DEPACincy

Sherrod takes a stand on ECOT: http://www.wvxu.org/post/ohios-democratic-us-senator-proposes-bill-claw-back-federal-funds-awarded-ecot#stream/0

Brown wades into ECOT: http://www.wvxu.org/post/ohios-democratic-us-senator-proposes-bill-claw-back-federal-funds-awarded-ecot#stream/0

Sherrod Brown weighs in: http://www.wvxu.org/post/ohios-democratic-us-senator-proposes-bill-claw-back-federal-funds-awarded-ecot#stream/0

Former Delaware resident, can confirm. When I lived there I always had fun trying to spot the lowest numbers I could find. I once saw #7 in Rehoboth Beach and I spotted numbers 87 and 88 on two BMWs in someone's driveway in New Castle.

As a charger, the most common damage I encounter are flat tires. I'd say about one third of Birds I capture have a flat tire. I've encountered none that seem like they were intentionally vandalized. I did get one that had obviously been involved in a pretty nasty crash. The process for reporting these is easy. I just mark it damaged, charge it, and put it back out in the morning. It seems like maybe they need more mechanics in Cincinnati to keep up with all the flat tires.

I don't think they let people bypass the line by taking the stairs.

I received my latest electric bill, which includes three weeks of Bird charging. It is about $5 more than last month's bill. I would assume that only part of that increase is due to Bird charging, since I also ran my air conditioner more during this cycle.

I assume the guy who saw it yesterday had no idea what the other guy was talking about but just laughed because he felt like he was supposed to. That happens a lot.

Perfect opportunity for me to shamelessly plug a publication I co-authored: https://www.montcopa.org/DocumentCenter/View/19028/Building-Better-Townhouse-Communities_Final-webversion?bidId=

Off topic, but the mob is a shadow of its former self in Philly. Most of the Italian folks that benefited from their presence now live in South Jersey and those neighborhoods have filled up with Mexicans, Vietnamese, Puerto Ricans, and white yuppies. The brightest kids of made men would rather go to college and become doctors and lawyers than try to eek out a living in the mob, so the only people left are too dumb to keep the organization going. It also seems that Joey Merlino, the likely current boss, is headed back to prison soon. https://nypost.com/2018/04/27/mob-boss-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-gambling-to-avoid-retrial/

I don't find that area of Philadelphia to be particularly impressive on foot, sort of like East Boston. Really? The area in that aerial covers like a dozen different neighborhoods, all with a very different feel. Here are some street view examples: https://goo.gl/maps/pmNG4fs6GKF2 https://goo.gl/maps/hXLzhHnx6a52 https://goo.gl/maps/AyhiQAwWhKR2 https://goo.gl/maps/4vgKS4Gcjhp https://goo.gl/maps/R8Aa7bVJ6w52 https://goo.gl/maps/KLDeZZn36sv https://goo.gl/maps/BcBP76hz5aS2 https://goo.gl/maps/R2RMgYucGrM2 https://goo.gl/maps/74L5gaz7vSn

For Columbus, it depends on the rowhouse location. Generally, if they face the street, then they are the "rowhouse" that is expected (individual houses). The city's courtyard rowhouses (typically found all over; sides face the street, path between two sets) are more of the apartment variety, though still technically rowhouses. For Cincinnati, there are enough true rowhouses in, say, the West End, Clifton Heights, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Auburn to make the case that it's still a significant non-East Coast rowhouse city. Not to mention, a ton across the river in Covington and Newport. The Kentucky river cities are cool because they have a lot of rowhouses and shotgun houses, which usually aren't found side-by-side.

There are benefits associated with heating and cooling, and they also allow for great densities without building up. Check out this density:

Who pays for the roads? Everyone, since gas taxes do not cover the full cost of roadways and most local roads are paid for out of the city/township/county general fund.

I'd also add that I usually only charge 2 or 3. The most I've charged in one night is 5. You can technically charge up to 20 per night, but I think you're limited to $100 per night and you could get that with 5 or 6 high-paying Birds. What are the chances of this rate going way down in the future? I'd say low. They started out at $3 per Bird as the baseline and that is now $5, with many of them worth more. I don't even bother with the low value ones because there are many worth $10 or more.

