Using Citi Bike as an example the solution is to get back on the subway & get off at the right stop, then use Citi Bike.
10k from bikestand to destination is impossible without passing dozens & dozens of subway stops near dozens & dozens of bikestands. It would be an odd thing to even have a starting point & destination 10k from each other in that system & it is fairly large. You might need to find the 2 bikestands that are furthest from one another
None of the Bixi systems could accommodate that situation either
ToS for bike sharing already prohibits such devices, i.e. you mustnât adapt the bike.
Any form of accident with the rider using something like this and they are screwed.
Manhattan is full of Chinese delivery guys on (illegal) electric bicycles. They whip up (and down!) the bikes lanes with impunity, cigarettes dangling from their bored faces.
The NYPD typically ignore them, even while being pushed by brass to hand out traffic to tickets to normal cyclists.
Electric bikes are not illegal in New York, apparently. So your statement comes off as just a bit racist. And anti-smoker.
@robcruickshank: the smugness of âToronto cyclistsâ and other lycra weenies is unbearable. Thank goodness we donât need to worry about them procreating - tight shorts prevents that.
Also the fact that itâs been cold enough to freeze all our bits off. You do have a point, though- while I can be âone of those cyclistsâ, there is a diversity in the cycling culture here that is not all âlycra weeniesâ and messengers. I think, though, that you will find that the dislike of the electric bikes cuts across the lines, mostly because of the well-intentioned but misguided decision to allow them in the bike lanes, where they typically do not play well. Most of the riders are not really familiar with cycling etiquette (such as it is) , and the large fairings on the âscooterâ style bikes do not leave much room to pass safely. I agree with you that electrically assisted bikes would be ideal for a âlast mileâ, but unfortunately, our bike sharing sites are mostly clustered in the downtown core, where most spots are at most a 5 min walk from a subway. (our subway is a lot more compact that yours)
I think youâre wrong about that. Itâs surely no less safe than the average moped and your city likely already has laws for dealing with the safety/registration/etc of mopeds.
In DC itâs legal to ride electric bikes or scooters (I think up to 50cc engine) in the bike lane, and nothing terrible has happened. Motorists and pedestrians are definitely the main source of problems in the bike lane.
Thatâs exactly the problem;âcycling etiquette (such as it is)â is not defined by the âserious cyclist.â aka lycra weenie. If anything, it is defined by the commuters and casual riders. If lycra weenies canât share the bike lane with those riders, they should ride with the cars.
You used to be able to buy everything used in this kit for about $75 from electronics surplus companies thanks to a company called EV Warrior, a failed electric bike company. Iâm hoping this is somehow better.
This device is for modifying a bike that doesnât belong to you. Heâs saying that the companies+cities that operate bike shares will forbid modifiction of their bikes and heâs right.
They already do forbid it according to the Citi Bike Terms of Service, the main bikeshare featured in the kickstarter. The only modification to the bikes whatsoever is that the user may adjust the seat height using the provided means.
Killjoy? Maybe, but you can see why someone providing public transportation would forbid people modifying the vehicles. Especially to operate in a manner they were not designed for.
From the look of it the people in the kickstarter did not actually get with any bikeshare to collaborate. There is one line stating that the device currently complies with all bikeshare terms of service. But Citi Bike, the NYC bikeshare, clearly states
âYou must not dismantle, write on, or otherwise modify or deface a Citi Bike bicycle or any part of a Citi Bike bicycle in any way. You must not write on, peel, or otherwise modify or deface any sticker on a Citi Bike bicycle in any way. You must not use a Citi Bike bicycle for any advertising or similar commercial purpose. This rule does not apply to the use of the seat height adjustment feature on Citi Bike bicycles.â
When a rule that states you must not modify has an exemption for the integrated seat height adjustment it means do not modify the bike in any way.
They need to collaborate with these bikeshares. Thankfully the product is designed with more than bikeshares in mind, from here it looks like bikeshares are a convenient marketing vehicle for the product, because really, that is a tiny tiny market, esp considering among subscribers who will want to pay that much.
That they used Citi Bike for advertising when that too is expressly forbidden tells me that they didnât really do much reading of terms of service, or they did & decided to ignore. So they put in one line about & thatâs it.
In fact the Kickstarter webpage does acknowledge that the UK model will adhere to the parameters youâve found.
Unfortunately Barclayâs specifically prohibits attaching any accessory to the bicycle.
There is/was (27 days left!) a very good approach to collaboration with all of these bikeshares, at least the large ones. That is, they are very hard to run, often under-funded & often in need of more subscribers. It could easily be presented as a licensing opportunity that would increase ridership.
So much of the projectâs done due diligence would make technical consideration by the bikeshare quick compared to starting from scratch.
Offer revenue, get promotion to subscribers & a x1000 visibility boost. For a 2.5%-5% licensing arrangement based on locale & whether the mount is for a bikeshare bicycle, the unit could bear the branding of the maker & the intended bikeshare system, the bikeshare supplying itâs own stickers to the spec of the maker.
Be ready for concessions. Maybe the bikeshare does not envision 18mph as desirable. Remember this is an assist, not a motor. If it is maxed out at 12mph w/out pedalling it is still an awesome product for people who want a small motor of this sort.
Play nice, make friends. If they donât need subscribers, they still want them. Create a conciliatory growth scheme pitch. Offer 1+ years of bike subscription w/purchase to incentivize your product to persons not currently subscribed. Negotiate a reduced rate for that subscription with the bikeshare. Note that the initial investment by the prospective customer in your product dramatically increases the odds of subscription renewal. You could negotiate that fee to half with that alone. Donât complain to me about margins. If $50.00 was already your margin on a $1000.00 product with such a limited market you were already scuppered.
I could go on & on. There was no reason not to make this a marketing + design experiment in collaboration. The trade-off possibilities would boost this project right up into âfeasibleâ.
Also, whereâs Velib? They have 20,000+ bikes & easy to accommodate EU standards & a strong need for subscribers.
Electric Bicycles are, but electric assists are not. The distinction is fine but present.
Whether a cop will care if he sees you throttling without pedalling is unknown.
That article seems to think the federal statute supersedes the state/local. It is the other way around. If a locality wants to regulate the use of these more stringently than the federal regulation then they may do so.
Ah, yes, it seems youâre right. Itâs not cut-and-dry, since some of New Yorkâs rules only apply to cities bigger than a million people, but at least with the pure-electric scooters that are being used for food delivery these days in NYC, they do seem to be unlicensed and unlicensable and therefore not allowed on NYC streets.
I still take issue with you characterizing âdelivery guysâ as âChineseâ though - something tells me that you are lumping a large swath of ethnicities in to one. And maybe even stereotyping on gender too. I can tell you that personally in the last month Iâve had Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Turkish, and Japanese food delivered by electric scooter, and not once was the delivery person the same ethnicity as the food being delivered.
Have any of the scooter delivery people there adopted the gimbal systems used in Japan to deliver bowls of noodles by scooter? Iâve always thought that was an idea that should come to North America.
