Dublin Bikes [many] months on.

Run_to_da_hills

I was quite critical of the project at first more so over the deal that was done. However they seem to be getting quite popular around the capital since it started.

I signed up yesterday, more so in that I can get away with murder in traffic compared to using other forms of transport, its also very handy if I find a bike docking station close to a loading bay where I can park my van for free and do my business.

Is it too early for figures? Stuff damaged, bikes awal etc? I saw one guy bump straight onto a curb, someone else left a bike chained to a docking station on Pearse ST after he / she found it full.

ronano

It seems to be going good i've heard no negative comments about the scheme itself outside of how it was done which is suss. I've never cycled in the city prior to the scheme and i'm slowly getting less terrified

Floodzie

I've been signed up for a few weeks now. Really good system - but don't rely on them to get to work! I've only been able to find a bike where I leave (The Barge pub) AND a free bike rack at my destination (Merrion Square) about 60% of the time. Been late to work a few times, but the experience will probably make me go out and buy a bike.

It's really opened my eyes to how bad the roads are for cyclists. Loads of car parking spaces in the city that should be bike lanes (or the cars should at least park parallel to the buildings instead of facing them to free up a bit of room). I think the car park spaces probably bring in a few quid for DCC, though...

The bikes are great for jaunting aound town outside of peak hours, hopefully they extend them closer to where I live (Ranelagh) and beyond to the rest of the city.

And a lot more stands and bikes would be great too!

Oh yeah, the basket - while it looks a bit, erm... feminine (I know, I'm a sad case for thinking that) - is really handy. When I buy a bike I am actually thinking of getting one with a basket. And a chain guard - the Dublin Bikes have one and it's great that you don't need bicycle clips.

Cookie_Monster

Floodzie wrote: »

Oh yeah, the basket - while it looks a bit, erm... feminine (I know, I'm a sad case for thinking that) - is really handy. When I buy a bike I am actually thinking of getting one with a basket. And a chain guard - the Dublin Bikes have one and it's great that you don't need bicycle clips.

Get panniers not a basket if buying a bike, less girly and more space too:D

(they're bags that "hang off" either side of your rear wheel)

vektarman

I've signed up for it, great system. I'm a bit apprehensive about locking my expensive carbon bike in Dublin city centre so this fits the bill for me. My only gripe, as I'm also a scooterist, is that the only designated motorbike/scooter parking spaces that I know of (princes street), has been taken up by the bike scheme leaving me with no official place to park.

seamus

I've used them a couple of times now to scoot across the city and I have to say they're brilliant. It means that if I need to get somewhere during lunch or after work in very little time, I can easily do it. I can go do some shopping on Grafton st and still get back to my desk and eat my lunch in an hour.
Also had to get to Baggott street to meet someone and it took me just over five minutes, versus 25 or 30 to walk it/drive it.

Floodzie

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Get panniers not a basket if buying a bike, less girly and more space too:D

(they're bags that "hang off" either side of your rear wheel)

But can you keep an eye on your stuff as easily as a basket? Still, I'll keep it in mind! Cheers.

seamus

Floodzie wrote: »

But can you keep an eye on your stuff as easily as a basket? Still, I'll keep it in mind! Cheers.

Panniers have clips and lids and the like so you don't need to "keep an eye" as it were.

shaymousse

Loving it! Still waiting on my card though have the 60 day ticket at the moment as they ran out of yearly cards.

atgate

I love the system. I hate driving into town but I also hate sitting on a bus when it hits city traffic so I've taken to hopping off the bus at the canal and cycling the rest of the way in. I get to where I'm going faster and I get a little exercise while I'm at it.

I've also got together with a few friends, picked up bikes and hopped around town visiting a few galleries and museums along the way.

AMontague

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Is it too early for figures? Stuff damaged, bikes awal etc? I saw one guy bump straight onto a curb, someone else left a bike chained to a docking station on Pearse ST after he / she found it full.

