tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post5266153662869266335..comments2024-02-24T06:21:30.987+01:00Comments on A view from the cycle path: Bike share the Dutch wayDavid Hembrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-5984599678360785752011-04-14T11:47:15.547+02:002011-04-14T11:47:15.547+02:00The second and the third 24 hours still only cost ...The second and the third 24 hours still only cost 3 euros.<br /><br />I paid way more for my 1.5 hour trip on the London "cycles".Daniel Sparinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07770694012992195852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-16575772294032182122011-03-18T15:13:03.966+01:002011-03-18T15:13:03.966+01:00The hire scheme we set up in Darlington (primarily...The hire scheme we set up in Darlington (primarily dutch bikes, by the way) following the making of Beauty and the Bike is also aimed at residents. The charge is£20 a month, or £10 a month for teenagers. The aim is to encourage people to get into the habit, and ultimately buy their own bikes.<br /><br />But it's run by a small community organisation, has little funding, so the model tends to inconvenient_truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17888983434920764431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-22346166798617852002011-03-17T22:11:51.079+01:002011-03-17T22:11:51.079+01:00Kevin, and those who corrected me: Sorry about the...Kevin, and those who corrected me: Sorry about the confusion with Houten !David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-88962370235317257492011-03-17T21:58:18.164+01:002011-03-17T21:58:18.164+01:00@David; Kevin really meant Holten (Overijssel), no...@David; Kevin really meant Holten (Overijssel), not Houten (Utrecht). And Kevin, I just checked. Holten station does indeed have rental bikes now.Mark W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07882028603632115187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-20083401404926564882011-03-17T21:52:50.514+01:002011-03-17T21:52:50.514+01:00An up to date map is from the 'Fietsersbond...An up to date map is from the 'Fietsersbond' at: http://www.fietsersbond.nl/fietsrouteplanner/fietsroutes-vandeurtotdeurplanner/index.html<br /><br />Somehow the map opens with the POI (Places of Interest) 'OV fiets verhuurlocaties' already selected.<br />You can zoom in, so that you can see that Groningen has two locations for hiring a bike.Theo Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02188352361564719225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-70916475170186384592011-03-17T21:16:03.380+01:002011-03-17T21:16:03.380+01:00Kevin was talking about Holten in Overijssel, not ...Kevin was talking about Holten in Overijssel, not Houten. It seems to be about a kilometre's walk from a weekend-only bus route through the forests, or else Holten station now has bike hire during the daytime Monday-Saturday.Matt Nicholasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-21297555336746479202011-03-17T21:15:05.821+01:002011-03-17T21:15:05.821+01:00Kevin was talking about Holten in Overijssel, not ...Kevin was talking about Holten in Overijssel, not Houten. It seems to be about a kilometre's walk from a weekend-only bus route, or else Holten station now has bike hire during the daytime Monday-Saturday.Manoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-60028307402696369312011-03-17T20:33:48.070+01:002011-03-17T20:33:48.070+01:00@David: Holten is not Houten. It's a village i...@David: Holten is not Houten. It's a village in Overijssel near the Holterberg where there is a large Canadian war cemetary. And it's one of those places not too well covered by public transport.Frits Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11399632570565541892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-72809530116336463822011-03-17T18:06:55.536+01:002011-03-17T18:06:55.536+01:00Kevin: The station at Houten is being hugely upgra...Kevin: The station at Houten is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay5_lC46ZNc" rel="nofollow">being hugely upgraded</a>. I think it was a bit more primitive than average before.David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-37028084397833842512011-03-17T17:46:43.687+01:002011-03-17T17:46:43.687+01:00The last time that I was in The Netherlands was 20...The last time that I was in The Netherlands was 2006. As a veteran of The Royal Regiment of Canada, I visited the Holten Military Cemetary where so many of our dear comrades lie buried. Regretfully, there was no public transit or bike rental scheme available at the train station at that time, so I had to walk. <br /><br />It was a very pleasant walk, but rest assured, if it was available, I Kevin Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13186428862833389619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-88673446227312462202011-03-17T17:22:32.559+01:002011-03-17T17:22:32.559+01:00@Mark: Thanks. I thought the system was meant to r...@Mark: Thanks. I thought the system was meant to replace owned bikes on the other side, as a way to reduce bike parking pressures.