if its done it needs to be done right, and that means big.
needs to everywhere, convenient locations, with though put into “can this replace someone’s commute, or greatly reduce & simplify it…will someone use this to get from here to there for practical purposes etc”

don’t make it strictly a recreational, feel good program that’s great for PR but not very practical..don’t make it a tourist trap..and don’t make it only another perk for residents of Chelsea…or Park Slope…don’t put a station only on “certain” sides of central/prospect parks, etc etc

put it where someone can walk out of their house, walk to a nearby bike, and from there get to a bike station near work..or at least bike to a bike stations at major transit hub from which point they can get on an express train.

(7) Bike to the bar, intoxicate oneself, take transit home.
(8) Dress up nicely for client meeting, take cab to preserve creases, bike home.
(9) Sick passenger? Leave subway station on blocked line, bike to parallel line, resume rail travel.
(10) Bike needs repairs? Ride casualty bike to store, “borrow” from bike share for getting around the remainder of the day.
(11) Shopping for heavy, bulky furniture? Ride bike-share to retail outlet (or flea market), take cab home with purchases.

If NYC does a bike share transit connections and mass scale are key, which is why it would probably be better served as an arm of the MTA instead of the City. Metrocards would be the best and simplest tool for “borrowing” them, and the large quantities of unused underground space inside of cut and cover stations (like the G and the Queens Blvd lines) could be used as Bicycle Parking lots.

#3 BicyclesOnly, “2) Rain in the forecast: Bicycle in the fair weather, take the subway or cab it in the other.”

While there are a lot of fair weather sailors there are others who enjoy an awful lot of the stuff that nature throws at us as sailors, skiers, surfers, cyclists (lookup the Bike Iditarod) etc. and pay good money for it to boot; here we get if for free!

Bad weather can be fun especially, when you’re used to dealing with it; . . . and, can always duck inside somewhere.

I hear ya, gecko. I’ve found mayself bicycling in the rain more times than I’d like to admit–and I’m loathe to admit it mainly because most people think bicycling the rain is nuts. I’m fine of those other people want to limit their bicycling to fair weather, and a bike share program facilitates them doing so. I have no doubt that once these folks get started riding regularly for transportation, in no time they will be headed down the slippery slope into everyday bicycling, regardless of weather.

folks, a testimony from DC, where the bike sharing system is low density and ineffective: it does more harm than good, at least short term, to roll out a small-scale share program. the perception here in town is that it’s some weird program for enthusiasts with no practical relevance–and that’s when people even know it exists. plans were made to expand it this summer, and the proposals were finally moving in the right direction (more density), but they’ve been postponed.

so, in short, don’t do it the DC way.

#13 glenn, ” . . . Slower Cyclists.”

Nice observation. Just wonder whether the New York City public bicycle system would be better served by a diversity of bicycles, some typical of other systems as you describe, and others like tricycles for people who are not completely comfortable on standard upright bicycles.

Also allowing people to use their own bikes in the system may have significant advantages; perhaps in one sense the way people can select and own their cell phones provided by a wireless service provider; in another sense; adapting their own bikes to be compatible with the system (to include GPS, automatic parking facilities, etc.).

Surprised that no one has mentioned the Bixi system in Montreal. It was rolled out on a large scale this year and has already surpassed all expectations. They will be advancing the next phase of operations (300 stations/3000 bikes) already this year.

That being said, there are still some serious operational issues which urgently need to be addressed. Particularly relevant to NYC is the issue of theft. There is a certain technique (which is even circulating on YouTube now) whereby one can ‘crack’ a docking station and steal a bike. Not only has this resulted in the loss of many bikes, but the docking station then becomes non-functional as well. Major stations with multiple docking slots are being rendered completely non-functional! It is no longer easy to find a bike, nor easy to find a space to return it afterward. They are in ‘crisis mode’ at the moment and replacing virtually every single docking station in the entire system, but things had really become completely disfunctional.