Bike sharing test in New York City

Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times. Gina Strambi borrowed a bike for a brief trip Monday, participating in a test of a free bike-sharing program similar to ones in European cities.

The New York Times discusses a bicycle sharing test in "In This Case, It’s O.K. to Take a Bike That’s Not Yours." DC is getting bikesharing, although at least initially, the sites will be focused downtown. From the article:

The five-day project is sponsored by the Forum for Urban Design, a group of architects, designers and planners, and by the gallery, near Kenmare Street and Cleveland Place. Twenty bicycles are available free, for up to 30 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until tomorrow. Bicycles can be returned to the gallery or dropped off at other nearby sites like Washington Square Park and Tompkins Square Park.

Displays at the gallery describe eight European cities, including Barcelona, Spain, and Lyon, France, where bicycle-share programs have thrived. The project is designed to gather data on the viability of such a program in New York.

David Haskell, executive director of the Forum for Urban Design, said, “This is our attempt to imagine bike sharing in New York City.” “A ride-share program would reduce the dependency on automobiles. It would be a great alternative to subways and bus services — and a lot cheaper for the city,” he said.

The company that will be doing the bikesharing, Adshel, does this in a number of cities in Europe, including four cities in Norway. In Oslo, the cost is about $12/year for an annual card, and about $12/day for a tourist card.

I don't know if the New York Bike Share Project believes that the 30 minute borrowing period is adequate. I don't.