Bike-share coming to Toronto?
According to this article, it looks as though the City of Toronto is about to embark on a bike-sharing program similar to those of Paris and Montreal. Though the article remains vague on the specifics, Toronto would be wise to follow a system similar to the “Bixi” system in Montreal.
The Bixi System is super durable, easy to move and install, and theoretically fairly theft-proof. An annual pass costs only $78, which is very competitive with the Metro, and vastly cheaper than driving and parking a car in Montreal. There is a bike station every 300 m, making them more accessible than Guelph’s transit stops. The bikes are manufactured and crafted in Quebec, and have earned awards for their robust and attractive design. The Bixi system is maintained through funds generated by on-street parking meters, though operational costs have been included in the City’s annual budget. Ideally, they’d like the system to be so easy to use that cities across North America will buy into it, and Bixi Users could use their “key” to rent bicycles anywhere. Ride on!
Would something like this work in Guelph?
Guelph definiely has a dedicated population of cyclists, many of whom bike for utilitarian purposes (shopping, commuting to work or school, visiting friends). Our size makes it easy to bicycle almost anywhere in Guelph within an hour. We have a vibrant downtown core with lots of reasons to bike to it, including the two transit hubs: local Guelph Transit, and the intercity rail and bus terminals. The University also offers a popular destination for cycling, with over 1 in 3 students choosing the bicycle over other modes of transportation.
On the down side, we do have several sizeable slopes in Guelph, and there is not much in the way of bikeable destinations outside of the downtown and the University in the city. Much of the city around downtown is primarily residential, aside from a few commercial or industrial districts (e.g. Stone Road Mall, Walmart, Clairfields, or Victoria/York area). Unfortunately, many of these are - at this time - unfriendly to bicycles, with few bike racks, scary expansive parking lots to navigate, and little protection for the weather-beaten cyclist. As a result, we would likely end up with a majority of bicycles dumped in major commercial areas like the downtown and university, and we would end up spending most of the operating budget just on redistributing the bicycles each day.
Fortunately, the City of Guelph’s Bicycle-Friendly Guelph Initiative aims to improve the “bikeability” of all areas in Guelph. Once there is a better network and end-of-trip facilities, and improved cyclist and driver education on sharing the road, something like this could really ramp up the culture of cycling in Guelph, and move us closer to achieving our goals of becoming a leading Bicycle-Friendly City in Canada.