The Bike Scheme thread

joeKel73

ratracer wrote: »

I think though that an awful lot of the negative reaction/criticism of the scheme could be put to bed if BikeShare or the City Council would give an outline of 'potential site' for phase two of the scheme.

Is there a "phase two" even being planned yet? There's a risk that it will not happen if "phase one" doesn't prove a success, which it might not due to the lack of "phase two" locations!

ratracer

J o e wrote: »

Is there a "phase two" even being planned yet? There's a risk that it will not happen if "phase one" doesn't prove a success, which it might not due to the lack of "phase two" locations!

I don't know tbh, but if BikeShare/ City Co had any interest in ensuring the long term operation of the scheme, surely they should be researching future potential growth. AFAIK the Dublin scheme also started small but had grown as the it has proven to be so successful. I would hope our scheme in Galway will be given every chance to be as successful, but I feel even at this early stage possible expansion and site locations should be openly discussed so the public can have some input into it.

what_traffic

ratracer wrote: »

I don't know tbh, but if BikeShare/ City Co had any interest in ensuring the long term operation of the scheme, surely they should be researching future potential growth. AFAIK the Dublin scheme also started small but had grown as the it has proven to be so successful. I would hope our scheme in Galway will be given every chance to be as successful, but I feel even at this early stage possible expansion and site locations should be openly discussed so the public can have some input into it.

It was not as small as Galway though in terms of number of stations and geographical locations.
I would have the same fear as "J O E" has outlined.

There's a risk that it will not happen if "phase one" doesn't prove a success, which it might not due to the lack of "phase two" locations!

Another thing to note - the Council have done nothing about the One Way street situation in the city - even though in the Jacob's Executive Summary report noted it as something to be tackled if the GalwayBikes (also applies to CorkBikes and LimerickBikes) BikeScheme was to be successful.

Recommendations are made on the complementary measures which would be needed as a new scheme is introduced. Perhaps the most important one would be an increase in permeability for cycle traffic in the city centres through the provision of two-way cycling on one-way streets, and by opening up pedestrianised areas to cycling where conditions allow.

what_traffic

Here is the PDF of the Jacobs Executive Report.

Amik

inisboffin wrote: »

Ok I'll be more specific - do they request your bank to place a hold (like airlines do) on the amount of money so it no longer is counted as part of your balance. And I'm asking re a visa debt.

I'd like to know the answer to this too, as I may dip below 150 this month on my current account. :P No reply from BikeShare to date.

what_traffic

Amik wrote: »

I'd like to know the answer to this too, as I may dip below 150 this month on my current account. :P No reply from BikeShare to date.

See this post
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=93253436&postcount=222
it might answer your query?

Amik

what_traffic wrote: »

See this post
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=93253436&postcount=222
it might answer your query?

OK. So it's treated like a e.g. pre-authorized electricty bill debit? Not frozen, they just take it if a loss/theft/damage occurs.

Iwannahurl

what_traffic wrote: »

Another thing to note - the Council have done nothing about the One Way street situation in the city - even though in the Jacob's Executive Summary report noted it as something to be tackled if the GalwayBikes (also applies to CorkBikes and LimerickBikes) BikeScheme was to be successful.

I had a little experience of Galway City Council's cycle-hostile one-way system today.

On the plus side, using a CZ bike was really handy. I was in the city for an appointment, and had parked the car in a municipal Pay & Display area. Because I only had a short interval between my appointment and the school pick-up, and needed to get to the Library in St Augustine Street, I decided it would be a good opportunity to use the CZ bikes.

I walked to the bike station opposite the Fire Station, cycled to the Library and raced back to the docking station, all in less than ten minutes. Driving would have been a hassle, and walking would have taken a lot longer.

However, my time constraints and the one-way system around St Augustine Street and Quay Street resulted in my having to walk for two sections of the journey, because it would have taken longer (as well as being just stupid) to cycle all the way to the library and back to Fr Griffin Road. Walking was therefore a disproportionately large part of my very brief "cycle" trip, slowing me up unnecessarily. I'm pretty sure that people in City Hall (and elsewhere) really do not understand the implications of that basic point in terms of successfully promoting utility cycling in Galway.

what_traffic

Amik wrote: »

OK. So it's treated like a e.g. pre-authorized electricty bill debit? Not frozen, they just take it if a loss/theft/damage occurs.

Ya that's how I read it as well. That leaflet in the photo came with the GalwayBikes starter pack

ratracer

Amik wrote: »

OK. So it's treated like a e.g. pre-authorized electricty bill debit? Not frozen, they just take it if a loss/theft/damage occurs.

Yes. I emailed them about this today and they got back to me pretty quickly. Basically, for the year long subscription it's a pre-authorisation and no money is taken, for the 3 day pass they take the €150 and them refund it after the 3 day period is over.

inisboffin

ratracer wrote: »

Yes. I emailed them about this today and they got back to me pretty quickly. Basically, for the year long subscription it's a pre-authorisation and no money is taken, for the 3 day pass they take the €150 and them refund it after the 3 day period is over.