Obviously it depends on your electric rates, but from what I've read it's very cheap to charge a Bird battery... This guy says it's only 7 cents to charge one in LA: https://therideshareguy.com/i-signed-up-to-be-a-bird-electric-scooter-charger-heres-what-its-like-2/ This article says the electricity cost is "negligible": http://www.jsfour.com/what-its-like-to-charge-bird-scooters/ This article says 8-15 cents per battery: https://maximumridesharingprofits.com/how-does-the-bird-charger-program-work/ This is what I've read elsewhere too. I'm a Bird charger, but I haven't gotten my electric bill since I started--so I'll report back. So far I've averaged between $30 and $50 per night for a total of about 20 to 30 minutes of time commitment, including releasing them in the morning. I also live downtown so I don't have to drive anywhere and I can just walk outside and grab them when they come online at 9pm. How do they pay you for the charging? I live downtown and have been thinking of becoming a charger as well. Direct deposit on the same day. Usually in the afternoon, but today it hit my account at like 9am.

I'd also add that I usually only charge 2 or 3. The most I've charged in one night is 5. You can technically charge up to 20 per night, but I think you're limited to $100 per night and you could get that with 5 or 6 high-paying Birds.

Here is an American example, from Philly.

Obviously it depends on your electric rates, but from what I've read it's very cheap to charge a Bird battery... This guy says it's only 7 cents to charge one in LA: https://therideshareguy.com/i-signed-up-to-be-a-bird-electric-scooter-charger-heres-what-its-like-2/ This article says the electricity cost is "negligible": http://www.jsfour.com/what-its-like-to-charge-bird-scooters/ This article says 8-15 cents per battery: https://maximumridesharingprofits.com/how-does-the-bird-charger-program-work/ This is what I've read elsewhere too. I'm a Bird charger, but I haven't gotten my electric bill since I started--so I'll report back. So far I've averaged between $30 and $50 per night for a total of about 20 to 30 minutes of time commitment, including releasing them in the morning. I also live downtown so I don't have to drive anywhere and I can just walk outside and grab them when they come online at 9pm.

Yeah - I don't know who funded it, but the City's bike program tweeted about it, so I assume they had some role. It's a real shame that this is what the City thinks about when it comes to deciding how to spend its limited budget on bike infrastructure. The existing sidewalk was already quite wide. It just seems like this rebuilding of the sidewalk was a very expensive project that'll have no significant impact on how many people feel safe biking around Uptown. One big issue with these is that it is very unclear that it is a shared path. There's usually a small sign but there's not markings on the path on Eggleston. I was walking there with my girlfriend and someone flew by us on a bike. She made a comment about how they should be in the street and I let her know that we were actually on a shared path. She had no idea.

I agree. Though bikes can travel much faster than most scooters. Maybe the distinction should be based on vehicle weight and max speed, rather than arbitrarily banning anything with wheels. Eh, the Bird scooters go 15 mph. Most people are not biking that fast in the city.

I was waiting for my bus this morning and saw 7 cars make a right turn from a stop sign without stopping. While on the bus I see many drivers checking their Twitter feeds or whatever they're doing on their phones. Unless there's a red light or stop sign, I find nearly 100% of drivers don't yield at crosswalks in most American cities. I purposefully step into the crosswalk and make it clear that I have the right-of-way. This is a practice that will probably get me killed eventually.

You're comparing apples to oranges, because those aren't urban neighborhoods. Think bigger. Look at the most successful urban neighborhoods in the country. They're mixed use centers that attract lots of people, both residents and visitors alike. But even your examples are telling. You picked three of the most walkable suburban neighborhoods and they also happen to be places with vibrant business districts. No doubt they would not be as desirable without the bars and restaurants they have.

Exactly, and I'd add that having these options make it more attractive to live downtown and/or ditch your car. It's not that Bird or Redbike will replace current car trips, it's that future car trips might not materialize because of where people choose to live.

I don't get the sense that red bike is being used as serious transportation, and doubt that Bird will be either. People are using each mostly for fun, which is fine, but let's not get fooled into thinking that either or some future mode is going to actually become a backbone of mobility in Cincinnati. I don't think that anyone who didn't ride bikes after childhood started riding red bike and then decided to go out and buy a bike. A real bike from a store is a totally different animal than the bikeshare bikes. But you can go on Amazon and buy a bird scooter -- like the actual thing -- for like $700. It looks like you can buy a really nice one for about $1,000, and something with a much weaker battery for about $300. They actually make a lot of sense for suburban workplaces with separate buildings like mine. I only have to walk over to the other building 1-2 times per week so there is no reason to get one. We do have a golf cart but I have never driven it. Personal experience here, but I actually decided to go out and buy a bike after using Indego bikes in Philly (which are also B-Cycle). Also, I use Red Bike, and now also Bird for commuting purposes. Also, several others in my office building use Red Bike and now Bird as well. So it's a non-zero number, though obviously the vast majority of people still drive to work. I think having options is positive, even if they never make up more than a couple of percentage points of total commutes.