<br /><br />Another thing I like about it is that the bikes are normal and very simple (no gears, just a coaster brake) BUT also - unlike probably all bike share - a normal rear rack which I assume gets used for detachable bags or "one-handed beer cases". Slow Factoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056080802746709323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-72526048068039094232011-03-17T17:18:09.228+01:002011-03-17T17:18:09.228+01:00Mark: The €2.50 → €2.85 increase also came with a ...Mark: The €2.50 → €2.85 increase also came with a benefit: the ability to rent two bikes at once.<br /><br />And I'm not convinced about it being cheaper than a bus fare: Utrecht Centraal to Oorsprongpark (about half an hour's walk so a distance for which OV-Fiets or the bus would be competitive) costs €1.11 by bus, so €2.22 for a return. I'd still choose the bike as it's more Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-22541408100694157812011-03-17T16:51:33.249+01:002011-03-17T16:51:33.249+01:00I have updated the post. I mistakenly mentioned th...I have updated the post. I mistakenly mentioned the year of takeover as the year of starting. Turns out the program is 5 years older than I initially stated.<br /><br />@Klaus I mentioned Lyon too now.<br /><br />@Anonymous. The price went up but so did the rental time. €2.85 for 20 hours went to €3.00 for 24hrs. I still think the scheme is reasonably priced compared to other prices, like for theMark W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07882028603632115187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-57959994421957489252011-03-17T16:19:20.773+01:002011-03-17T16:19:20.773+01:00I'm a long-time user of the scheme (member ID ...I'm a long-time user of the scheme (member ID in the mid-1000s) and I love it dearly, but it does have its deficiencies:<br /><br />• Prices have gone up by more than inflation, probably because scheme threatened to become a victim of its own success. The membership price of €7.50 and rental price of €2.50 have gone to €10 and €3, respectively, in a few years. Perks like a monthly price cap Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-29608606924311432522011-03-17T13:53:06.009+01:002011-03-17T13:53:06.009+01:00@Amoeba: It's not modesty. Our main problem is...@Amoeba: It's not modesty. Our main problem is we always know best, and since that is so obvious, there is no need to brag about it. Simple comme bonjour :-)Frits Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11399632570565541892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-80215752356234367812011-03-17T11:49:02.527+01:002011-03-17T11:49:02.527+01:00Damn! Not only are the Dutch far ahead of us in th...Damn! Not only are the Dutch far ahead of us in the UK in ways we understood. They are even further ahead of us than we realised!<br /><br />The real trouble with the Dutch is they're too modest. Just consider the hyperbole emanating from TfL regarding the terribly expensive but appallingly ineffectual Boris Bike scheme and then imagine how cock-a-hoop we'd be if the roles were reversed.<amoebahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783694650121687459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-19099208185180725922011-03-17T11:31:04.433+01:002011-03-17T11:31:04.433+01:00@G.I.F. Many Dutch (including myself) already have...@G.I.F. Many Dutch (including myself) already have a bike (their own) on the other side of the train. That is: for their regular commute. This scheme is really for the end of journey trips in cities that you don't regularly visit. It then comes in the place of walking or taking the bus. What I meant by that remark is that shared bikes <i>allone</i> will not get modal share up.Mark W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07882028603632115187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-14650500989862506052011-03-17T09:43:37.435+01:002011-03-17T09:43:37.435+01:00Not an important factor in mode share? I thought t...Not an important factor in mode share? I thought that many or most OV Fiets journeys are "on the other side of the train" with your owned bike being on the first side. Since there is no space to take many bikes on trains and it costs double the price of OV Fiets, it becomes a mirror journey of many owned bike trips, and thus a very important factor in mode share, if in a different way Slow Factoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056080802746709323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-84091216355510540022011-03-17T09:35:47.650+01:002011-03-17T09:35:47.650+01:00Just a note, and I say that as a Parisian: Lyon wa...Just a note, and I say that as a Parisian: Lyon was really the first city out of the gate with the 2.0 bikeshare (as opposed to the old-school systems or A'msterdam's white bikes). Vélo'v was the real proof of concept - Paris scaled it up, but not dramatically given the two cities' relative sizes. It drives the Lyonnais really mad when people don't acknowledge that, just like Klaus Mohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05953775726413454938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-65281295457637124292011-03-17T03:40:42.512+01:002011-03-17T03:40:42.512+01:00That's a really brilliant system! The transit...That's a really brilliant system! The transit in my area (either city busses or regional rail lines) leave a lot to be desired; most significantly, the busses and trains can't always get you where you want to be. Bicycle rentals at the stations and stops would be a huge help.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09152210755147267270noreply@blogger.com