copenhagen and a few other cities in denmark have a similar concept and it works really well. it helps that already a big majority of the population bikes to work and in town, plus denmark is very flat. there are a number of bike stands in the city, and you put in a 20 kr coin to rent the bike and get the money back when you return it. just like a shopping cart at a grocery store. the bike are simple, fixed gear bikes, but also have racks for your stuff. i have no idea if they are even stolen, but i dont imagine it. there are much better bikes around to steal.
also, every bike sold in denmark come equipped with a lock. its a small pin that engages at the back tire through the spokes and is attached to the frame. it basically just makes it impossible to move the back tire. most often, these locks are the only thing used, (no locking to a post), and while there is theft, its amazing how much the socially conscious aspect of the society alone just seems to keep theft at bay.
yeah they did something very similar to this in copenhagen recently too. at first all the bikes got stolen and stripped but after a while no one bothered cause they were worthless and the market was flooded so no one bothered stealing them anymore. im pretty sure the public bike share is still in place there.
Nobody ever considers accidentle activation, bystanders getting sprayed, or a easy deafeat by putting a plastic baggy over the lock…jeeze people user your F’ING heads for a change.
Smell would combat the simple plastic bag trick. Retail stores don’t seem to worry about the accidental activation when they put ink tags on expensive clothing… Jeez Zippy, maybe you could have entered the competition? Used your head that way?
Pointing out flaws is part of the design process or are you of the era where if your breathing in and out on your own your get gold stars and put on the honnor roll?
yea, true zippy, but i think its more successful when you point out flaws constructively… rather than getting upset about it. also, its good to keep an open mind when looking at more “blue sky” concepts and then narrow from there… and not bash from the start. my thoughts.
like yo, i don’t think there is any need to worry about accidental activation. there would probably be some collatoral damage to other bikes and the surrounding environment, but the chemistry of the ink could minimize the impact.
i do not think defeating the lock would be as simple as covering it with a plastic baggy. Firstly, the lock would be intertwined between multiple parts of the bicycle and a stationary object. Covering the lock would not be that easy. Secondly, the lock would still need to be cut, which would open up a hole in the bag for liquid to escape through. I’m sure there is a way around this, but I’m also sure there is a way to design a solution for that, as well.
what i like about this concept is that it fights back. most locks on the market and most (but not all) in the competition will only serve to deter the inexperienced and slow down the professionals. This one might make them think twice about whether the theft is worth it.
also, this was a 1 hour design competition so i wouldn’t expect it to be perfect. and it wasn’t even my entry, so i’ll let it be for now.
I live in Barcelona, and the municipal bike system here has been in use for about a year now (bicing.com).
It actually works quite well, (some teething problems with over-subscription, and thus often you can´t find a station with a bike or a station with a space to park again), but its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The bikes themselves are nothing special, but they still get stolen and “pimped up” or “fixied”. It seems that a bike in Barcelona is a stealable/desirable item, and the only way to minimise the possibility that your two wheels get half-inched is to make them look as knackered and unsaleable as possible (think paint, old sut-up tyres wrapped around the frame, etc.)
It´s sponsored by ClearChannel (a controversial aspect of the system), and provided by the local council - you sign up for a year at a time, and receive a swipe-card to use at the stations.
Ah I didn’t realize the bikes had to be paid for. We have something in the Netherlands called OV-fiets (public transportation bike) and it works about the same. Get a year subscription and you can get a bike at every trainstation for about 2 euros per use.
I thought real ‘white bike’ systems were based on non-paid free for everyone to use bikes, but that couldn’t be possible in this time
Edit:
Something similar has been going on for cars lately, it’s called GreenWheels and there are these red Peugeot 206’s with green wheels that you can pick up with your membership card. Very nice!
2E/use? Wow! Ours cost 6E for a year´s subscription (use it as much as you like; it´s open during the times the metro runs), although after the initial offer it´s gone up to 26E, I think. Still not bad when a single metro ticket costs around 1.20E (approx.). It works well because the centre of Bcn is quite small, as cities go, (although they could have more bike lanes - I think Holland´s far ahead on that aspect!), whereas I can´t imagine how it´ll work in London where they have plans to install it soon…