While we’re on the subject of bikeshare, Streetsblog has posted stats for Bixi Toronto’s first two months of operation:
Number of trips since launch: 100,000+
Average trip distance: 1.3 miles
Total cumulative distance: 152,235 miles
Number of users: 17,903
Busiest day: July 1st ( 2,907 trips)
100,000 trips in less than 3 months is pretty amazing.
Bixi Toronto →
[via Streetsblog]
Brompton, in partnership with South West Trains, has been testing a self-service Brompton-based bike hire at Guildford Station. According to South West, the solar-powered “Brompton Dock” takes up the equivalent of only one automobile parking space to store 80 bikes. The bikes can be checked out using a membership smartcard and carried on all South West trains. Rates are as follows:
24/7 access to Brompton Dock: £50
1 month hire (23-31 days hire): £1.60 per day
Over 1 week (7 days hire): £2 per day
Single day: £4 per day
In a PR stunt intended to take advantage of the so-called “Carmageddon” 405 freeway closure this past weekend in Los Angeles, Jet Blue offered $4 flights across town from Burbank to Long Beach. And, in an exquisite example of one-upmanship, six bicyclists from the Wolfpack Hustle cycling club raced the jet across town and beat it. From the LA. Times:
The cyclists and a blogger aboard the JetBlue flight left at 10:50 a.m. from the same intersection in North Hollywood – with the blogger having to drive to the airport, arriving an hour before the 12:20 p.m. flight, then catching a ride to the aquarium in Long Beach, the finish line. The plane had just taken off when the cyclists arrived.
The Wolfpack Hustle also took advantage of the “race” to raise $7,000 for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Great stuff.
Name: Eli
Location: Minneapolis, MN, US
Started bike commuting: Spring 2010
Commute distance (one way): ~8.5 miles
Describe your commute: In the mornings, when I’m grumpy and uncoordinated, I put my bike on a bus rack for half the ride. On the way home, I bike through urban residential and light industrial areas. About 75% of my ride is in bike lanes. In the last leg, I cross the Mississippi River, which always brings a smile to my face.
Describe your bike and accessories: Briar is a Civia Midtown, which I bought this June at Calhoun Cycle, and which comes with a front rack. I’ve added SKS Mini Mudguard fenders, a Racktime TourIT rear rack (which usually sports a fetching pair of Banjo Brothers Market Panniers), a cyclometer, and goofy bell I bought for $2 at Axe Man.
What bit of advice would you like to share with new bike commuters?: If you’re completely new to biking: relax! Do what you can, and don’t take any guff about it. If you can only ride to work one day a week, that’s still one more day of joy than if you’d never gotten out of your car. Also remember that “commute” isn’t limited to going to work. Any errand you do, you can probably do by bike.
If you’re a recreational rider new to commuting: relax! Yeah, it’s slower than your Saturday morning group ride, but enjoy it. Take your time. Take in the scenery!
[Visit our Bicycle Commuter Profiles page to add your profile to the collection. —ed.]
Iconic jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. has introduced a small line of men’s clothing designed specifically for bike commuters. The line-up includes the “511 Skinny Commuter” jean and the “Commuter Trucker Jacket”, a bike-specific version of their classic jean jacket.
The jeans feature:
We think it’s a good sign for bike commuting when a mainstream clothing brand like Levi’s starts producing products specifically for our market. Available this summer at $78 for the jeans and $128 for the jacket.
Name: Steve Muller
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA
Started bike commuting: 2001
Commute distance (one way): 5 – 15 miles (one way) depends which office I’m going to.
Describe your commute: Rural-Urban roadways through beautiful orange / grapefruit groves, horse farms and several residential areas. Several miles on the historic Tamiami Trail (which runs from Tampa to Miami). Would love to take it the entire way once I build up the courage to go through Alligator Alley. All flat roads with bicycle lanes and some areas with bicycle paths.
Describe your bike and accessories: The bike is a Wisper 906Alpino electric bike with a large frame, 28″ wheels, Alfine 8 hub gears, Shimano vented disk brakes, super high efficiency motor, liquid crystal display screen, six levels of pedal assist and fault diagnostics. The trailer is a Croozer Cargo, used to haul everything from laptops, extra clothes, and groceries picked up on the way home.
What bit of advice would you like to share with new bike commuters?: To quote Sherlock Holmes: “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”
- Sherlock Holmes
[Visit our Bicycle Commuter Profiles page to add your profile to the collection. —ed.]
