3 ms·

In my city, bike sharing stations are in wealthy / hip neighborhoods, and bike lanes connect those neighborhoods with each other and with the places such people

In my city, bike sharing stations are in wealthy / hip neighborhoods, and bike lanes connect those neighborhoods with each other and with the places such people go. The bike stations are not in neighborhoods of people who need inexpensive transportation, and the bike lanes do not connect, for example, poor and working class people with their jobs. For example, bike lanes connecting poor immigrant communities with the restaurants where many of the residents work would be great. Requiring a credit card also limits access (though I don't know if that's still true). Bike sharing is designed by the young, upwardly mobile urban, for the young, upwardly mobile urban - maybe that's done unconsciously, but that's the outcome I see in my town.

lotsofpulp 9y ago
It costs money to provide bicycles, and bicycles are easy to steal and break. There most likely exists a funding and expense problem in poor immigrant communities that makes it unfeasible to offer bicycles, the local government does not collect enough tax and the losses from theft and damage to bicycles too high. Requiring a credit card with a sufficient amount of credit limit fixes this issue.
- forapurpose 9y ago
  > There most likely exists a funding and expense problem in poor immigrant communities that makes it unfeasible to offer bicycles The funding for the wealthy and poor communities all comes from the same city treasury. > Requiring a credit card with a sufficient amount of credit limit fixes this issue. So much for opportunity, democracy, and equality under the law. Only the few who qualify get the real benefits of citizenship. Billy Bragg once sang (referring to Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America"): It's morning in America And you can be your best If you have a major credit card And can pass a urine test
mrgordon 9y ago
Without knowing what city you're talking about, it could be like SF where the poor neighborborhoods blocked bikes. Here they say the bikes are too expensive for poor people even though its $5/year if you qualify for discounted public transit.
- forapurpose 9y ago
  The poorer neighborhoods didn't block the bikes. My impression: Upwardly mobile younger citizens liked the idea of bikeshare, so they built a system to serve their interests using pubilc (i.e., everybody's) money. The real value to bikeshare, IMHO, is the economic benefit to those who lack access to other forms of transportation such as privately owned cars and (automobile) ridsshare.

lotsofpulp 9y ago

It costs money to provide bicycles, and bicycles are easy to steal and break. There most likely exists a funding and expense problem in poor immigrant communities that makes it unfeasible to offer bicycles, the local government does not collect enough tax and the losses from theft and damage to bicycles too high. Requiring a credit card with a sufficient amount of credit limit fixes this issue.

forapurpose 9y ago
> There most likely exists a funding and expense problem in poor immigrant communities that makes it unfeasible to offer bicycles The funding for the wealthy and poor communities all comes from the same city treasury. > Requiring a credit card with a sufficient amount of credit limit fixes this issue. So much for opportunity, democracy, and equality under the law. Only the few who qualify get the real benefits of citizenship. Billy Bragg once sang (referring to Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America"): It's morning in America And you can be your best If you have a major credit card And can pass a urine test

mrgordon 9y ago

Without knowing what city you're talking about, it could be like SF where the poor neighborborhoods blocked bikes. Here they say the bikes are too expensive for poor people even though its $5/year if you qualify for discounted public transit.

forapurpose 9y ago
The poorer neighborhoods didn't block the bikes. My impression: Upwardly mobile younger citizens liked the idea of bikeshare, so they built a system to serve their interests using pubilc (i.e., everybody's) money. The real value to bikeshare, IMHO, is the economic benefit to those who lack access to other forms of transportation such as privately owned cars and (automobile) ridsshare.