The South Coast Needs Bikes!
Santa Barbara Can Learn from European Cities

By Ralph Fertig
president of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition.
Thursday, September 20, 2007

Last July 15, Parisians woke up to find 10,600 new bicycles available throughout the city for their use. The public/private initiative was crafted by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë to propel the city toward a greener future.

Where did this innovative program come from and what does it mean for us? Specifically, how might the South Coast benefit from a similar program? Judging from the success of programs already in Europe, it would reduce our traffic congestion, cut pollution, promote fitness, and be a popular means of travel for residents and visitors alike. How can we lose?

Throughout Paris, there are bicycle stations every 300 yards. Each station has an electronic vending kiosk with instructions in eight languages. Using your credit card at the kiosk, you get a bike card to swipe over one of the waiting bicycles to release it. When you return your bike, you lock it into a smart post that identifies you, the bicycle, plus where and when the bike was rented. If you exceed your free 30 minutes, it bills your credit card. Diagnostic software automatically checks tire pressure, gears, lights, and brakes. If a bike fails the tests, it’s locked out of service and a mechanic is directed to it.

The bicycles are a custom design. Each one has a low step-through frame, adjustable seat height, roller brakes, always-on front and rear dynamo lights, front wire basket, three-speed hub gears, chain guard, cable lock, puncture-resistant tires with reflective sidewalls, and a kickstand that lifts the bike off its rear wheel. Every part of the bike has security bolts that require special tools to undo.

Paris is joining other cities with new-generation bicycle rental services. They include Lyon, Stockholm, Vienna, Seville, Brussels, Barcelona, Córdoba, Singapore, and Copenhagen. Two years ago, Lyon, France, initiated a bike program similar to the one in Paris. They have 4,000 bicycles at 175 locations. The average number of rides per day is 15,000. Office workers account for 40 percent of the rentals. Ninety percent of all journeys on bikes last fewer than 30 minutes, which means they’re free. Users who opt to keep them longer incur charges. Bikes which aren’t returned within 24 hours are billed to the user’s credit card, in the amount of 150 Euros.

Lyon’s Deputy Mayor Jean-Louis Touraine reported that bicycle use has increased 30 percent since the program began. At the same time, automobile traffic has declined by 4 percent, reversing Lyon’s previous 1-3 percent annual increase in motor vehicle use. For those now renting bikes, 55 percent said they are driving less than before. The program has eliminated 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during the past two years, and air quality has improved. Touraine observed that “we’re finding a city that is more humane, more convivial, less dangerous, less stressful, and less polluted.”

So what is happening in the U.S.? As American cities contend with growing traffic congestion, they’re paying attention and moving to adopt similar bicycle programs. Washington, D.C., will have rental bikes available later this year. Last month, Portland, Oregon, sent out a “request for proposal” for a bicycle rental system of 500 bikes. New York, Chicago, and San Francisco are also investigating the possibilities of such a program.

So why not do this on the South Coast? Campers at Carpinteria State Beach could bike into town. UCSB students could bike to the airport, Amtrak station, or Camino Real Marketplace. Campus visitors could use the bikes to get around without cars. Santa Barbara workers could pedal to restaurants for lunch, and tourists could go from hotels to popular destinations without adding to traffic.

How would we pay for it? Paris is trading space on 1,600 billboards for the bikes. Some cities generate revenue with ads on the rental kiosks. Here, we could sell kiosk ad space or enter into agreements with major employers. It might be operated by the Santa Barbara Bikestation headquartered in the Granada Garage, or it could be an MTD transportation program. Maybe we could tap into part of the 2008 South Coast Measure D transportation tax.

Teaming today’s computer and bicycle technology to address the issues of traffic congestion, obesity, oil prices, climate change, and air pollution provide a timely solution for everybody. It’s time to bring it here!

http://www.independent.com/news/2007/sep/20/santa-barbara-can-learn-european-cities/?print