Bike sharing is cool but it isn't the foundation of comprehensive bicycle planning and bicycling promotion

Bicycle sharing isn't necessarily the foundation of bicycle planning in DC. And it shouldn't be seen as the solution for promoting bicycling as a co-equal transportation mode. It's a great choice for people who have an occasional need or desire to bicycle. For people who want to make bicycling their primary transportation mode, a shared bicycle isn't necessarily the optimal choice.

Washcycle, in "Smartbike Expansion Pauses," and the Bike-Sharing Blog in "Washington Bike-sharing Survey Results Are In" reported on the recent DC survey of bicycle sharing users.

Most people (62%) use SmartBike less than once a week. 41% ride it to work. Only a few trips would have been done by car (plus more by taxi) - and it largely replaces walking and Metro trips. Only 23% of users always wear a helmet. The top places where users would like to see a new kiosk - in order: Georgetown; Adams Morgan; Union Station; Columbia Heights; Takoma.

When asked how to improve SmartBike, most people asked for more stations (and bike locks were heavily desired too).

DC has the "first" municipally provided bicycle sharing system in North America. But Montreal's system is more pervasive--with stations throughout the city--while at this time, DC's system is limited to a handful of locations downtown, although there are plans to rollout expansions to the system in a phased manner.

(For stories on the Bixi system in Montreal, see "Montreal steps up Bixi expansion" and "Bixi a big hit with Montrealers and tourists" but not "Would helmets make Bixi safer? Hospital reports "significant" injuries" all from the Montreal Gazette. With regard to the last article, bicycling isn't risk free, and yes, six people have died in Paris while using the bicycle sharing system there, see "Blind spot warning after Velib’ death" from the Connexion.)

The Boston Globe now reports that Boston will be introducing "the nation’s first citywide bike-sharing system"--which they can say because DC's bicycle sharing system isn't city-wide and because Montreal is in Canada. See "Hub’s bike routes beckon, white knuckles and all: City details plans for cycle sharing" and "How the bike-sharing program might work." (Plus the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine ran an article on the topic a couple months ago, "Is Boston Ready For a Revolution?.")

The video in the first Globe article mentions that the typical bike share trip is less than 1.8 miles and takes less than 20 minutes.