The Chainlink

Chicago bike sharing will be known as Divvy, be Chicago flag blue

Chicago Tribune.

Views: 15509

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on May 29, 2013 at 3:42pm

Carter, the way I look at it $65/365= 17.8 cents a day.  You can further split that 18 cents by several rides in one day.  Seems like its worth the money to try out for a year.  I don't see how you can lose unless you never ride at all.

Divvy has just parsed out the list of the first stations to be installed in June, to make it easier to figure out:

http://divvybikes.tumblr.com/post/51659846895/weve-been-getting-que...

 

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 29, 2013 at 4:08pm

As usual, Steven Vance over on StreetsBlog Chicago beat them to it and it is even in an searchable/clickable map

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/data?docid=1nU6otJCTTGFSpTmRMtJ...

Divvy should hire Steven.

Thunder Snow said:

Carter, the way I look at it $65/365= 17.8 cents a day.  You can further split that 18 cents by several rides in one day.  Seems like its worth the money to try out for a year.  I don't see how you can lose unless you never ride at all.

Divvy has just parsed out the list of the first stations to be installed in June, to make it easier to figure out:

http://divvybikes.tumblr.com/post/51659846895/weve-been-getting-que...

 

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 29, 2013 at 4:47pm

Alderman Pewar was the first alderman to sign up (#118) and our executive director, Ron, is #194!

We've got a couple more staffers in the mix, too.

Thanks,

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans (who's still working out financial details with my personal finance director and hopes to sign up soon)

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 29, 2013 at 4:53pm

Agreed.  I was originally thinking along the lines of other folks here "I've got a bike, I ride it all the time, this isn't geared towards me."  But it's worth supporting even if I only use it in frequently - I'm thinking it's one of those resources you may not know you need until you REALLY need it.

Thunder Snow said:

Carter, the way I look at it $65/365= 17.8 cents a day.  You can further split that 18 cents by several rides in one day.  Seems like its worth the money to try out for a year.  I don't see how you can lose unless you never ride at all.

Divvy has just parsed out the list of the first stations to be installed in June, to make it easier to figure out:

http://divvybikes.tumblr.com/post/51659846895/weve-been-getting-que...

 

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on May 29, 2013 at 6:02pm

#762. I agree with others above - I can think of a few uses despite owning a bike, and will likely come up with more now that I'm a member!

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on May 29, 2013 at 6:33pm

Here's a better map, but I'm biased. The big green markers indicate phase 1, to be installed for the June 14 launch. 

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on May 29, 2013 at 9:00pm
Alta is based out of Portland OR, not Montrèal. Also, most everything else in his article applies to all bike share programs, and is mostly common sense. If you are hurt on a bike, of course it is not Divvy's fault. And the fees are clearly laid out. His article just screams of sensationalism. Everything he complains about in there is really not a big deal.

To those of you who think Divvy is not for them because they have a bike: what about when your bike is in the shop for over a week for a tune-up?
Cameron 7.5 mi said:

If the excitement in this thread is too much for you, Hilkevitch over at the Tribune will help you turn the smile upside-down.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 29, 2013 at 9:09pm

It is always interesting to see where the Trib find these experts, in this case Mr Choslowsky "a bicycle-riding lawyer". Does he disburse legal advice while riding a bike?

The article is a shame. I generally like Mr. Hilkevitch's reporting.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Alta is based out of Portland OR, not Montrèal. Also, most everything else in his article applies to all bike share programs, and is mostly common sense. If you are hurt on a bike, of course it is not Divvy's fault. And the fees are clearly laid out. His article just screams of sensationalism. Everything he complains about in there is really not a big deal.

To those of you who think Divvy is not for them because they have a bike: what about when your bike is in the shop for over a week for a tune-up?
Cameron 7.5 mi said:

If the excitement in this thread is too much for you, Hilkevitch over at the Tribune will help you turn the smile upside-down.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 29, 2013 at 9:09pm

Oh, and #795...

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 29, 2013 at 9:23pm
So is the source of your disappointment the fact that the dissenting opinion came from a lawyer, the fact that the neutral to critical perspective came from a Trib reporter normally "friendly" to bike initiatives, or the fact that the opinions expressed accurately address the potential shortcomings of Divvy?

Duppie 13.5185km said:

It is always interesting to see where the Trib find these experts, in this case Mr Choslowsky "a bicycle-riding lawyer". Does he disburse legal advice while riding a bike?

The article is a shame. I generally like Mr. Hilkevitch's reporting.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Alta is based out of Portland OR, not Montrèal. Also, most everything else in his article applies to all bike share programs, and is mostly common sense. If you are hurt on a bike, of course it is not Divvy's fault. And the fees are clearly laid out. His article just screams of sensationalism. Everything he complains about in there is really not a big deal.

To those of you who think Divvy is not for them because they have a bike: what about when your bike is in the shop for over a week for a tune-up?
Cameron 7.5 mi said:

If the excitement in this thread is too much for you, Hilkevitch over at the Tribune will help you turn the smile upside-down.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 29, 2013 at 9:47pm

It has less to do with the fact that he is a lawyer, than with the fact that he just knows that the initiative will fail before the program has even started. Will the program fail or will it be a success 5 years from now? Who knows.  Anyone who pretends to know the outcome of that question is an charlatan at best.

There is also some of signs of sensationalism in this article:

  • Comparing this with the parking meter deal is typical of the soundbite oriented media of today.
  • Calling it Bikegate is sensationalist.
  • The legalese seem somewhat boilerplate to me. Overage fees are clearly stated on their website. Rented from Redbox lately? Rented a car lately? They all have overage fees of some kind and the overage fees often are of the punitive kind. Writing a front page article heralding this as outrageous seems sensationalist as well.
Permalink Reply by Michelle S on May 29, 2013 at 10:10pm

"Hundreds of excited citizens sign up in advance for bike share in first few hours, with absolutely no glitches reported" wrote no reporter, ever. Except for the Streetsblog guys, of course. Especially John. 

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service