Vancouver's Public Bicycle Project - Intro
  • Wikipedia language entries
  • World wide news
  • Google on city bikes
  • Bike-sharing.blogspot.com
  • P. DeMaio World map
  • On-line inventory
  • Technorati on City Bikes
  • NICHES EU project


    More from Toolkit:
    1. Homework (Let's have a look)
    2. World City Bike Toolkit
    3. Implementation Partners
    4. Check out Vélib example



    Additional background:
  • Prospectus & work program
  • The Advisory Briefs
  • Reinventing Transport in Cities
  • Greening of Transport in Paris






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  • What do you have here.

    This section of this "Do-it-Yourself" toolkit providesa you with one click entry to a growing set of references (the site being consistently worked with and updated as new materials come in) which will help you understand the state of play with cit bike projects by whatever name all over the world. Here briefly are a few words of background on each to get you going in your research:

    As you will see there is a fast-expanding wealth of information out there, and mastering this is of course a step in the process of having your strategy. But only a step.

    Langugage Help:

    A considerable portion of the information on public bicycle implementations and strategies is in languages other than English. It is, we believe, important to have a go at reading them and understanding their sometimes very different points of views. TO succeed, we have to be willing to learn from everybody. To help you in this we propose you turn to Google or Babelfish to get decent working translation (hints really) in all these cases. The different language versions are NOT translations. They cover some of the same ground as you can guess, but they add a lot of very interesting and in our view important perspective that needs to be taken into account in planning and implementing any such project anywhere.

    • For further help on these "quick translations click here.

    The sites and references in brief:

    1. Wikipedia on Public Bikes
      As you might suspect, a useful starting place to dig in with our international topic.

    2. World Transport Policy Journal on Frontiers of Cycling
      This special number of the Journal of World Transport Policy & Practice (Vol. 13, No. 1) -- At the Frontiers of Cycling: Policy Innovations in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany -- provides valuable context for the strategic context of our project. From the editor's foreword: "This is a special-issue WTPP monograph on cycling – particularly on international variations in cycling activity. The objective here is to make sure that the intelligence virus infects enough of our senior decisiontakers, politicians and bureaucrats to produce a radical transformation of cycling so that in the majority of urban areas of the world we can deliver one third or more of all trips by bike. The same point applies to walking trips and to so-called “active-travel” in general. It is clear to us that many of our much publicised transport policy objectives including climate change, health and social inclusion will not be achieved until we produce seriously high levels of active travel/"

    3. World wide news
      Pretty much "must have" if you want to keep up with the fast moving state of play in the field. We check it out daily or almost, and then follow up. There will be a handful of postings every day.

    4. Google on city bikes
      This is a blunter tool, but important especially a you begin to dig into our topic.

    5. Bike-sharing.blogspot.com<
      Bike-sharing Blog provides information on the emerging public transportation mode of bike-sharing. The Blog is provided by MetroBike LLC, and by Paul DeMaio. It's a must visit site if you want to follow the field.

    6. P. DeMaio World map
      Strong visual clues showing 2nd (low-tech) and 3rd (high-tech) generation bike-sharing programs world wide.

    7. On-line inventory (TransLink)
      Being compiled by TransLink team in Vancouver planning project. You will need to be signed in to Google to access. You will be invited to add missing information or correct as useful. It would be great if you would. (Inventory mixes tourist and more conventional bike rentals with true city or public bikes, but still useful.)

    8. Wikipedia on Cyclocity
      Another whack at out topic, again in French.

    9. Technorati on City Bikes
      A pot pourri of articles and video, worth an occasional check for eventual surprises.

    10. Smart Bikes: Public Transportation for the 21st Century
      By Paul J. DeMaio and Prof. Jonathan Gifford.. The purpose of this article is to describe briefly the history and development of bicycle-sharing, review experiences of selected smart bike, or automated bike rental programs, and develop guidelines for a successful smart bike program in the United States. In researching the article, the authors surveyed selected programs around the world, interviewed key figures in those programs, and reviewed the literature. Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2004

    11. Spicycles Collaborative Bike sharing program
      The goal of this on-going project is to develop a general framework for the implementation of bike sharing services. Therefore a document including key findings and recommendations for the set up of a bike sharing service has to be handed in at the end of the Spicycles project time (month 34). The work for this deliverable is already in progress. In the following a draft for possible contents can be found. This draft will be enhanced and amended during the process of work.

    12. Guía metodológica
      A methodological guide for planning public bicycles in Spain. A Nov. 2007 publication of IDAE, the Spanish Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía. The last three chapters with Spanish views on linking these bikes to city planning, cost issues, and implementation hints are particularly interesting.

    13. NICHES EU project
      Excellent policy summary by EU NICHES team. Recommended reading for anyone interested creating or supporting a public bike project for their city. Description:
      "Public Bicycle schemes that are well accepted have the potential to become part of the urban landscape and the identity of a city. However, they need to be constantly monitored and developed in line with market and context conditions."

    14. Comparaison des Systèmes Automatisés
      By Benoît Beroud, Mobility Consultant, 25 Sept 2006. Good 2006 overview; strong on Lyons project. (In French, with English language summary)

    15. Bike/transit integration
      Several related background articles from the TDM Encyclopedia of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Canada, by Todd Litman. Looking into various ways of integrating bicycling and public transit travel, including cycling access to transit stops and station. Provides many references.

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