Velib like bicycle rental kiosks are being constructed in Dublin

tomasrojo · 09-10-2009 11:34PM

Finally got round to trying out a Dublin Bike this evening. Very handy. Steering is a bit twitchy, but I got used to it within the five minutes I was on the bike (Mountjoy Square to the Mater). Great addition to the city.

If the new parking facility in Drury Street is secure, I can see Dublin Bikes as a handy way of getting from Drury Street to where I actually want to go, and then back again.

Micilin Muc · 19-10-2009 03:10PM

undo wrote: »

Heading home from work at 12:20am last night, half the stations on the Southside were completely emtpy and half of those on the Northside were completeley full. This made it difficult to take a bike from D2 to D1. In the end, I just crossed the Liffey on the bike, dropped it off at the last available stand at Custom House and walked the rest. I wish they did redistribute the bikes in the evening, sometime between the end of rush hour and midnight.

I've noticed that the station at Charlemont Place is constantly full from the end of rush hour until midnight.

A few posters here pointed out at the launch of the scheme that it will take a few weeks for the DB staff to figure out the patterns. That was over a month ago but that station is consistently full every evening :-(

alfalad · 19-10-2009 03:14PM

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I've noticed that the station at Charlemont Place is constantly full from the end of rush hour until midnight.

A few posters here pointed out at the launch of the scheme that it will take a few weeks for the DB staff to figure out the patterns. That was over a month ago but that station is consistently full every evening :-(

Have you highlighted the problem to DB? That might give them the kick they need to sort certain stations out!

Micilin Muc · 19-10-2009 03:19PM

alfalad wrote: »

Have you highlighted the problem to DB? That might give them the kick they need to sort certain stations out!

I'll contact them now! If the station is quite busy in the morning rush hour, maybe it's in their interests to keep that station well-stocked the previous evening. I'll keep you informed if they reply.

alfalad · 19-10-2009 03:22PM

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I'll contact them now! If the station is quite busy in the morning rush hour, maybe it's in their interests to keep that station well-stocked the previous evening. I'll keep you informed if they reply.

Hopefully they will take the feed back on board, can't say i've had any issues beside the one at chq on friday night but to be fair the Octoberfest was on so the place was very busy and the next two stations a couple of min away both had space!

Micilin Muc · 19-10-2009 03:31PM

Here's my note to DB:

A chairde,

I'm very impressed with Dublin Bikes and I use them quite regularly. However it is very difficult to leave a bike at the station at Charlemont Place from the end of the evening rush-hour until the stations close (a period of five hours or so). Before I rent a bike, I use the Dublin Bikes website to check the availability of spaces there, and it is consistently full.

Maybe a redistribution of bikes from this station in the evening would ensure that this station would be more evenly stocked.

Go raibh maith agaibh,

I don't expect a response!!

alfalad · 19-10-2009 03:33PM

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Here's my note to DB:

I don't expect a response!!

Well hopefully they will move more bikes from there instead, and you have done what you can by highlighting it to them although they should already know it!

paddy2k · 19-10-2009 04:38PM

I've seen the bikes being redistributed between 5&6 around the dame street area. You could use this page to guesstimate if there will be bikes available. http://dublinbikes2go.com/stats.php

Rob_l · 21-10-2009 12:32PM

Had my first go of these just now.

Had to get from stephens green to Jervis and I didn't fancy walking and the bus isn't much use for this short journey and I wasn't going to lock my own bike over there(I dont have a lock with me).

€2 for three days is super, cant really see any journeys I would use these for being longer than 30 minutes. Really impressed, they are super for getting about the city.

Now I just need to find a reason to use them tomorrow and Friday

Haleakala · 27-10-2009 11:58PM

Downloaded the new JCDecaux iPhone app for the friendly Dike.

Those of you who have used Fusio's now defunct version will remember the excellence of the app, very user-friendly etc.

Unfortunately, while the JCD version can give you info on similar schemes in Brussels etc. (that is pretty useless frankly) when weighed up against the fairly rubbish interface and non-stop menus/drop downs to get the info it's not a great tool. Still, might make your journey on a DB a little easier.

I use the DBs quite a bit, and have gotten a lot of inquisitive people coming up to me about them. Which is fine. Except, have any other frequent users experienced added interest from out and out scummers? Have gotten some fairly aggressive behaviour from a couple of these guys (shouting/getting in your face etc.) - guessing it's frustration with the relative difficulty to thieve the bikes?

undo · 28-10-2009 12:06AM

Two scumbag kids, maybe 8 years old, were playing with the only available bike at Mountjoy Square today. When I walked up and swiped my card, they tried to press the button and release it. Fortunately, they were too slow in figuring it out and I grabbed the bike.

