I'm surprised there isn't a station or two on UC's campus.

 

UC kicked them off their land last minute. Metro got a phone call a few days ago asking if Redbike can use the Uptown Transit District stations. Not sure if that deal will pan out though. We'll just have to see.

Rates are shown as $8/day and $80/year - I wonder if the high end rates have to do with lack of advertising (thank you Bortz/last council for your boneheaded legislation banning adverts on ROWs).

 

Seriously stupid legislation. I dropped the ball and didn't follow the debate (if there was one.)  did anyone on council give a good reason for the change other than "Those bus ad benches are ugly?"

The bus bench ads are still everywhere. 

I don't think there was a debate, it just kind of quietly went through.  First I heard about it was when Urbancincy described an artworks program for Bus Shelters.

 

And yeah the stupid benches are still all over the place last time I was in town (but there aren't any revenue generating ads for cash strapped SORTA) way to go guys!

I'm surprised there isn't a station or two on UC's campus.

 

UC kicked them off their land last minute. Metro got a phone call a few days ago asking if Redbike can use the Uptown Transit District stations. Not sure if that deal will pan out though. We'll just have to see.

 

Why did UC do this?  Someone should complain to Santa Ono, particularly if they are a student.  He usually responds on twitter.

The website for redbike is now up:

 

Rates are shown as $8/day and $80/year - I wonder if the high end rates have to do with lack of advertising (thank you Bortz/last council for your boneheaded legislation banning adverts on ROWs).

 

http://www.cincyredbike.org/locations/

 

I like the downtown/OTR locations, but Uptown needs some work - there should be a few on Highland.

 

It's above average ($63.79 is the national average but includes a lot of small systems, of large systems $65-80 is the norm), but you get a 60 minute check out and I believe all the other checkouts are only 30 minutes, then $2 a half hour after the initial 30 minutes.

 

 

Why can you not do one 60-minute ride for only a dollar or two instead of paying for unlimited 60-minute rides over a 24 hour period for $8?

 

Is that how all systems work?

Why can you not do one 60-minute ride for only a dollar or two instead of paying for unlimited 60-minute rides over a 24 hour period for $8?

 

Is that how all systems work?

 

Every system I've seen works on the Day/Year membership pass level. If you compare prices to the bike rental down at the Cincinnati Bike Center, RedBike is a good deal.

 

CBC (prices for a cruiser bike) $10/1hr $25/4hr $30/day

 

(I'm aware these are different rental services for different purposes)

They just need to fix the uptown stations a bit, there needs to be more stations in CUF and at least a station or two on Highland or Burnett and at least one on Campus.  In fact originally there was going to be one on Burnett at University.

After leaving the Reds game on Saturday I started thinking about the availability of both bikes and spots to return them during large events. If the program succeeds, then there will be a run on places to park a rented bicycle at the 2nd/Main st stop in front of the stadium. Additionally, I suspect there would be a run on bikes post-game, leaving other annual Red Bike members with no ride back up the hill.

 

Is the Red Bike crew prepared to move bikes quickly during these special event periods or will folks just be out of luck? What do I do with a bicycle I ride from Orchard/Main to 2nd/Main for a baseball game but I have nowhere to park it in front of the stadium?

 

I like the idea of Red Bike but those issues concern me.

 

Also, is there an operating funding plan in place? If not, why not? If not, where is the outrage? How about releasing pricing structure and the ability to buy passes only two weeks prior to kickoff.... if the streetcar did these things everybody would be up in arms but since this is Cranley's biking baby there's nothing.

Walnut Street by the Aronoff Center:

 

 

 

The Banks near the Freedom Center:

 

From today's Enquirer article City vs. County: Here's why their fight matters

 

"The city's attitude is, 'What's mine is mine and what's yours is ours,'" said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, who's spent more than 30 years in local politics. "They're building bike racks everywhere in the city, and we're under snow five months of the year. That kind of silly stuff drives people crazy."

 

:roll:

From today's Enquirer article City vs. County: Here's why their fight matters

 

"The city's attitude is, 'What's mine is mine and what's yours is ours,'" said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, who's spent more than 30 years in local politics. "They're building bike racks everywhere in the city, and we're under snow five months of the year. That kind of silly stuff drives people crazy."

 

:roll:

 

That is why NYC and Chicago outlawed bike racks years ago and have prospered because of it.

