City
Bixi Bash hopes to keep public bikes program alive
As the Tour de France ends, Mayor Miller wants the "Tour de Toronto" to begin. Next week, Bixi Toronto is hosting a party at the Gladstone Hotel to garner support for the Bixi bike sharing program in Toronto.
Back in May, City Council passed a motion to sign a deal with a Montreal company that will initially provide the city with 1,000 bikes and 80 docking stations. The Bixi program needs 1,000 subscribers by November or risks losing the public bikes program altogether. If it receives requsite support, Bixi Toronto should be ready to go by Spring 2011.
The $95 annual subscription is a great option for individuals without bike storage space or those of us scarred by a recent bike theft...ahem.
If everyone is as enthusiastic as David Miller, there won't be a problem with subscriptions. In a video praising the efforts of Michael Barry -- one of only two Canadians riding the Tour de France and a former Torontonian no less -- he shows off one of the new bikes and raves about the degree to which this city values cycling.
Let's hope the latter proves true.
The Bixi Bash starts at 7p.m. on July 28. Subscriptions can also be made online after the 28th at www.toronto.bixi.com.
Lead image is a still from Miller's congratulatory video to Michael Barry.
Discussion
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that's all the comments are on this website anymore.
My only concern is they need 1,000 subscribers by November 2010, but their site is not even up yet. I hope it comes very soon (launch party night?) because it's kind of hard to sell it right now.
The road to Bikeshare is paved with good intentions, but this program also needs effective implementation and communication...In order to develop a natural, buoyant, and self-sustaining Culture. Something that bloated bureaucracies are still not very good at.
Hopefully this won't turn into another PR Bust the way the bikeracks on TTC Buses did...
http://thumbshift.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/bikes-on-buses-are-a-pr-bust/
jo
Still, cyclists aren't licenced nor are they insured to share the road.
It looked to me that a lot of people were making good use of the bikes, locals and tourists alike.
I hope this system comes to Toronto and I'll be looking into a subscription.
The one thing Montreal has in place that Toronto lacks, is designated, sectioned off bike lanes. Not all over the city, but at least in the main streets. Felt a lot safer riding in these.
That said, as Toronto does not have this issue with helmets (whether or not they should be required is another story), I predict the program will be a lot more successful than in Melbourne, even though Melbourne is equipped with bike lanes all over.
I am really proud of Toronto (and Melbourne) for introducing the bikes and I hope they are a great success. Congrats!