Looks like some VCU students in an entrepreneurship class are working to gauge the popularity of a bike share program here in Richmond.
Looks like some VCU students in an entrepreneurship class are working to gauge the popularity of a bike share program here in Richmond.
You can help them out by taking their survey here!
They answered some questions about the project on a /RVA Reddit thread.
the idea is that our program would span from the west end to shockoe bottom and would partner more with the city of Richmond rather than just VCU. Ram Bikes only has two stations, their building on Belvedere and Cabell library. Getting a bike relies on them being open, but there are certain days during the summer especially when the library closes at 1 pm. We want our program to be widespread such as New York’s Citi Bikes or the B-Cycle program.
Bike Share programs aren’t new – people pay either per use, or monthly/yearly, for access to a bike. Docks are set up around town, letting the rider go from one stop to another, checking the bike in upon arrival.
NYC just recently announced their bike share program, Citi Bike, a rabid success and have announced tentative plans to expand it.
“City Bike is the largest bike rental program in the country and it’s now also the fastest growing one,” said (former) Mayor Bloomberg after it was announced over 432,000 people (over 5 million total rides) had used the service in the 5 months it has existed.
NYC’s system also relies entirely on sponsorship from other entities, which means no expense to the city.
Having more Richmonders on bikes sounds like a great idea – but safety concerns come with a mess of new bike commuters and tourists. Boston thought of an interesting way to tackle part of the issue – their bike share docks also have helmet vending machines to keep rider’s heads under wraps.
At the same time, Mexico City went the opposite direction and removed their helmet laws once it launched its bike share program, thinking helmet laws were deterring use of the share system.
VCU and UR already have small scale bike share programs. RamBikes has a few bikes – locks and helmets included – to allow transport between MCV and Monroe Park campuses. UR’s Green Bikes has 35 beach cruisers for rent for use around campus.
It will be interesting to see if this group of students comes up with a reasonable and viable bike share option for Richmond.
But a bit of anecdotal evidence on my part here – I’ve ridden my bike in NYC since the expansion of their bike share program, and it creates a new kind of bike rider – the “I haven’t ridden since I was in high school” tourist bike rider.
These people are very excited to ride a bike again, but they have no idea of the laws, or even basic safety concerns when riding. Let alone the people who think riding their bike home from the bar is safer than driving a car. (News flash, it’s not, and you can get a drunk in public charge** on a bike)
I don’t mean to down a great system, and maybe I’m coming off as an elitist, but it’s just something to keep in mind. And the city as a whole might need to invest a sizable amount in infrastructure (bike lanes, etc) before we jump head long into such a project.
**edit: this article originally said you can get a DUI on a bike, but Gene Lepley, Public Affairs Director for RPD said you would get a drunk in public charge, not a DUI
