The National Post had an article yesterday on Toronto pursuing a bike rental system:
- "Toronto is looking to spend $11-million to buy 3,000 bicycles, stands and software from the Public Bike System, aka “BIXI,” run by the City of Montreal’s parking authority, says a May 26 report from Toronto’s public works and infrastructure committee. The report recommends the city enter negotiations with Montreal and return with a draft agreement in the fall."
The plan is generating some friction with a company who lost out on the chance to provide Toronto with public bikes:
- "Matias Marin, chief executive of Public Nature Corporation, said the BIXIs are too heavy and susceptible to vandalism and theft. He said he’s asked councillors to vote down the proposal, reopen the bidding process and hold public consultations before the city signs anything...
Yvonne Bambrick, executive director of the Toronto Cyclists’ Union, commended the decision to adopt Montreal’s program and said Mr. Marin is “bitter” because his “pie-in-the-sky” proposal was rejected.
“The City of Toronto is finally getting on board with what is an international trend and movement toward incorporating cycling in a meaningful way into the transportation network. It’s fantastic,” Ms. Bambrick said. “[BIXI has been] very well received in Montreal."
The article then finishes by talking about the success of Public Bikes in Montreal, despite some snags:
- "BIXI has taken off in Montreal, but hit a few snags. Six weeks into the program, BIXI riders have taken 175,000 trips, equalling more than a million cumulative kilometres travelled, the City of Montreal says.
But the system does have flaws: Riders must provide their own helmets, and as of the end of June, 50 bikes — at $2,000 apiece — have disappeared. Montreal’s La Presse did a survey at the beginning of July, visiting 30 out of 300 BIXI stations and found many stations and bikes had been vandalized. The newspaper estimated that 20% of bicycles were damaged.
But Montreal has already announced plans to expand the program, adding another 2,000 bikes and 100 stations by August totalling 5,000 bikes and 400 stations for the island."
