Let’s really talk bike stations in the city. For Seattle-based firm Place Architecture has come up with a concept for venues called Bike stations that could change the way we think about our commutes. I mean maybe even getting around in general. Already popular in Europe and Japan, bike stations are facilities where people can park their bikes, stow their riding clothes, clean up, and emerge ready for work, all in a city that will have cleaner air and easier mobility due to them. Place’s Bikestations would also be social spaces, where people could take a coffee, pick up a newspaper, or get a new inner tube.
To be built along the existing commuter rail lines, the stations would provide services from simple covered parking to full multi-modal transit hubs that would eventually integrate a variety of clean transport options, giving commuters the opportunity to connect with electric vehicles, FlexCars, and rental bikes.
Citi Bike
In New York City is Citi Bike.
Citi Bike is the nation’s largest bike share program, with 27,000 bikes and over 1,700 stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Jersey City and Hoboken.
As well, Citi Bike is often faster than other modes of transportation (especially when going crosstown). So it’s more convenient than owning a bike.
As I mentioned before about Dublin.
Bikes have completely taken over the Dublin, Ireland city streets.
To start, just in New York City you have the Citi bicycles, in Dublin you have the Coca-Cola Zero dublinbikes. Here are their stats.
Coca-Cola Zero have taken almost 9.5 million journeys around Dublin since the scheme was launched.
My take on it
As the very first in the U.S., many people say that Bike-Stations are the smartest way to go. Especially when it comes to getting around.
They’re not only environmentally friendly, they’re also efficient. Buying a car doesn’t make sense when you have a bike right behind it that you could easily use instead.
Conclusion
In order to make the idea more real and accessible to everyone, here’s how to go about having your very own bike-station:
1. Decide on the location where you want your station to be.
2. Decide on the type of bike you’d like to have. A bike with baskets is better than one without when it comes to providing cargo space. If you’re a city dweller, you won’t need to worry about getting your bike up a hill. But just keep in mind that the heavier a bike is, the harder it will be to push up an incline.
Source: Treehugger.com
January 14, 2005 10:13 AM –