Ok. It's the term 'pre-authorisation' that sometimes means two things. I am aware that for this 'type' of stipulation that they 'don't take the money out' in either instance, but for some cases that amount remains un-useable within the account, but is still part of the balance, and in others it is just an initial check to see if you have that amount, then it's grand.
I've been stung by airlines in the past 'pre-authorising' a large price ticket and doing it twice, which put me in overdraft. I know the 150 is smaller but sometimes it is enough that if someone is close to the line with a minimum balance, fees could kick in. Still no response from my asking.

joeKel73

It's been answered a few times on this thread. You authorize them to take payment but they neither take payment nor freeze the security deposit value on your account. It doesn't affect your "available balance". I signed up with a Visa Debit card btw.

thesandeman

Met two of them last night cycling up Shop Street. In fairness they were going slow. But the glare off the front lights was crazy.
I honestly think if we were driving the shine off them would temporally blind me.

dloob

I was looking at the bikes at the end of Eyre square, would have taken one for a spin if I could have remembered the pin code.
I was thinking that if you took one of those bike onto the road next to the docking station, then to get to Spanish arch you would have to cycle up around prospect hill, then around the bottom of the square and along the docks.
That's if you want to do it legally the whole way on the bike at least.
Of course you could walk across the road to the Meyrick with the bike first, but that's cheating.

ceatharloch

As regards the new public bike scheme.

Let the current usage of the scheme be X (e.g. number of bikes rented per day).

I predict that if a station is installed in Salthill, the usage would rise to AT
LEAST 2X.

deisedude

ceatharloch wrote: »

As regards the new public bike scheme.

Let the current usage of the scheme be X (e.g. number of bikes rented per day).

I predict that if a station is installed in Salthill, the usage would rise to AT
LEAST 2X.

Its beyond stupid there isn't one there. Probably the most obvious place to put a station and they don't put one there. I live in Salthill and there is no way I'd sign up for the scheme when I have to walk most of the way home if I was to park the bike in the GTI you might aswell walk the full way

death1234567

ceatharloch wrote: »

I predict that if a station is installed in Salthill, the usage would rise to AT LEAST 2X.

How much do you charge for this insightful analysis of public works projects?

Everyone knows that they need to expand the scheme to the suburbs but the scheme is only just opened. Give them a chance to get it up and running first and then expansion can follow.

kippy

Yep, in fairness it took them a while to expand in Dublin as well.
But one would have thought that there were some "obvious" hot spots that would have been worth putting a stand at in the initial phase.

Thargor

One in Salthill would need to be the length of the prom in Summer (exaggeration) with a couple of vans servicing it.

cgcsb

The distance between Salthill and the rest of the stations is far too great. Stations cannot be isolated.

Barginhunter01

There needs to be one at the hospital as well as the galway shopping centre

Julabo

Barginhunter01 wrote: »

There needs to be one at the hospital as well as the galway shopping centre

GMIT, Sportsground,

Iwannahurl

A City Tribune reporter has a good go at the shared bikes, and at cyclists, in today's paper.

Apart from slating the management of the project, he says the CZ bikes represent "196 new hazards" on the city's road network.

Apparently cyclists are -- collectively -- a contrary bunch who'd pick a fight with their own toenails and who make up the rules as they go along.

serfboard

Iwannahurl wrote: »

A City Tribune reporter has a good go at the shared bikes, and at cyclists, in today's paper.

Is there any online link to that article? Looked for it but couldn't find one.

Or maybe you could post a line or two from it here?

deisedude

Iwannahurl wrote: »

A City Tribune reporter has a good go at the shared bikes, and at cyclists, in today's paper.

Apart from slating the management of the project, he says the CZ bikes represent "196 new hazards" on the city's road network.

Apparently cyclists are -- collectively -- a contrary bunch who'd pick a fight with their own toenails and who make up the rules as they go along.

Speaking as someone who cycles and drives there are plenty of pr1cks using each mode of transport.

To collectively tar all cyclists with one brush is the kind of lazy journalism you'd expect of someone writing for a paper that nobody reads

jkforde

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Apparently cyclists are -- collectively -- a contrary bunch who'd pick a fight with their own toenails and who make up the rules as they go along.

most cyclists I see or encounter, regardless of age, dress code, sex etc are indifferent, even hostile to the rules of the road, they're just a hindrance that have to be obeyed by everyone else. convinced it's the juvenile Irish attitude of "don't you tell tell me what to do"

Iwannahurl

There's possibly a common denominator among people who are indifferent or hostile to the RoTR, but I doubt it's the mode of transport.

inisboffin

Iwannahurl wrote: »

There's possibly a common denominator among people who are indifferent or hostile to the RoTR, but I doubt it's the mode of transport.

Yes. To say that 'most cyclists one sees or encounters' are one way or another does smack a little of the 'most children I hear are noisy' syndrome. IE the troublesome members of a certain collective are the ones that are remembered and the 'nicer' ones go ignored and unobserved, thus skewing the perspective.

pleasant Co.

group hug?....

inisboffin

pleasant Co. wrote: »

group hug?....

Only if we're stopped at a light!