From today's Enquirer article City vs. County: Here's why their fight matters

 

"The city's attitude is, 'What's mine is mine and what's yours is ours,'" said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, who's spent more than 30 years in local politics. "They're building bike racks everywhere in the city, and we're under snow five months of the year. That kind of silly stuff drives people crazy."

 

:roll:

 

We are?

From today's Enquirer article City vs. County: Here's why their fight matters

 

"The city's attitude is, 'What's mine is mine and what's yours is ours,'" said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, who's spent more than 30 years in local politics. "They're building bike racks everywhere in the city, and we're under snow five months of the year. That kind of silly stuff drives people crazy."

 

:roll:

 

We are?

 

Maybe he meant 5 days?

 

Last year was one of the worst winters we've had in a long time and there were maybe 10 days that snow made biking unfeasible, but that's just for me because I live on a dead end, narrow, hilly street that never gets plowed.

 

This, along with Cranley's $300 a month parking fee show how disconnected from reality some of these politicians are. It snows 5 times as much in Madison, WI and they seem to make bikes work.

 

 

Yeah, Trek's headquarters and US manufacturing center is just outside Madison, WI.  Many of their employees, including their CEO, bike to work almost every day, even on 0 degree mornings.  This past winter I biked to work twice on minus 0 days.  I'm not going to lie, it completely sucked, but I had to do it because my car wouldn't start. 

We barely have any bike racks.  We are just lucky in that we still have tons of meters and haven't gone to pay stations :)

 

Also, I agree that as the City spent $1.1 million you'd think someone would be talking about bike share operations... but I'm not too worried.  They'll figure it out.

 

I will say, you guys should tweet @cincyredbike and recommend other station locations.  I'm sure after a few months they'll want to move some things and that will help them figure out where else to consider.

The fact that anyone would get upset about the city's $1.1 investment in a bike sharing program or a $0.6 million investment in the Central Parkway bike lanes shows how financially illiterate the general public is. I think we almost have to break things down to smaller numbers so that people start to understand and not immediately get upset when they read the word "million".

 

If the Western Hills Viaduct cost $100 to build, the Bike Share program would cost 25¢.

 

If the I-75 expansion (including the Brent Spence Bridge, Mill Creek Expressway, and Thru the Valley projects) in Hamilton County cost $100, the streetcar would cost $3.38.

Or how the streetcar is consuming approximately 1% of the city's capital budget and 1% of the operations budget. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DJtHL3NV1o

 

Via City of Cincinnati Bike Program: "We've installed a new thermal traffic sensor at Central Parkway and Ludlow. This new sensor detects your body heat, so it will detect you no matter where you are in the lane, or what type of bicycle you're riding!"

 

Article: http://www.wlwt.com/news/cincinnati-installs-new-thermal-traffic-sensor-to-be-more-bikefriendly/27940436

 

Cincy Bike Share starts rolling Monday

5:01 p.m. EDT September 10, 2014, John Faherty

 

(Photo: The Enquirer/Sharon Coolidge)

 

The idea is that it will be fast and easy and save the environment and you will not need to find a parking place.

 

The program will launch on Monday, Sept. 15, at 10:30 at a ceremony at Freedom Way and Walnut Street at the Banks.

 

This spring, Mayor John Cranley proposed $1.1 million for the program. City Council approved the money and things got moving quickly. But the idea has been brewing for a while.

 

Read more

 

Woo-hoo!

Red Bike starts on Monday at 10:30am. If you have signed up for an annual pass, like myself, you won't receive it until "sometime next week" according to UrbanCincy. However, you can use the credit card used to sign up for the annual pass to use a bike prior to receiving the actual Red Bike pass.

 

Unfortunately, I only know this information because UrbanCincy wrote an article today and included that bit. I have received no communication at all from the Red Bike folks. I never received a confirmation that I purchased a pass (other than my credit card statement reflecting they took my money) nor have I been given information by Red Bike about the start of service. Inauspicious beginning, imo.

Red Bike launched yesterday. Anyone use it yet?

Red Bike launched yesterday. Anyone use it yet?

 

Last night it didn't look like any of the bikes had budged at any of the stations near UC.  They all still had exactly half of their bikes lined up on half of the racks.  I did see one guy looking at the screen on one of them. 

 

I had a morning meeting at Paul Brown and walked the short distance to Main/2nd and rode up to Orchard/Main. I found the touch screen to be user friendly and intuitive and had no issues using my credit card to release a bike (I'm an annual pass holder but they haven't mailed those to folks yet, so the CC used when signing up currently acts as the RedBike pass).