This scheme, or a similar scheme has been tried in about 15 cities before Dublin. Going by the experience of other cities, we expected about 2,000 people to sign up in the first year. In the first four weeks we signed up 11,000 annual members! The peak usage has been 8,000 trips in one day - that's over 17 trips per bike.

We are looking at ways of expanding the system. Funding is going to be a problem but we are looking at several different options - any suggestions would be welcome!

What's given me the biggest thrill is the number of people in their 60s or 70s who have signed up to the scheme. Many haven't cycled in Dublin since they were in school.

AMontague

vektarman wrote: »

I've signed up for it, great system. I'm a bit apprehensive about locking my expensive carbon bike in Dublin city centre so this fits the bill for me. My only gripe, as I'm also a scooterist, is that the only designated motorbike/scooter parking spaces that I know of (princes street), has been taken up by the bike scheme leaving me with no official place to park.

The City Council have just opened up a new Bike Park on Drury Street that may suit you for your expensive Carbon Bike. The City Council owns the car park and they removed 16 car parking spaces on the ground floor and converted them into 200 bike parking spaces. It will even suit your scooter.

Parking is free, and although the safety of your bike isn't guaranteed, there is CCTV protecting the bikes and the bikes are about 20 feet from the security kiosk.

You could leave your expensive bike in the bike park, and finish your journey on the Dublin Bikes.

Andrew Montague
Chair of Dublin City Council's Transport Committee and Cycling Forum

Run_to_da_hills

AMontague wrote: »

We are looking at ways of expanding the system. Funding is going to be a problem but we are looking at several different options - any suggestions would be welcome!

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

seamus

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

That's thinking with your noggin - not a bad idea at all. Charge €200/year per bike, to advertise on one side of the back wheel.

Chips Lovell

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

Good idea.

WarrenB

After being very skeptical at the start, I have to say this scheme is probably the best thing to be introduced in Dublin for a long time. Its a great idea and i cant wait to try it out.

triple-M

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

why didnt i think of that :rolleyes: it would actually be a pretty good idea similar to the eco cabs

Euro_Kraut

Being using this for that last month and it has completely changed the way I get about in Dublin. The city has just got smaller. I can now finish work on Harocurt St at 6 and get up to a course on Parnell Square by 6.15. Its at least 30mins walk and about as long on the bus. I use them to get to work every morning. What I really love is that as soon as I drop the bike off at a station it is no longer my responsibility. I don't need to worry about it getting stolen or damaged.

Cycling is really taking off in Dublin at the moment between this and the Cycle to Work Scheme. For once I have to say - Well done Dublin City Council.

Cookie_Monster

I have to say I'm surprised that this has been so successful. Really shows how desperate people are for decent transport in Dublin.

Surely the government / city council has seen how successful this has been and would put more money towards it as in the long run they will save on congestion losses and so forth.

I'll probably never use it as rarely in town but its good to see such a take up. It'd be great to see Dublin take up cycling as much as one of the european cities.

Another plus I imagine is that once people start to use the bikes they will be more tempted to buy their own for traveling to work etc. They may even realise that it actually doesn't rain to often here:) I remember hearing that Amsterdam gets more rain than Dublin and it doesn't stop them in the slightest

loyatemu

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

AMontague - this man is right, why aren't there ads on the bikes themselves? They're already being managed by an advertising company, cover the bikes in ads and this might pay for a few more stations. Seems to work for the Eco-cab guys and they have to pay for drivers as well.

Cookie_Monster

loyatemu wrote: »

AMontague - this man is right, why aren't there ads on the bikes themselves? They're already being managed by an advertising company, cover the bikes in ads and this might pay for a few more stations. Seems to work for the Eco-cab guys and they have to pay for drivers as well.

Can we not have some aspect of public service that not plastered in advertising!

