Bike Sharing in Annapolis, DC, Arlington

Annapolis' bike sharing program, Free Wheelin', is back for the summer.  This a low-tech, small-scale system that primarily serves tourists.

A staff member at the harbor master's office checks bikes in and out from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Cyclists must show a credit card and driver's license. Free Wheelin' grew out of a desire by Annapolis officials to build the city's reputation as a bike destination and to help tourists explore the area

Dahlgren said 8,000 to 10,000 boats dock in the harbor during the boating season. The program, which has been operating since June 16, has six bikes, but more might be added as interest grows, he said. Helmets are not supplied but are recommended.

As of last Thursday, bikes had been borrowed 37 times, the harbor master said. In 2007, Free Wheelin' lent bikes more than 75 times from June to August, said Danielle Matland, director of the city's Transportation Department.

But they're hoping to go all Paris

"Eventually the city would like to put in an electronic system and have 10 different depots," Matland said.

The author seems to think that SmartBike DC launched this last spring - if only it were so (photo to the right shows all the use the system is getting right now. Thanks PEPCO). As US News points out - Bike sharing is stalled nationwide

Chicago residents won't see rental bikes until legal issues are resolved—the city must establish whether the biker, company, or city is legally liable for any injuries incurred while riding. Officials have not announced a time frame for the rollout of the bikes. In Portland, Ore., plans are stalled indefinitely while city officials study the pros and cons of similar programs in Paris, Rome, and New Zealand.

And here in Washington, Smartbike, which was originally planned for this spring, will be available to renters in August because of meter installation and maintenance issues. The hottest month of the year in D.C. is not an ideal time to roll out a bike-sharing program, when most people would prefer taking the Metro or the air-conditioned comfort of a cab. A similar program will be unveiled in nearby Arlington, Va., but not until 2009.

Actually it may not even be August. According to DDOT, Smartbike might launch August 1st with 7 out of 10 stations open and then phase in the remaining three stations (Metro Center, McPherson Square and Judiciary Square - which is now getting the station originally planned for the Convention Center I think) as they come online. Or they may wait until they have all 10 in mid-to-late August. At the BAC meeting there was some discussion about which is the better route to go and it's such a small difference that it probably won't matter.

There was also a discussion of helmets for SmartBike. Though I think anyone paying $45 for one of the 2000 year-long memberships can probably spring for a helmet and keep one at work if they need it, I did like the idea of including a coupon with their welcome packet for someone who wants to order one. It'll be interesting to see how fast they sell out of memberships. I'm putting the over/under at 3 months.

Mrs. Washcycle will be one of the first. She's is taking part in Zipcar's Low Car diet, which will give her a free SmartBike WABA membership.

Express discussed the delay as well

"It's going slowly," says the District Department of Transportation's Jim Sebastian. Supplying electricity to the seven rack locations installed so far is one reason for the delay: "It took three months." You'll start seeing bikes in racks (see Smartbikedc.com for locations) next week, but while you can look, you can't touch — DDOT employees will be testing membership-card readers, bike-rack releases and cycling routes for about a month.

Still this hiccup isn't slowing the overall trend. Arlington's own Paul DeMaio was interviewed on FOX Business (national not local) about bike-sharing in the US. Nothing too new here, but it's funny to watch because 1) they want to interview him about DC but he mostly talks about Arlington, 2) they ask him how it's working so far and it hasn't started yet 3) you get the sense Paul could have gone on for another hour if the interviewer hadn't cut him off - and 4) really, Gasbuddy.com? That's how they do their research?

Comments

[Brian D.]

Hey, I'm doing the Zipcar Low Car Diet too! I didn't notice a SmartBike membership mentioned though, but maybe that's because I live in the burbs. I'm happy enough with the Zipcar membership and driving credit plus the MetroCard. Plus, it forces me to stay on the bike during those hot days coming up in July and August.