 

The ride up the hill was fast and easy. I got a few looks from folks wondering what this silly red bike with baskets everywhere was doing. When I docked the bike at Orchard/Main there were a couple neighborhood folks wondering what it all was so I stopped and chatted a bit to explain the system and the process.

 

I'll be using it plenty to get from meeting-to-meeting or to events at Music Hall, Aronoff or shopping at Findlay and Kroger. I'm looking forward to using it more though still have my reservations about the availability of bikes and docking spaces during special events.

I used it 3 times today (bought annual membership). Counted 12 other people other than myself riding while I was riding.  Incredibly convenient.  I will say, they are gonna need to do a lot of maintenance.  Consistency between bikes is dramatically different.  Some have great breaks, some have horrible breaks, some the seats stay, others the seats sink.  Will be interesting to see how well they do with upkeep.

Yeah, it seemed like they rushed the opening. I wanted to try it today, but the two stations I went to were down and still had blue ribbons through all the bikes. Very odd. It makes me think that there are very few people running the system which definitely has me worried about bike maintenance.

Yeah, it seemed like they rushed the opening. I wanted to try it today, but the two stations I went to were down and still had blue ribbons through all the bikes. Very odd. It makes me think that there are very few people running the system which definitely has me worried about bike maintenance.

 

Locations?

Anecdotally the Cincinnati B-cycle bikes seem lighter than the Nashville B-cycle bikes, but I still find them very odd and clumsy to ride.  They have a lot of momentum and a generally smooth ride on straightaways and downhills because of their weight, but the upright geometry and excessive weight in the handlebars makes for awkward, floppy turning and hill climbing, as I predicted, is very strenuous.  I just don't see widespread use of these bikes in the uptown area given the position of the Eden Ave. and Howell Ave. stations in gullies.  How many people, after their first taste of the hill in front of Good Sam or coming up MLK from Eden, will willingly go back for more?

 

I hardly ever break a significant sweat on my personal bike except on the hottest days but last night when it was 70F I was sweating through my shirt just climbing from Skyline up to UC.  That will happen during cold weather too.  I'm still baffled as to why these bikes are so damn heavy. 

 

 

 

Yeah, it seemed like they rushed the opening. I wanted to try it today, but the two stations I went to were down and still had blue ribbons through all the bikes. Very odd. It makes me think that there are very few people running the system which definitely has me worried about bike maintenance.

 

Locations?

 

Both of the Vine St stations in Corryville.

I'm still baffled as to why these bikes are so damn heavy. 

 

 

 

Durability and theft deterrence, I'd have to say.  They make them out of some of the stoutest stuff so they can be left out in the worst weather and be mistreated, but still have a long life.  And weighing 30+ pounds makes them less likely to be stolen or thrown into the river.

For what it's worth, I saw a bunch of people using the Red Bikes to get around at Midpoint Music Festival last night. Some people seemed confused at how to get them, and some stations were completely empty while the stations near venues (up in OTR) were jam packed. It will be tough to deal with special events but it was nice to see them being used nonetheless.

I went up to Clifton last night and noticed that the U Square station had zero bikes and the UPA one had something like 3. I'd imagine lots of students took them down to Midpoint.

 

I live right by the garage that's their headquarters and have seen the van that moves excess bikes around driving around. That's how they handle it in other cities since some destinations will inevitably be more popular than others. As far as I know in other cities they just amp up how much they disperse the bikes when there are events happening and the build-up of bikes would occur.

In case anyone's wondering, I attempted to lock up my real bike at one of the stations.  It didn't do anything.  I guess the thing that grips the wheel is triggered by something electronic in the bikeshare bike. 

I went up to Clifton last night and noticed that the U Square station had zero bikes and the UPA one had something like 3. I'd imagine lots of students took them down to Midpoint.

 

I live right by the garage that's their headquarters and have seen the van that moves excess bikes around driving around. That's how they handle it in other cities since some destinations will inevitably be more popular than others. As far as I know in other cities they just amp up how much they disperse the bikes when there are events happening and the build-up of bikes would occur.

 

The ones near Midpoint were full when I walked by yesterday.  I saw two people with bikes that seemed pretty confused when they reached the full station at 12th & Vine.  I wonder if they could add temporary stations when big events are planned.  It seems like you could have a flatbed truck drop off a stripped down version for extra turn-in capacity, and then remove it the day after the event.