Its cheap and tacky and yes while it'll bring money in I don't see the need to do it.

loyatemu

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Can we not have some aspect of public service that not plastered in advertising! Its cheap and tacky and yes while it'll bring money in I don't see the need to do it.

if it funds the extension of the scheme to more locations then it is absolutely worth it.

Cookie_Monster

loyatemu wrote: »

if it funds the extension of the scheme to more locations then it is absolutely worth it.

The stupid amount of billboard space in return for the bikes should be paying for the continued expansion for the foreseeable future. We got ripped off big time in the original transaction, I see no reason why JCD can't continue to pay for the expansion themselves

Run_to_da_hills

seamus wrote: »

That's thinking with your noggin - not a bad idea at all. Charge €200/year per bike, to advertise on one side of the back wheel.

E200 a year is nothing, that would be the rate for a small add in an evening paper, more like e100 a week for full coverage. they could use front basket and rear mudguard for displaying. Promo bikes charge over e300 per day for their larger add bikes and these don't move around the city as much. A few months advertising would cover the price of a bike.

AMontague

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

That's a good suggestion and we may go that route, however, the advertising market is very poor at the moment and there's not much money to be made. In fact I heard that many buses in Dublin aren't carrying ads at the moment because there is very little take-up.

BrianD

AMontague wrote: »

That's a good suggestion and we may go that route, however, the advertising market is very poor at the moment and there's not much money to be made. In fact I heard that many buses in Dublin aren't carrying ads at the moment because there is very little take-up.

I wouldn't ride a bike emblazoned with advertising. It;s not the same as a bus would ad panels on it. A bike is a personal mode of transport.

The deal is the panels for the bikes and stations. It would be a bit rich to ask DCC to put adverts on what they are being "paid" with.

JCD should be expanding the DB coverage to cover the footprint of where the ad panels are. There are ad panels on Cardiff Lane but no bike stations in that area. Similarily there are metropoles out on the Navan Road which is far removed from the nearest bike station.

Run_to_da_hills

AMontague wrote: »

That's a good suggestion and we may go that route, however, the advertising market is very poor at the moment and there's not much money to be made. In fact I heard that many buses in Dublin aren't carrying ads at the moment because there is very little take-up.

Mc Donald's would be ideal candidates for on bike advertising, They could then sponsor drop off terminals close to their restaurants. You would burn off calories after you had your big Mac meal.

BrianD wrote: »

I wouldn't ride a bike emblazoned with advertising. It;s not the same as a bus would ad panels on it. A bike is a personal mode of transport. .

I don't think people would give a damn what is written on the bike if the service is free. A JC DEcaux bike already sticks out like dogs ba*ls as it is even without any adds. People would use their own bikes if they are too concious. A bike covered in adds would also help with security as they would be more easily spotted if found outside the threshold of the rental range.

AMontague wrote: »

The deal is the panels for the bikes and stations. It would be a bit rich to ask DCC to put adverts on what they are being "paid" with.
.

I don't think people would be too worried about what the bikes look like if this could fund expansion and introduce the project in other towns and cities across the country. I would prefer to see more adds on bikes and the terminals and less roadside billboards.

AMontague wrote: »

JCD should be expanding the DB coverage to cover the footprint of where the ad panels are. There are ad panels on Cardiff Lane but no bike stations in that area. Similarly there are metropolis out on the Navan Road which is far removed from the nearest bike station.

They would have to provide Electric scooters to go out that far, I certainly wouldn't cycle out to the Navan Road on on any push bike.

Capt'n Midnight

waiting for my card to arrive

Must say that they are very low visibility in evening traffic, the slate blue colour isn't all that different from cloudy sky in low light levels, the lights aren't all that bright and they could do with a lot more reflective material on them.

Actually since the stops are well lit a luminescent coating might be an idea.

Other cities have bright cheery colours ,
once the hour goes back maybe half our journeys will be in darkness ?

seamus

Thanking two RTDH posts in as many days? What's gone wrong with the world?

