Comments

1
Absolutely. Make it a part of what I already pay for and I'll have a chance of using them. Most of Seattle, especially those that use public transportation already own bikes. But I'd use the city's for convenience from time to time if I didn't have to sign up for something else.
2
If the services remain fragmented, this is going to die out no matter how much marketing is thrown at the problem.
3
Is there even a bike rack near the Capitol Hill Link station so people can bike to the train, lock up their bike, and "park & ride"?
4
Both the ORCA cards students at SU, SPU, PSU, SCC, NSC, and SSC get and U-Pass at the UW should include Pronto Bikes.
5
I was on a UW campus tour on Wednesday. The tour guide didn't know what bike share was and had never heard of Pronto, even though there are several stations in and around campus.

I see this as a failure of imagination on Pronto's part. Where's the outreach to the universities, as well as to the transit agencies Charles mentions here?

I'm a big Pronto supporter, but they need to step up their game now that we own them.
6
I feel like Seattle's got a couple of unique challenges to their bike share system that are likely to render it unsustainable, namely the climate & topography. I own six bicycles and have ridden nearly every day for the past ~20 years, though even I get beaten down by the rain (in Portland.) It's less hilly here and I'm a former competitive racer, so that's not nearly so daunting, though I can see how it would be for plenty of folks.

The ridiculous, unnecessary and totally addressble issue though is the stupid ass helmet law. If bike share fails (as I suspect it likely will) it will be frustrating to wonder about what you may have been able to acheive without the additional barriers to success.
7
Friend of mine crash landed on his head on the STP going over one of our innumerable bridges, smashed helmet, mangled bike, but only bruises and no broken skull or damaged brain. Helmets are ugly but not useless as you think.
8
Shorter @7

"My anecdote completely disproves your viewpoint. Case closed."
9
@8 yes completely anecdotal evidence that wearing a helmet is a good thing if you're going to fall of a bike. I'll tell you what, go bash your head against a side-walk with and without a helmet
10
Agreed, the ORCA card should become Seattle's universal transit card.

Perhaps Pronto could upgrade to electric bicycles to deal with Seattle's somewhat daunting topography... ;>) Although that might be an expensive upgrade.

power to the pedals...
11
Holy crap...I agree with Charles.....
12
Ideas are cheap. Ideas stolen from another place are even cheaper.

Orca integration is not a nut that can be cracked soon. Instead of writing about your lame ideas, why don't you talk to someone who actually knows something......
13
I love this idea! Integration with Orca cards could actually get people to use Pronto. Also, putting stations in residential neighborhoods that are poorly served by Metro.
14
@6. Pronto provides helmets. Also, the helmet law is not enforced, at all, so I doubt that will be the reason if bike sharing fails here.
15
@3 Yes, there are bike racks nearby. But a big appeal of light rail for me is the bike racks onboard. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 25, so I'm often nervous on busy streets... or even sometimes in bike lanes. I enjoy bike trails. However, there's still the issue of getting the bike TO a bike trail. I don't enjoy the bike racks on the bus. I'm not good at quickly getting my bike in and out. I feel anxious holding up the bus. They're often full. I also often feel anxious and paranoid about being on a crowded standing-room only bus where my bike is on the front rack and I can't see it. Bikes don't get stolen off the bus frequently, but it does happen.

I have a very easy time getting my bike on light rail, though... and I love standing right near it rather than having it out of sight for extended periods of time. So the ability to easily get my bike and myself to a bike trail will greatly increase how frequently I ride it... which in turn will increase my skills, and the chances of me starting to ride it more often in other situations.

My friends who have little or no previous experience with bikes also feel comfortable with the idea of a trail with no cars nearby and are interested in the idea of renting a Pronto bike and immediately taking it somewhere else where it'll be easier to ride.
19
I've thought about riding a pronto bike about 5 times, but ended up thinking walking and the bus were cheaper and more efficient. If they allowed an Orca card, I would actually probably ride one to see if it worked out ok. And Orca cards. Do they still track your movements? and I need to refill one one day to ride a bus and the 2 refilling stations for the card insisted I needed a $5 minimum when all I had was $3. Orca wasn't designed for poor people.

Please wait...

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