Then, they asked me how to get one of them bikes. So I told them to get a db card and PIN. "We have a card already," one of the kids said, "How do we get the PIN?"

How can one have a card but not know the PIN / what a PIN is? To me, clearly, they must have nicked the card somewhere...

BostonB · 28-10-2009 12:14AM

True. That said I had forgotten I'd entered a pin on registering so when I got the card I rang them looking for the Pin. Lol.

TM · 28-10-2009 10:53AM

Haleakala wrote: »

Except, have any other frequent users experienced added interest from out and out scummers?

I've used them quite a bit since the scheme was launched and have never had any hassle - at most a few funny/smart comments from bystanders which is no big deal. Certainly no hassle at the stations or while on the bike.

undo wrote: »

Then, they asked me how to get one of them bikes. So I told them to get a db card and PIN. "We have a card already," one of the kids said, "How do we get the PIN?"

How can one have a card but not know the PIN / what a PIN is? To me, clearly, they must have nicked the card somewhere...

Or maybe they were just having you on about having a card?

godihatethehils · 28-10-2009 02:09PM

finally managed to remember my pincode and hopped on a dublinbike to work today. Boy,that was fun

We really need to organise some sort of boardsie velib 'race around the city' event.....

Chips Lovell · 28-10-2009 02:39PM

godihatethehils wrote: »

We really need to organise some sort of boardsie velib 'race around the city' event.....

Or, velib racing at the Sundrive Road track, or an uphill TT at Howth. All done in full lycra of course.

Raam · 28-10-2009 02:41PM

el tonto wrote: »

or an uphill TT at Howth. All done in full lycra of course.

That would take weeks to complete. Actually we would probably break them trying to do that.

Chips Lovell · 28-10-2009 02:47PM

Raam wrote: »

That would take weeks to complete. Actually we would probably break them trying to do that.

Ah they're fairly sturdy and the gearing is very easy. You'd get it done in an evening (or two;))

godihatethehils · 28-10-2009 02:53PM

el tonto wrote: »

an uphill TT at Howth.

Coming back down would be very interesting.....

especially if there were pints at the summit

Chips Lovell · 28-10-2009 02:54PM

godihatethehils wrote: »

Coming back down would be very interesting.....

especially if there were pints at the summit

We could bring flagons in the baskets.

Raam · 28-10-2009 02:57PM

el tonto wrote: »

We could bring flagons in the baskets.

If the baskets are full of booze, where will we put the cigars?

Chips Lovell · 28-10-2009 02:59PM

Raam wrote: »

If the baskets are full of booze, where will we put the cigars?

Simple, smoke them on the way up.

Lumen · 28-10-2009 03:00PM

el tonto wrote: »

We could bring flagons in the baskets.

Raam wrote: »

If the baskets are full of booze, where will we put the cigars?

That's right, taunt the recovering smoker.

lukester · 28-10-2009 03:37PM

Anyone else tried sprinting out of the saddle on one of these?

They don't lend themselves very well to it. Best suited to the hasty matron style of cycling. I think a handbag in the front basket improves the drag co-efficient considerably to boot.

tomasrojo · 28-10-2009 03:40PM

Steering's very twitchy, so no sudden lateral movements is a good idea. Also have to remember not to try to lean the top tube against my leg at the lights.

BeerNut · 28-10-2009 03:55PM

tomasrojo wrote: »

Also have to remember not to try to lean the top tube against my leg at the lights.

This one gets me every time.

Chips Lovell · 28-10-2009 04:04PM

Yes, they're not really built for out of the saddle stuff. Every time I try it I end up regretting it.

godihatethehils · 28-10-2009 04:08PM

right who's for a velib boards 12 pubs of christmas pub crawl then???

:D:D

Lumen · 28-10-2009 04:10PM

godihatethehils wrote: »

right who's for a velib boards 12 pubs of christmas pub crawl then??? :D:D

It's still October! Ban her!

godihatethehils · 28-10-2009 04:14PM

godihatethehils wrote: »

right who's for a velib boards 12 pubs of christmas halloween pub crawl then??? :D:D

happy??

Chips Lovell · 28-10-2009 04:44PM

Given the amount of bike crashing that happened at the last Christmas party...

Velib like bicycle rental kiosks are being constructed in Dublin

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