I certainly wouldn't cycle out to the Navan Road on on any push bike.

Even at a leisurely pace that's a 20 minute cycle. Bit of a slog on a DB though, they're heavy.

Run_to_da_hills

seamus wrote: »

Even at a leisurely pace that's a 20 minute cycle. Bit of a slog on a DB though, they're heavy.

Too far for me and it includes hills.


The only problem with having drop off depots on commuter belts is that in the evenings they would be full of bikes leaving the city center empty.

I think that this problem was also adressed about leaving depots too close to railway stations.

Cookie_Monster

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

the slate blue colour isn't all that different from cloudy sky in low light levels,

Given that not too many people will be seeing them from below on a regular basis I don't think this is to big a deal.


It's a neutral colour that more people are likely to use. Would you ride around town on a pink/ luminous yellow bike?

seamus

I actually find the lights on the DBs quite good and makes them noticeable. But I'm moving at less than 50kph.

bk

AMontague wrote: »

That's a good suggestion and we may go that route, however, the advertising market is very poor at the moment and there's not much money to be made. In fact I heard that many buses in Dublin aren't carrying ads at the moment because there is very little take-up.

Perhaps sponsorship, rather then advertising per say.

I'm sure there are a few socially and environmentally aware companies who might jump at the opportunity to sponsor these bikes and get a little advertising on them.

Metrobest

bk wrote: »

Perhaps sponsorship, rather then advertising per say.

I'm sure there are a few socially and environmentally aware companies who might jump at the opportunity to sponsor these bikes and get a little advertising on them.

The bikes are an urban design element in the city centre. As an aesthethic and branding issue, I feel strongly that they should be left free of advertising. Compare the experience of sitting on a Ryanair or Aer Lingus plane, with or without advertising on the overhead lockers. I don't have a philosophical objection to adverstising; i just think it should not be invasive in a personal space.

Motorways are ugly environments anyway so a few mega billboards have little impact on the environment and generate huge revenues as frustrated motorists stuck in traffic have plenty of time to glare at the ads. So what about putting large advertisements at the two portals of the Dublin port tunnel which Dublin City Council manages? And the toll gantries of the M50 which the government presumably has leverage over?

Or levying an extra 50 cent on parking charges in a special 'green zone' of the city (this is what Barcelona does to fund its scheme)

Or securing funds from the national lottery for the scheme's expansion.

BrianD

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Mc Donald's would be ideal candidates for on bike advertising, They could then sponsor drop off terminals close to their restaurants. You would burn off calories after you had your big Mac meal.

I don't think people would give a damn what is written on the bike if the service is free. A JC DEcaux bike already sticks out like dogs ba*ls as it is even without any adds. People would use their own bikes if they are too concious. A bike covered in adds would also help with security as they would be more easily spotted if found outside the threshold of the rental range.
I don't think people would be too worried about what the bikes look like if this could fund expansion and introduce the project in other towns and cities across the country. I would prefer to see more adds on bikes and the terminals and less roadside billboards.

I don't agree. The bikes may look different but they're not that unusual. The only branding opportunities would be the basket and the mud guard. Neither of these offer great visibility and wouldn't have great value (wn compared with a 6 sheet panel on the roadside).

They would have to provide Electric scooters to go out that far, I certainly wouldn't cycle out to the Navan Road on on any push bike.

I wouldn't be suggesting that it would be city centre and then the next station would be Navan Road. There would be stations in between. Also people out that way don't have to going to CBD. I'm sure there are plenty of local journeys out there.

_Kooli_

I think they are great. No use during rush hour though, because when you get a bioke and get to your destination there are often a line of people waiting to leave the bikes back because there are no free spaces.
A bit more effort into redistributing them would be good.

BrianD

This from todays Irish Times:

The Irish Times 24/10/2009 wrote:

City council to increase capacity of bike stations
By OLIVIA KELLY


DUBLIN CITY Council is to increase the capacity of its Dublinbikes rental stations in the coming weeks because of the huge popularity of the scheme.

