Comments for CityCycle : Bicycles for Brisbane

Comment on After the flood another mess that needs cleaning up by helmut

helmut — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:53:51 +0000

This helmet law mixed with a service like this is nonsense. I am not a cyclist but would use citycycle if i could ride without a helemt or find one easely. I am not going to carry a helemt just in case !
@ howmanypandas below that is still $ 2,228 pp.

Comment on Helmets by Ocean

Ocean — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:38:12 +0000

Hi there,

I think this idea, used in Melbourne, sounds good.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/13/3036941.htm?site=melbourne
I wonder if people have been using this service?

As an electronic engineer, a keen cyclist and a person interested in biophilic urbanism and sustainability, I would love to be able to design vending machines to accompany all CityCycle bike stations. Do you know if Council already has plans to implement such a scheme?

Kind regards,

Ocean

Comment on About by Jack

Jack — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:22:07 +0000

How can such a great scheme be planned and not understand that their ultimate failures will and ARE happening. Planners definitely know that this is not going to work, and what is the mayor trying to do? Of course the new bicycle lanes are great, but they sure make it difficult for a tourist, who wants to do the right thing, and be sustainable. Who is going to register for this system, pay this amount of money each time they use it, buy a helmet and make sure they are following all the rules, which to them, may not be self explanatory. What a joke, and of course the mayor knows this from the very beginning. Does he want to purposely look like a fool — especially to other european cities, we have made a mockery of it.
Still — expand more bicycle lanes — that is the only good thing that will come out of this.

Comment on Having Fun but don’t get Busted by Dr Paul Martin

Dr Paul Martin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 07:17:05 +0000

Sue has gone to court again. Verdict will be handed down tomorrow at 14:00
See http://freedomcyclist.blogspot.com/ for details.

Comment on Having Fun but don’t get Busted by Dr Paul Martin

Dr Paul Martin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 07:14:30 +0000

“these girls would perhaps have been in there own little world not knowing if they were heading through a red light or if they were just about to hit a pole”

May I suggest choosing your words a little more carefully? To many readers this may come across as both patronising and sexist. I’m sure they are perfectly competent riders – so competent they actually know they don’t need a plastic hat.

I’ve worked in plenty of Emergency Departments and I currently work in many operating theatres. I don’t let my ‘anecdotes’ cloud my judgement as a scientist and a medical professional. Helmet Laws are the issue here, not the helmets and there is no evidence to show that they have done any good for cycling at all. It should be a matter of choice depending on your risk exposure. Not all ‘cycling’ is the same in the way that motor racing isn’t ‘typical driving’…

If you want anecdotal ‘evidence’ from hospital Emergency Departments (interestingly backed by solid data too) then you should make all car occupants wear helmets before ANY other group of people.

The CityCycle scheme (just like similar schemes around the world – Vélib, Bixi, etc) is not meant to compete with Bike Hire businesses such as yours – it has a totally different target demographic, market & model. It is meant for a short trips from one spot to another and not necessarily back again… the point is that you don’t have to return the bike to the same spot.

I would suggest you don’t travel to countries without mandatory helmet laws as you might find it all too much… and for goodness sake, don’t go to Paris to see how well they’re doing it… or Barcelona… or Dublin… and so on….

Comment on Having Fun but don’t get Busted by bikehirebrisbane

bikehirebrisbane — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 06:33:33 +0000

it is great to see these girls having fun but helmets do save lives when it boils down to it. yes, we need more aware drivers but we also need smarter bike riders as well. these girls would perhaps have been in there own little world not knowing if they were heading through a red light or if they were just about to hit a pole. yes helmets are a little annoying to carry around but ask anyone that has been in the emergency department and they would all point towards helmets. the citycycle scheme has it merits but please don’t forget those local businesses as well that offer a better way bike hire as an alternative to see this great city of ours.

Comment on iPhone app for CityCycle by Greg

Greg — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:57:25 +0000

The jog.by link doesn’t seem to be up to date, it’s missing stations and the bike counts disagree with the CityCycle website. ‘allbikesnow’ is also available on Android but it’s awful. ‘CityBikes’ does a much better job.

https://market.android.com/details?id=net.homelinux.penecoptero.android.citybikes.app

Comment on Subscription & Links by Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:38:41 +0000

1) I want an Android App
2) I want a station closer to Woolloongabba … wouldn’t it be good if we could ride to the Cricket Ground? (i.e. near my home!)
3) I don’t have a problem with bringing my own helmet, but think that there should be helmet pods, where you can purchase a helmet on the Brisbane city streets..

Comment on After the flood another mess that needs cleaning up by Dr Paul Martin

Dr Paul Martin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:27:13 +0000

Julian,

You obviously don’t use the NextBikes then…

They have been out of business for 3 months already and it’s not looking good.

“We have temporarily suspended the operation of Nextbike as of November 10th 2010.

After 3 years of running the operation as an advertiser funded service, we’ve come to a point where we can no longer sustain the business in its current format.”

and…

“On busy days we had as many as 50 rentals a day.”

These figures are far too low for a system with 55 stations, expecting to break even.

The other issue with supplying helmets is the way the legislation is written and how a business can comply with it legally. A helmet must be properly fitted and undamaged. With nobody inspecting the fit (people have varying head sizes/shapes) or that the helmets are completely undamaged (ie. not a dent/scratch), there is no way they can legally supply helmets with each Melbourne/Brisbane bike share bike and comply with the law.

It is very simple. Pedicab passengers do not have to wear a bicycle helmet (yet the cabbie does!), but only if they’re paying passengers. Repeal mandatory helmet laws for bike share and you’ll see use skyrocket…

Unfortunately for many current users the requirement to bring a helmet ‘doesn’t bother them’ and they think others should ‘just get over it’. What they don’t realise is that it is the non-cycling public that we should be listening to and I can assure you that there are many who simply don’t bother with the bikes as a result.

There are a few who persist without the helmets (cycling as slow as the joggers – they don’t have to wear them…) but they are often picked up by our friendly velocops fairly promptly. That experience will discourage them from ever taking to a bicycle again…

Comment on After the flood another mess that needs cleaning up by Julian

Julian — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:29:16 +0000

In Auckland we have been providing helmets locked w our public bikes for the last 3 years. They are easy to santize daily, fit a good size range and if customers really want to use their own they put the rental one in the basket. To provide public bikes w/o helmets in Aus or NZ is like not providing a seat – a very poor buying decision. I think somebody in Brisbane and Melbourne cities should be held accountable