[sustran] [World Streets Daily] World Streets PBS Profiles Series – Spring 2009

[Eric Britton (Paris, France)]

[http://www.citybike.newmobility.org]
Introduction to PBS Interview Series

The city bike -- shared bike, or public bicycle system (PBS) as it is
variously called -- is a quite new as well as a very effective way of
getting around in the city, at least as it is practiced at the leading
edge . Most certainly the fastest growing form of urban transport in
the world today (admittedly from a minuscule base), it is at once the
darling of the media and a favorite photo op of mayors and public
officials all over the world..

However there is a small problem. That being that while they look
simple enough at first glance – bunch of bikes, bunch of stands for
parking them, and Bob's your uncle -- the reality turns out to be far
more complex. (See "Not just one more pretty bike project" here.".

This has lead to a situation over the last couple of years where many
cities are showing great enthusiasm for the concept, without
necessarily fully appreciating what is required on their part to make
them into successes. As a result we are seeing far too many weak
projects and weak plans in city after city around the world. But it
does not have to be this way.

Where to turn for solid counsel on how to plan and implement your city
bike project? Certainly if you are able to dig deep into the
interstices of the most successful projects – not always easy to do for
a variety of reasons – there are valuable clues to be had. Beyond this
however certainly one of the most solid sources of information and
perspective is the leading supplier groups who have partnered with the
best projects thus far to get them up and running. But how to make this
contact in a positive and creative way?

This turns out to be something of a challenge because in project after
project we are seeing the suppliers being treated less as partners and
more often as almost adversaries. It is the rare city indeed that
manages to get this relationship right. Of course the suppliers are
profit-making firms whose business it is to get and execute a good
contract under favorable terms. But if you are a member of a city team
considering a project of your own, do not lose sight of the fact that
they are also your best information partners. How to bridge this gap?

Here is where this new series of World Streets is hoping to step in. We
have planned to carry out a cycle of interviews with a number of the
leading groups working in the field, in an attempt to ask some of the
questions that you may have in your pocket. The first of these
interviews will be published here in early April with the team behind
the about-to-launch Montreal Bixi project, followed a week later with a
second exchange with one of the leaders of the Clear Channel SmartBike
program. In this way we get the ball rolling by going to both the
newest and the oldest of the state-of-the-art city projects, with the
other leaders to follow in short order.

Your comments and questions will be welcome on each profile, using the
Comment link under the respective interview. Likewise if you have more
general points to share with us, we invite you to Comment in the link
at the end of this entry. If you have questions you would like us to
add to our list of ten for each interview, pass them on and we will see
what we can do with them.

The Editor

* For the record, one of the most valuable sources of information on
this topic is the World City Bike Consortium started by the New
Mobility Partnerships in 2006 as a place to share information and ask
questions from people directly involved at the working level. You can
consult this site freely at www.citybike.newmobility.org.

--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets Daily at
3/29/2009 04:00:00 PM
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