Simon Butcher

Cyclocity

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Comments 4

CyclocityIn May 2005, JCDecaux launched Vélo'v, an award winning automated bicycle rental system in Lyon. The concept was simple: One simply picks up a bike from one of the automated stations (or bike ranks), and then once they're done they return it to any station they wish.

The project was a success, and now boasts over 2,000 bikes available in Lyon available at more than 175 bike ranks. Cyclocity is now available in Vienna, Córdoba, Gijón, and finally Brussels (Cyclocity) last year. There are plans for expansion into several other European countries (Paris comes on-line in mid-July), but also plans as far as Australia! Such a system would work perfectly in Melbourne.

Brussels is now being used to demonstrate this environmentally friendly transportation alternative to other cities, using it to supplement existing public transport with strategic locations for bike ranks initially within the pentagon (city centre).

John's marathon effort last week has made me feel guilty, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Today I was heading out to visit a friend, so instead of taking the metro here, I thought I'd grab a bike from my nearest rank (literally a minute's walk from here), cycle to Arts-Loi, and hop on a metro there. In hindsight, this wasn't really the best idea since I'm apparently more unfit than I initially thought, the route was entirely up hill, and starting to ride a bike for the first time in 10 years on one of the busiest roads in the city centre is quite daunting.

Cyclocity Anneessens rankI walked over to Anneessens preparing to be confused by the bike rank. At each rank, there's a pillar with a touch screen as an aide for renting the bicycles. Subscribers simply need to use their card, their pin-code, and select a bike. Plebs like myself, however, have to buy a short-term subscription on the spot with a credit card (that must have a chip), which is then valid for 7-days. Surprisingly the entire process is extremely straight-forward and the instructions are very clear in French, even at my level of comprehension. I later realised English was also available… Oh well.

Cyclocity cardsAfter registration, the system reserved €150 on my credit card in case I run off with the bike — Fair enough. I received a receipt, and my temporary subscription card (with a mysteriously large DataMatrix barcode), picked a bike from the rank and started riding! The whole process only took 1–2 minutes.

The system includes two features I thought were interesting: Firstly, you have 45 seconds to grab a bike, or select another one if the one you originally selected is damaged; secondly, if there are no bikes available at that particular station, you can ask the terminal how many bikes are at nearby stations and where those stations are.

At Arts-Loi, returning the bike was made very simple by the clear instructions both on the bike and on the dock, although I don't know how you could go wrong. The bike comes with a flat metal lock that docks with the small stations and contains an electronic identification tag so they know you've returned. Sliding the bike's tab horizontally into the station causes the station to beep happily, and locks the bike in place.

The bikes themselves are relatively simple, but do come with the usual accoutrements of a bell, safety reflectors, a small flip-down stand, a welded-on bike lock for stowing the bike away from a station (again with detailed instructed), and a basket on the front. Ultimately, the design is a bit wanky, but very sturdy and certainly looks well maintained for something that always lives outside. The bikes are heavy and remind me of my old BMX bike.

Disappointingly, the system doesn't have bike ranks in places I would find convenient. If stations existed out near the office, for example, I would be inspired to cycle there. Alternatively, there are no ranks out near some of the woodland areas around Brussels.

I have a week to try this thing out and consider if I'll get myself a yearly subscription; I'd consider getting a bike of my own if I actually had somewhere to put it! I think the system is good, and if it becomes more wide-spread it could be very successful here as it has been in other cities.


Categories Belgium

Comments

  1. (Author)

    I just got back from riding the reverse of this trip, from Arts-Loi down to Anneessens, and it turns out the bikes also come with headlights and a red flashing rear light too, both of which activated once I pulled the bike off the rank. Brilliant! I'm so easily amused.

  2. (Author)

    _CuriOcity_ got the better of me and I had to scan the barcode today to see what's in it. Not so interesting after-all, but if you're interested: 
    BE 8B 68 AC D9 0D 4C 26
86 0B 2E 6F 6A 1D EA F6
66 0B AE EF 2A DD 6A B1
AE CC 9F 08 85 BE 6E 76
63 85 66 58 74 1A C3 14
E1 C0 CF 50 D4 92 EB 36
    (48 bytes)

  3. This would be big in melbourne. Melbourne already has a massive bike following, including clubs and regular events and an endless supply of cycling lanes and tracks !

  4. (Author)

    This would be _fantastic_ in inner-Melbourne (CDB plus a few inner-suburbs) because the hills aren't too steep (away from Flagstaff) and there are so many bloody parks. Hills be damned though: if it's too much, just drop off the bike, grab a train in the loop and grab another bike! I'd love to go tearing down Bourke Street towards the mall away from Flagstaff! If I remember correctly, the bit near McKillop Street is really steep. I rode the latter half of my journey back from work tonight, along a route that required a little more work (lots of traffic lights) and got off at a station a bit further away so my legs wouldn't feel stiff later on. I think I'm lovin' it (Cyclocity, not McDonalds). I'm suddenly remembering how much I enjoyed riding in Australia, especially having spent a day going from Croydon to Mill Park via Doncaster and Eltham (nice ride that bit), then into the CBD, with most of it on tracks within reserves. I gave up and took a train back home though, avoiding some scary Tintern girls on the way. Melbourne is an excellent place for bike riding, with varied terrain and so many hidden bike paths, complete with lighting, suspension bridges, etc., that nobody would even know about unless they rode/ran/walked there. I'm considering the yearly subscription for Cyclocity now, but I'll wait and see if I still like it by the end of the week.

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