It really shows what a bike share scheme can do to increase bicycle usage and improve people’s lives.

I can’t see it working with this stupid helmet law either.

The helmet law was a HUGE mistake. And I’m being polite. It has negligible benefits and imposes huge costs of the community, in terms of additional traffic jams, and costly medical bills arising from poor health issues like obesity. Why can’t the govt admit they made a mistake and repeal the law? Because there isn’t political pressure to do so. They hope to get away with failure unnoticed.

Let’s increase the political pressure to get rid of the helmet law. It’s not that hard to show that a policy with with negligible benefits at best imposing huge costs to the taxpayers should be scrapped. I don’t accept the statement that it is “out of the question” to get rid of it.

Will the Govt address the helmet challenge to make Bike share become more than a token activity? They wont want to. But with the clamor of new stake holders. City hall. etc. not wanting to see the streets of our tourist friendly cities, devoid of bikes, there may be pressure brought to bear.

I’m sure you looked at my movie on this blog, Biking up the Wrong Tree.

That records the day Bruce and I, riding around Sydney’s beauty spots, met only 6 other cyclists in as many hours. That was the day it hit me that our helmet laws might be keeping the thousands of tourists in the city that day with us, off rental bikes.

So city hall, the tourist boards, the merchants associations, will all be clamoring. “Why do we have to miss out on the bike bonanza?”
To them, Govts. might listen.

Mike

We’ve never had to face ho many people helmets might be keeping off bikes, esp. women. Only about 15% of cyclists here are women.

That’s related not only to hair and helmets but to the macho bike culture, the state of war on our roads which sees a Lycra clad road warrior mount a bus the other day in Sydney, and attack the driver. The cyclist was completely in the wrong, riding in the bus lane.

We desperately need a gentler, more utility based bike culture, and bike share would be a way to get it. We’ll see.

In the interim, I hope that a way can be found to make this happen – fingers crossed!

We’re getting the Bixi here in London next summer which will be very exciting, 6000 of them in fact – but of course, no compulsory helmet law here… I think it does make a big difference and it’s a good thing that people like you Mike are bringing up the helmet issue in advance – if the scheme fails the car lobby will kick over the embers with glee and it will be a big set-back for cycling in Australian cities.

Mark

Just an update on the Velib bike-share

Since posting, I’ve been sent an intriguing video about a folding helmet which I’m going to post soon. It could be the answer for regular users in the city with the scheme, and was probably designed with that in mind.Mike

You’re saving the world with your talent and compassion, Mike, Good on yer! (and a great choice on music, again.)

The rental cost also crossed my mind, as a possible deterrent. However, once the demand is sufficient, I expect market competition may come in to play to ensure that prices remain reasonable.

Regardless, even today, I wouldn’t hesitate to rent a bike in a city that I was visiting, not in a heartbeat. For me, that opportunity would present added value for my trip, not just a meaningless option.

As for the idea of buying a helmet from a 7/11 – this just isn’t going to work – the key to bike hire schemes like Bixi and Velibe working is that the bikes need to be in constant circulation and use, otherwise, well, they just SIT there!

I chose my banner photo with Ecovelo in mind but had no idea how to achieve that and settled for the still which was taken with an old bike on Avoca Beach, early one evening, though in my mind, it’s a sunrise, not a sunset.

Cheers, Mike