Three signs of the future of transportation arrived in downtown Bethesda on Tuesday. Capital Bikeshare installed the first 3 of many bike sharing stations that will be scattered around town.
The 3 stations constructed yesterday are Bethesda Row, Cordell Avenue (near Norfolk Avenue), and at Veterans Park (across from BlackFinn).
As you can see, the kiosks are in place, with easy-to-understand instructions on how to use Capital Bikeshare for novices. You can also see a close-up of an individual docking station, which features a button you can press to report bikes in need of repair.
Once the actual bikes arrive, this sets up a good route for first-timers, as Woodmont Avenue around Bethesda Row is one of the spots with an actual bike lane. Just be sure to stay alert for curbside vehicles pulling out into the roadway.
As part of a region-wide network, the bikeshare stations offer those who don't own bikes an opportunity to utilize alternative transportation when and where it makes sense for them.
9 comments:
Nice idea, but incredibly expensive. To take a bike for a few hours... well, just rent a $20,000 car than renting a $200 bike from bike share(it is cheaper).
The Paris Velib' is $2.25 per day, $38 per year, and a 3 hour rental on the per-day plan there is $10 vs. $30 with this program. Seems more like a money making venture than a public service.
Paris outdoes us again. C'est la vie.
It's intended for short trips where you re-dock at your destination. It's unlikely anyone would take these bikes in a 3 hour trek.
Most frequent users just pay the annual fee, then as long as they use it less than 30 mins each trip, there is no additional cost.
The program is so popular in DC that some racks end up totally empty during the day, so the program is indeed popular at its current price point.
That's one of the things that will be interesting to watch in Bethesda: which stations have the most demand, and how to supply the right number of bikes. The setup favors short trips, like taking one from Bethesda Row over to Metro or Woodmont Triangle. CCT use will probably be the longest trip most will take.
It seems very likely people would want to take a bike for a 3 hr roundtrip on the adjacent capital Crescent Trail. The pricing should allow an economical longer use option.
I'd like to use this between on the Rock Creek Trail between Rockville and Bethesda, but I'm not sure that 30 minutes is a realistic window for making that trip.
Capital Bikeshare isn't intended for long trips and that's why they price it like they do. Rent a bike from a bike shop for a day long ride. Those bikes are better equipped for long trips.
Yes, there are several bike shops, and there was also a kiosk for bike rentals near the trail at Woodmont Plaza, by the Bethesda Row Cinema. So expect those kind of options to, if anything, expand in the future.
These criticisms are the same every time a bikeshare program is launched or expanded.
They aren't a competitor to a bicycle rental outfit as the prices are not competitive and the bikes aren't attractive for all day use.
However, where the compete is in short trips or the last mile after a bus/metro ride. I'm excited it is expanding but there are still a large number of neighborhoods in DC that lack CaBi docks.
True - the gap between home and transit is one of the biggest challenges in increasing transit use. Bikeshare and local vans could play a role in making those connections easier.
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