The council also has longer-term plans to introduce new station locations and increase the number of bikes available to users.

More than 16,000 people have subscribed to the scheme since it was introduced just six weeks ago, making it the most popular city bike scheme to date in Europe, according to the council.

“More than 11,500 people have registered for annual passes and around 4,000 for day or three-day tickets, so we’re absolutely chuffed with it,” council communications manager Michael Sands said.

There is also a very fast turnover of bicycles with an average usage time of 16-17 minutes. Rental is then free for half an hour and costs 50 cents for the first hour, rising to €6.50 for four hours.

However, the popularity of the bicycles and the rapid turnover has resulted in a shortage of bicycles at many stations and a shortage of free spaces to return bicycles at others.

“We’ve had six trucks going around trying to balance things out as much as possible, but what we’re going to do is expand what we have as much as possible with additions at some locations.”

Some of the most popular stations, such as Portobello, will see its bicycle spaces double; at other locations the number of additional spaces will depend on the amount of room surrounding the station. The increase in capacity may involve the removal of some on-street car parking.

The additional spaces will be paid for by JC Decaux, the out-door advertising company which won the contract to provide the bike scheme in return for advertising space in the city.

The council is also entering into talks with the company in relation to providing bicycle stations and additional bikes at new locations.

There are currently 450 bicycles available from 40 stations between the Royal and the Grand canals. However, there are locations where there would be a high demand for bicycles with no station, such as Heuston train station.

“For the scheme to work, a necklace of stations is needed and you can’t have a gap of more than 450 metres between stations. Heuston was a problem in that regard because the gap between it and the next location was too big, but we will seriously look at that now.”

The number of new stations and bicycles will be subject to negotiation with JC Decaux, Mr Sands said.

A mobile phone application which allows Dublinbikes users to see in “real time” the location of available bikes or spaces on a bike station is now available.

A similar application was launched last September, but was withdrawn after Fusio, the software firm which developed it, was threatened with legal action by JC Decaux.

The new application, which is an official JC Decaux product, is available to download for free from the Apple App Store Ireland.

Surely the demand issues can be managed by the movement of bikes via the 6 trucks? Though extra capacity at some station would be desirable as would be welcome as would more stations.

I am amazed that JCD are fixated by producing a phone app for one type of phone that is used by a minority of people while no Nokia app or mobile web site has been created for the handset that most people use.

paddy2k

i think i saw somewhere ages ago that they were going to run the scheme without advertising on the bikes for the first 6 months and that after that they would be selling the space on the back mudguard to the highest bidder.

spurious

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Im surprised that the bikes themslves aren't sponsored by advertisements.

Presumably all the billboards that JC Decaux still haven't taken down should be factored in.

BrianD

paddy2k wrote: »

i think i saw somewhere ages ago that they were going to run the scheme without advertising on the bikes for the first 6 months and that after that they would be selling the space on the back mudguard to the highest bidder.

It is one of the few spaces that you could put an advert. I just don't see it as a great medium.

Spurious wrote:

Presumably all the billboards that JC Decaux still haven't taken down should be factored in.

Ar these the legacy billboards that JC have. Since they have been up for so long perhaps they should stay up with JCD paying a levy on them to the city.

I would be interested to know how much rental money that DCC will make in Year 1 and what this will be used for. Give that most journeys seem to be under 30 min it doesn't seem like much. Though €130,000 has been taken on the annual card subscriptions (based on 13,000 annual cards reported to be issued).

Capt'n Midnight

BrianD wrote: »

I would be interested to know how much rental money that DCC will make in Year 1 and what this will be used for. Give that most journeys seem to be under 30 min it doesn't seem like much. Though €130,000 has been taken on the annual card subscriptions (based on 13,000 annual cards reported to be issued).

without advertising revenue €130,000 could pay for 185 bikes at €700 per year each - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9lomagg%27#cite_note-4

Irish costs would be higher , even though we'd have a greater economy of scale.

