Imagine you're running late, you’re looking for a cab or waiting for your Uber, but neither seem to arrive. Frantic, you turn to your left and see a bike-sharing station. Is this a good mode of transportation to get you to your meeting on time? It all depends on where you’re going. Bike Share programs are financially, sustainably, and economically more efficient for one-way trips around town. A prime example of this would be the newer Bike Share program that Portland launched in 2016, called BIKETOWN. Users could choose their plan and sign up for a membership to unlock a bike and ride to their destination.
The design of the system is to be fun, affordable, and convenient. There are bike share stations all around Portland where bikes can be picked up and dropped off providing positive health benefits while lowering gas and pollutant emissions. The program is advertised as being sustainable for the rider and the environment.
Not only would these programs allow sustainable practices, but they would also provide a positive impact on commercial areas as well. “Economic Impact and Operational Efficiency for Bikeshare Programs”, a study done by Virginia Tech, says that a bike share program would attract more customers to nearby businesses as bike share users are more likely to spend their money within four blocks of the bike share station.
However, bike share programs cannot only be found in smaller cities such as Portland. The four largest station-based bike share systems are; Citi Bike in New York City, Divvy in Chicago, Hubway in the greater Boston area, and Capital BikeShare in Washington DC.The bike share programs in these major cities are where some problems could arise. Not all, but some programs do not offer helmets with their rides, requiring the customer to bring their own. First-time riding customers that want to use the program but don’t own a bike at home more than likely don’t own a helmet either. Bike share programs often say that wearing a helmet is recommendable, but is not required.
With many first-time riders in largely populated cities, the first-time cyclists can cause a danger for pedestrians and other vehicles if they aren’t familiar with riding on the street or cycling laws. Although this does not stop first-time cyclists, the bike share programs have seen an increase since 2017 causing docking stations to become overcrowded or unbalanced during busy travel hours.
Although, there are some cons to bike-sharing programs, I believe that Portland has the right idea in incorporating these sustainable programs for quicker and more affordable travel is a step in the right direction. To decrease the hazards for first-time cyclists in the future, maybe cities can offer a cycling 101 or cycling etiquette class to encourage future use of the program.
If you decide to travel somewhere with a bike-share program make sure to work out those legs before going!