the direct sunlight off the metal bikes. As you know metal in direct sunlight during summer months can get extremely hot (bike frame,seats,etc..) No one will want to get on a bike that is going to scorch them. I applaud your innovative solution along with your desire to see this project into fruition.
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