13,000 users 450 bikes !
other bike schemes have resorted to cutting locks of people who "reserve" their bike

Also in other cities turning the saddle backwards is used to indicate a bike with a problem when you return it - saves the next persons time

atgate

With so many things going wrong with Dublin at the moment the bikes scheme is like a shining beacon of what can happen if a few people stick by a good idea and despite general levels of interest being both desmissive and at the same times excited. For once something amazing has happened to my city. Where does one write a strong letter of compliemt. Coz you guys deserve one.

dewsbury

atgate wrote: »

With so many things going wrong with Dublin at the moment the bikes scheme is like a shining beacon of what can happen if a few people stick by a good idea and despite general levels of interest being both desmissive and at the same times excited. For once something amazing has happened to my city. Where does one write a strong letter of compliemt. Coz you guys deserve one.

I agree with the above.
It it rare to see something done so well with such little fuss.

lostexpectation

doesn't matter how often theyre used he deal was crap

Aard

It's great to hear of the success of the scheme.


I don't think there's any point in having advertising on the bikes. How would it work anyway? A mini-ad on the basket like the baskets in Tesco? Who would read it, or indeed be looking at it long enough to be able to read it?

sickpuppy32

BrianD wrote: »

The only branding opportunities would be the basket and the mud guard. Neither of these offer great visibility and wouldn't have great value (wn compared with a 6 sheet panel on the roadside).

wouldn't they not be like the advertising on shopping trolly handles, aimed towards the driver of the bike?

serfboard

I was in Dublin yesterday for the first time in a long time, and have to say I was amazed to see the success of this scheme. I also observed what other people have said as well, in that it seems to have inspired other people to "get on their bikes" as they seemed to be everywhere!

Well done to all involved - despite this being dismissed by naysayers - with some people just waiting/wanting it to fail so they could say "I told you so".

loyatemu

serfboard wrote: »

I was in Dublin yesterday for the first time in a long time, and have to say I was amazed to see the success of this scheme. I also observed what other people have said as well, in that it seems to have inspired other people to "get on their bikes" as they seemed to be everywhere!

a lot of that is because of the Govt Cycle-to-Work scheme as well as a general trend towards cycling over the last couple of years. There's definitely a lot more people cycling now than 5 years ago, though probably still not as many as 25 years ago...

Run_to_da_hills

loyatemu wrote: »

There's definitely a lot more people cycling now than 5 years ago, though probably still not as many as 25 years ago...

25 years ago the average bicycle weighed in a ton, had just 5 or 10 speed gears, Lightweight cycles equipped with alloy cotterless chain sets and alloy wheels were found on the most expensive cycles that could be bought in just a few places in the city such as Hardings and the Rutland. Now semi professional cycles can be bought in many of the high street supermarkets.

Fortunately the average weight of a bicycle has dropped significantly along with fatter tires to absorb the ever increasing potholes. One thing good about Dublin Bikes is that they are rather heavy which should discourage longer commutes and hogging.

redser05

Hey.

I was hoping for a favor. I have to get a survey done for college on Dublin Bikes. I want to get peoples reactions to the service. I want to see if there are any improvements that could be made. I don't know if this is against thread rules. If it is please delete my comment. I would be very grateful if you guys could take a minute to fill it in. It is only 10 short questions.

Link:

<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=WkEnL1fe_2fH2f4xQK1GSLyw_3d_3d">Click Here to take survey</a>

Thanks for your time

redser

Africa

Enjoy the scheme a lot, and it saves a lot of time. But it really really needs to be expanded - a lot of the time the places are full or there are no bikes and the stations arent really close enough together, there really has to be more. Also, the area covered can be a lot lot more.

Great start guys. Now pull your socks up and really deliver!