I've been using it all weekend and luckily haven't had any trouble (I check the app before I leave a station to see how full the other ones are).  A few times people arrived and a station was full, but usually within a couple minutes someone else checked one out.  Or, if you were at 12th & Vine and its full you can ride to Kroger or to Main.  Also, I saw the truck driving around at all hours into the night (last sighting was 11PM) rebalancing stations.

 

Also, it's the same app for all B-cycle places, so I already had it on my phone from a recent Denver trip.

I heard RedBike had about 2,000 trips over the three days of MPMF.

Not surprising. The bike racks up by UC were empty every time I was up in Clifton and there were tons of people riding them around Downtown and in OTR. I watched a group of about 6 people all buying passes at about 2 am at 12th and Vine which was cool.

Ooh!  The new Hopple St Bridge has wider sidewalks for bikes to use.  How thoughtful....

 

"Gorman also explained the new, wider sidewalk that will allow for pedestrian and bike traffic."

 

http://www.wlwt.com/news/new-bridge-is-open-at-hopple-interchange-but-will-it-ease-commute/29093734

Ooh!  The new Hopple St Bridge has wider sidewalks for bikes to use.  How thoughtful....

 

"Gorman also explained the new, wider sidewalk that will allow for pedestrian and bike traffic."

 

http://www.wlwt.com/news/new-bridge-is-open-at-hopple-interchange-but-will-it-ease-commute/29093734

 

What a joke of a news story. Who writes this crap? It's congested because there's a massive amount of construction right now. That has nothing to do with the merits of the new bridge.

The "wider sidewalks" is part of the MLK reconstruction project, which will incorporate a bike path up the hill, and connect Camp Washington with Uptown. Is the sidewalk well separated from traffic with a barrier?

The "wider sidewalks" is part of the MLK reconstruction project, which will incorporate a bike path up the hill, and connect Camp Washington with Uptown. Is the sidewalk well separated from traffic with a barrier?

 

No...here's the fancy new bike path:

...that isn't much of an improvement, if any. Yikes.

 

He is the map of the MLK project showing the bike path: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/dote-projects/west-martin-luther-king-drive/. I wish they would put in more switchbacks and such since they are acquiring all of the houses on the north side of the roadway, but it's better than what's there now - nothing.

Interesting text of a (yet to be passed) City Council motion:

 

MOTION, dated 10/14/2014, submitted by Councilmembers Sittenfeld, Mann Flynn, Simpson and Murray that all D.O.T.E. personnel time and City resources currently being put toward completion of a bike and walking trail alongside the Ohio River be redirected toward completion of a bike and walking trail connection between Downtown Cincinnati and the Lunken Airport Trail on the unused rail portion of the Oasis Line.

 

I'm not really sure how significant this is, if at all, but I found it curious.

And about the Ohio River Bike Trail (http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/dote-projects/ohio-river-trail/), this rendering is new: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/linkservid/B2EF1A91-7776-4640-9E8C41DB176AD630/showMeta/0/

 

What happens at Riverfront East Condos?

...that isn't much of an improvement, if any. Yikes.

 

He is the map of the MLK project showing the bike path: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/dote-projects/west-martin-luther-king-drive/. I wish they would put in more switchbacks and such since they are acquiring all of the houses on the north side of the roadway, but it's better than what's there now - nothing.

 

I still can't believe they're going to rebuild those islands at Clifton and MLK.  Those things are a death trap.

^I completely agree. I live a few houses north of the intersection on Clifton, and my housemate got hit by a car just yesterday. Completely trashed his bicycle. No one ever stops when I'm crossing there, as if it's their God-given right to cruise through those right-hand turn lanes without looking. I hate it.

Is Cincinnati City Council about to throw away a $4.3 million bike trail grant?

Oct 28, 2014, 8:18pm EDT

Chris Wetterich Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

Five members of Cincinnati City Council have signed a motion directing the city's transportation officials to focus on a bike trail that will run along the Oasis Rail Line and not one along the Ohio River.

 

Council's transportation committee approved the motion on Tuesday, and it could receive a final vote before the full council on Wednesday.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/10/28/is-cincinnati-city-council-about-to-throw-away-a-4.html

^I completely agree. I live a few houses north of the intersection on Clifton, and my housemate got hit by a car just yesterday. Completely trashed his bicycle. No one ever stops when I'm crossing there, as if it's their God-given right to cruise through those right-hand turn lanes without looking. I hate it.

 

They are pretty horrible.  BUT in the new plan, they will be 3 times larger than the current ones.  Honestly, I think there should be a large metal bollard at all three corners of each one.  Remember that a UC student was killed while standing on one of those a few years ago?