Another dockless bikes thread

[Dogtrousers]

Lime bikes seem to have taken off recently here in South East London. Our local pavements are getting increasingly littered by abandoned Lime bikes.

My knee jerk reaction is that the dockless model is just a means for operators to (try to) turn a quick buck with minimal investment in infrastructure, while local communities pay the price in obstructed footways and dumped bikes.

Now, that's just because they irritate me. And me being irritated isn't actually a real problem. It could be that they are a useful addition to the transport mix and I should chill out and put my green ink away. Or at least turn my ire on pavement parking if I'm so worried about obstructed footways.

So, dockless bikes - particularly Lime e-bikes: A useful transport mode or a means of discouraging pedestrians and the disabled from using footways?

 

[matticus]

or a means of discouraging pedestrians and the disabled from using footways?

Seems like a good way to keep them safe 👍

 

[cougie uk]

Lime bikes seem to have taken off recently here in South East London. Our local pavements are getting increasingly littered by abandoned Lime bikes.

My knee jerk reaction is that the dockless model is just a means for operators to (try to) turn a quick buck with minimal investment in infrastructure, while local communities pay the price in obstructed footways and dumped bikes.

Now, that's just because they irritate me. And me being irritated isn't actually a real problem. It could be that they are a useful addition to the transport mix and I should chill out and put my green ink away. Or at least turn my ire on pavement parking if I'm so worried about obstructed footways.

So, dockless bikes - particularly Lime e-bikes: A useful transport mode or a means of discouraging pedestrians and the disabled from using footways?

Presumably it's local people or people working in the area that are leaving the bikes in the way ?

Annoying but is it any worse than cars parked up on pavements ?

I'd imagine getting the planning sorted for a docking station would be a major pita unless you're TFL ?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Presumably it's local people or people working in the area that are leaving the bikes in the way ?

Annoying but is it any worse than cars parked up on pavements ?

I'd imagine getting the planning sorted for a docking station would be a major pita unless you're TFL ?

I think it is worse than pavement parking or at least equally bad. Pavement parking in this area is generally in residential streets and the pavements have been painted with lines showing exactly how far it is permitted. Not saying it's a good idea but it's a separate topic and at least it's controlled.

The dumped bikes are pretty much everywhere. Particularly annoying in areas where there is no pavement parking as there is no parking permitted at all, such as outside shops and pedestrian only areas and so on.

I guess the question is: Do they replace car journeys that would otherwise be made by private car/taxi, in which case they are useful. Or do they replace journeys that would otherwise be made by foot, in which case they are a waste of space and resources and can get stuffed.

Or perhaps they replace bus/train journeys. In which case they can also get stuffed as they are not adding anything new.

There's a very good reason why getting planning is a PITA. It has to take into account the views of concerned local residents/crazed nimbys.

I'm not the only one getting irritated. Here's a twitter thread with pictures (not me)

View: https://twitter.com/Love_SE4/status/1567044682726645762

 

[fossyant]

Mobike failed in Manchester. We've get Beryl bikes now and whilst there is a dock, it's not locked - the bike just needs to be in close proximity to a dock (can sometimes be full). It's expanding again this year, but it does seem to stop them being dumped everywhere. I've yet to use them, although registered, as the docks weren't that close to work - we've got one now though.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Mobike failed in Manchester. We've get Beryl bikes now and whilst there is a dock, it's not locked - the bike just needs to be in close proximity to a dock (can sometimes be full). It's expanding again this year, but it does seem to stop them being dumped everywhere. I've yet to use them, although registered, as the docks weren't that close to work - we've got one now though.

Sounds like a decent compromise.

 

[mustang1]

I'm not a fan of bikes littering the sidewalks but there are so many other "litterbugs" such as:

Roadwork signs: if the road has the roadwork, then why put the sign on the sidewalk? Put it on the damn road.

A street parking sign: why do you need a separate pole just to indicate what time you can park? Put that sign on a street lamp instead.

Mmh actually I cannot think of any more as i have not been to The City for a while.

 

[sheddy]

Has there ever been a successful Dockless Cycle Scheme ?

 

[ianrauk]

Has there ever been a successful Dockless Cycle Scheme ?

I would say the Lime/Uber bikes in London are pretty successful. You see a heck a lot of people using them theses days.

 

[Slick]

I think it is worse than pavement parking or at least equally bad. Pavement parking in this area is generally in residential streets and the pavements have been painted with lines showing exactly how far it is permitted. Not saying it's a good idea but it's a separate topic and at least it's controlled.

The dumped bikes are pretty much everywhere. Particularly annoying in areas where there is no pavement parking as there is no parking permitted at all, such as outside shops and pedestrian only areas and so on.

I guess the question is: Do they replace car journeys that would otherwise be made by private car/taxi, in which case they are useful. Or do they replace journeys that would otherwise be made by foot, in which case they are a waste of space and resources and can get stuffed.

Or perhaps they replace bus/train journeys. In which case they can also get stuffed as they are not adding anything new.

There's a very good reason why getting planning is a PITA. It has to take into account the views of concerned local residents/crazed nimbys.

I'm not the only one getting irritated. Here's a twitter thread with pictures (not me)

View: https://twitter.com/Love_SE4/status/1567044682726645762

I think you are right, its a complete eyesore, but I honestly don't blame the no users that left them there, blaming the end user is pointless.

I have been trying to suss out what's around Stratford, as there are some lying around, but I'm not exactly sure if its a scheme or just lazy food delivery guys that are coming back for them.

I like the idea of them and I would love to utilise something like this for a work trop next month, but I'll probably end up driving the whole God forsaken route between Glasgow and London. Can't wait.

 

[cyberknight]

I think you are right, its a complete eyesore, but I honestly don't blame the no users that left them there, blaming the end user is pointless.

I have been trying to suss out what's around Stratford, as there are some lying around, but I'm not exactly sure if its a scheme or just lazy food delivery guys that are coming back for them.

I like the idea of them and I would love to utilise something like this for a work trop next month, but I'll probably end up driving the whole God forsaken route between Glasgow and London. Can't wait.

yes i was in that area sunday and saw a fair few scattered around, we had to take the DLR, thats a flippin rip off !

 

[dicko]

The rent a bike scheme in Derby failed a few years back and was withdrawn, we all thought it would.

 

[mjr]

I like the idea of them and I would love to utilise something like this for a work trop next month,

I wanted to try the Voi ones in Cambridge but the Android app doesn't work on a non-Google phone (can't add a payment method) and there's no other way to hire them. Why do they limit their market like that? Why does government allow shoot that pushes people into the Google-Apple duopoly that they struggle to regulate?

Ban the lot of them from outside designated parking spots! 😉

 

[fossyant]

The Beryl bikes are still going in Manchester - they had a rough spot about a year ago when there were next to no bikes available, there is a new sponsor (another bank). We've lost a few docking stations near where I work, so I haven't used them - they got installed, then not operational, then removed. I'd potentially have used them to get into the city centre, but by the time I now reach the first dock on foot, I'm already halfway into town, so pointless.

 

[PK99]