Time’s Best Inventions #19: Montreal’s Bixi
From Time Online:
When lots of people use a communal resource —like, say, a cheap public bicycle-rental program —they tend to abuse it. So when the city of Montreal built its Public Bike System, nicknamed Bixi, the designers packed in all the technology they could find, in a desperate attempt to out-engineer human iniquity. The modular bike-rack stations are Web-enabled and solar-powered. The bicycles are designed with tons of sealed components to resist the savage beatings they will undoubtedly receive, and they’re equipped with RFID tags so they’re easily trackable. Too bad they can’t redesign the riders too.
One Response to “Time’s Best Inventions #19: Montreal’s Bixi”
Having seen (but not ridden) some of these babies in person, I can vouch that they are awfully solid-looking bikes. They were designed with non-standard components so nobody would be tempted to steal and sell parts from them. Last I heard it hadn’t been decided yet who will make the production models, which are due to hit the streets early next spring; most bets are that Devinci, a Quebec-based bike manufacturer, will win the contract.
There was a rack of Bixis on display at the Jean-Talon food market here a few weeks ago and they attracted a huge crowd. Even though I own my own bike, I might take out a Bixi membership next year just to experiment with the system and see how it works.