Will 'Smart Bikes' Succeed As Public Transportation In The U.S.?

Bicycle-sharing programs have received increasing attention in recent years withinitiatives to increase bike usage, better meet the demand of a more mobile public,and lessen the environmental impacts of our transportation activities. In 1996, thesmart bike, or automated bike rental system, was first implemented in the UnitedKingdom, leading to a growing number of programs throughout Europe and Asia.However, there are presently no such programs in the United States. This articleexamines the potential success of smart bike programs in the United States.

Among the conclusions: "Biking, and smart bikes in particular, are not suitable for all people or every Americancity. Suitable locations include urban areas with more compact downtowns,university campuses, and dense neighborhoods with a concentration of youngerpeople. Organizations wanting to implement smart bike programs in the UnitedStates must examine the characteristics of their city and its people to determinesmart bike’s appropriateness. The authors believe there are many American citieswhere smart bikes would likely succeed."

The paper is authored by Paul DeMaio, Traffic Calming Coordinator for the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services in Virginia, and Jonathan Gifford, George Mason University.

[Editor's note: The link below is to an approximately 500K PDF.]

Thanks to Paul DeMaio