New bike rental program for Toronto

I confess my first reaction to this news is mixed -- the accompanying photo evoking Toronto's last attempt is not calculated to allay apprehension.

Given that Council's ingrained stance on underwriting the most modest of cycling initiatives in Toronto ranges from antipathy to indifference, it's incongruous that Heaps would entertain a bike sharing program of the scope of Velib. And, if anything, the lesson of bikeShare is that such a venture should aim to go big or go home; a bare bones outfit operating on the exceptional efforts, goodwill and self-sacrifice of a few ain't gonna cut it.

We can't get a contiguous waterfront trail, the Bike Plan is years behind, council won't entertain another kilometer's worth of paint to Bloor and Avenue Rd. and Heaps is heading in this direction?! Perhaps he's just ahead of his time. Sure.

If it's worth doing it's worth doing right: I'm not against a bike sharing program, I'm against it being done poorly. A successful bike sharing program requires a few prerequisites; in my opinion, the following:

a) Funding. And I mean substantial outlay guaranteed for, let's say, at the very least 5 years. Whether it's a public/private enterprise the program should have at least several million per annum behind it;
b) The program cannot operate in a vacuum; it must be convenient. To wit there must be extensive integration with other multi-modal transportation options; this will entail outlay and/or cooperation from TTC, GO, and Green P parking facilities;
c) Very important this: there must be a supportive cultural and infrastructural system. Our current so called "network" of bike lanes isn't coherent, that is to say, it's not a network at all. The culture of our streets is obviously biased toward motorists (being diplomatic here), and a cyclist, though not necessarily imperilled, is often subject to open hostility from motorists, or intimidated by the intensity of traffic.
Hostility and hazard figure in the calculus of convenience: if that's the price that clients of bike sharing must pay then, as a hundred thousand(?) Torontonians with two-wheelers of their own moldering in garages already demonstrate everyday, they will pass. Who wants more stress? It will take years if not a generation to significantly change the cultural and physical velo-scape of our city.


So before one proposes to emulate European bike sharing programs, how about seeking to emulate the conditions in which these initiatives flourish? Forget about bike sharing for the time being. One must ask: Does our city remotely resemble those of Europe (where bike sharing abounds) in its scale of bike use and associated infrastructure? We already know the answer. Rectifying that disparity will go a long way to ensuring the success of a sharing scheme.

If you build it will they come? Possibly. But I'd rather that answer be more certain. I'd hate to see the folding of another bike share program used as a vindication that there's no support for such initiatives in Toronto, it's good money after bad, etc. Success requires that a bike sharing scheme's benefits must be seen to extend beyond Toronto's cycling community otherwise it'll be interpreted, accurately in my estimation, as another concession to 'special interests' by a dysfunctional council.

I refuse to ride my bikes through sand, slush and salt. If they are prepared to let these go through that kind of abuse, I'd be happy to ride more often in the winter (and save $0.75 off a TTC fare per trip).

If these bikes are being used year round in temperate places like Paris (where they probably put more salt on their food than on the roads), they might be in for a surprise when these bikes all need to be overhauled in the spring.

As an original sponsor (Bell Canada) of the Bike Share program years ago under Maogosha Pyjor's time ,I fully support resurrecting that program. The foundation was very strong. I don't see a need to start with only a plan and build up from there. However, the City will most likely want to do this on their own and flub it up as they usally do.

Bring Back Bike Share!

I really hope this happens. As more people ride bikes, more will be sympathetic to our concerns and help drive the changes we need.

I hope they include more than the downtown core in this. It might be complicated to figure out where to put a bike station in a sea of houses, but if it was successful, it could make transit more attractive. Ride to the subway instead of waiting for the local bus.

I bet it'll be most popular with people taking the GO train, like Vic said. If you work near Union station but too far to walk, this can save the cost of a metro pass every month.

-dj

Now I see this quote in the Globe:

While the city would draft regulations and consider contributing public space, Mr. Heaps said he's looking for a private partner to underwrite the costs.

"It should be privately run. I'm of firm belief [the city] should have no role in running it, though we certainly should be setting the standards," Mr. Heaps said.

I'm not sure if this is a mistake by the Globe, unclear information from Heaps or a misunderstanding on my part. Wouldn't "underwriting the costs" be very different from "running" the operations? Unless it's somehow a profitable operation.

If the advertising is "modest", where does the private company get its revenue? Paying a higher price for the bike rental would make it a very different program from other successful programs around the world.

It's still very unclear.

-dj

I strongly agree with Tino. Thing is it is for us to hold them accountable when they do not deliver. Something we fail at year after year.