Erik Weber of non-profit EMBARQ argues that bike sharing systems combine the benefits of cycling and public transit and is a sustainable solution for cities.
Weber responds to a comment from James May, a BBC host, that says that bike sharing "effectively becomes public transport: it doesn't leave from precisely where you are and doesn't arrive at exactly where you want to be."
Weber writes, "The key part of his statement is the first sentence. May says that under a bike sharing scheme 'the bicycle effectively becomes public transport.' But to frame this negatively, as he does, is a mistake. This is precisely the greatest characteristic of these growing programs: they are a new part of the public transit portfolio."
Weber argues that with a well-distributed and easy-to-use bicycling system, bike sharing beats personal bike ownership and many other modes for convenience.
Thanks to Garrett Bradford
Read the full story: Bike Sharing: The Newest Mode of Public Transport
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