The New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) advocates for pro-bicycle policies at the local, New York state and federal levels. We educate New Yorkers about the benefits of bicycling and walking, offer technical and training resources, assist bicycle advocates and government entities, and promote safe riding.
Bike Sharing
bike-sharing (\ˈbīk-ˌsher-iŋ\) – 1: short-term bicycle rental available at a network of unattended locations; 2: bicycle transit
Bike Sharing is a recent and innovative strategy of improving urban mobility by fusing the flexibility and comfort of a private vehicle with the reliability and availability of mass-transit. Bike Sharing Systems in essence provide cheap and affordable bikes for rent for the public, either operated by a community group or nonprofit organization, or by a governmental agency, many times of which is a public-private partnership. Bikes are provided to the public at various locations around an urban area in which they can be rented and used for short-trips around the city in conjunction with other forms of mass-transit including bus, light-rail and passenger rail, car sharing and other public means of travel. Bike Sharing today can be viewed as having two possible systems:
Traditional Systems
Next Generation Systems
Traditional Bike Sharing Systems incorporate the use of bike share stations where bikes are both rented and returned to, based on sensible transportation locations around the city. In this system, the public is constrained to finding and returning bikes to designated, stationary and fixed bike stations. Flexibility of both locating and returning bicycles in this system can be limited and success can hinger on the vitality of the bike share stations’ locations.
Next Generation Bike Sharing Systems utilize the growing availability of technology and the internet to locate, purchase and return bicycles. In newer bike sharing systems, the bicycles in the bike share program emit real-time GPS locations that users can locate via the internet on their computer, tablet, smart-phone etc. Once a person locates an available bicycle using an online mapping interface, they receive a code to unlock the bike. The user can then leave the bicycle near their desired location, which will be shown to the public in real time. In this system, the flexibility and scope of the bike sharing network is improved as bicycles can be left in more diverse locations. These systems still encourage return of bicycles to “hubs” in busy activity areas where large numbers of people will seek them out.
Bike Sharing is a recent and innovative strategy of improving urban mobility by fusing the flexibility and comfort of a private vehicle with the reliability and availability of mass-transit. Bike Sharing Systems in essence provide cheap and affordable bikes for rent for the public, either operated by a community group or nonprofit organization, or by a governmental agency, many times of which is a public-private partnership. Bikes are provided to the public at various locations around an urban area in which they can be rented and used for short-trips around the city in conjunction with other forms of mass-transit including bus, light-rail and passenger rail, car sharing and other public means of travel. Bike Sharing today can be viewed as having two possible systems: