<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.5848" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wondering how this may be VERY useful for
bicycle owners? Well, many don't like to ride in the rain because it can
ruin clothing. Imagine those mornings when it is pouring outside and you
have to take the mbta; leaving the bike at home. When it is time to
go back home 12 hours later, the weather is likely to have changed for the
better. Instead of taking the T back, just borrow a public bicycle and get
yourself back to that T stop near home.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is encouraging.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(ps all you bikers who ride in the rain, good - but
don't bother telling us how good you are - we already know)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=gh3451@yahoo.com href="mailto:gh3451@yahoo.com">Peter</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=list@bostoncriticalmass.org
href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">Boston Critical Mass</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:40
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [*BCM*] boston's bike
sharing program (BIXI)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top>For anyone that has not yet had enough:
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/04/12/is_boston_ready_for_a_revolution/?page=1">http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/04/12/is_boston_ready_for_a_revolution/?page=1</A></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/04/12/is_boston_ready_for_a_revolution/?page=1"></A>An
article on "Velib", the Paris version. From pg 4: <SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 15px; LINE-HEIGHT: 21px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia">I ask
Valeau his advice for Boston. "The first key is the density of the
network," he says. "It must cover the whole city, not just the city
center, with a station every 250 meters. The second key is you must have
good prices -- very, very cheap. The third key is the promotion of the
service -- the city must be very politically involved and committed to
its success. The fourth key is the quality of the bicycles and the
station equipment. They will be used 10 times a day by different
customers: novice, expert, fat, very slim, tall, and short. Last but
perhaps most important is the quality of service and
repair."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span face=Georgia size=4><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 15px; LINE-HEIGHT: 21px"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span face=Georgia size=4><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 15px; LINE-HEIGHT: 21px">Something is better than
nothing but none of the press releases give any indication that any of
these conditions for sucess will be present. I ride my own so
would not be a user but, again, more bikes is
better.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span face=Georgia size=4><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 15px; LINE-HEIGHT: 21px"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span face=Georgia size=4><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 15px; LINE-HEIGHT: 21px"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR>--- On <B>Sat, 8/15/09, Anne Wolfe
<I><goannego@gmail.com></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid"><BR>From:
Anne Wolfe <goannego@gmail.com><BR>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] boston's
bike sharing program (BIXI)<BR>To: "Boston Critical Mass"
<list@bostoncriticalmass.org><BR>Date: Saturday, August 15,
2009, 3:20 AM<BR><BR>
<DIV id=yiv1871297838>It is a tough call. Do you want a biking
program at all or one that isn't sponsored by companies you dislike
(which unfortunately for us as a society are the ones most likely to
have the money?) You say you'd prefer a biking program that
doesn't have the sponsorship, but there still to be a biking program,
and it runs into the age old "who's going to pay for it?" issue.
And no one ever wants it to come out of their pocket. As much as
I'm opposed to the war in Iraq, I don' t have the power to go back and
re-allocate that money. <BR><BR>All things being considered, I'm
glad we have a biking program coming in. If you don't like who
pays for it, then protest, but if your protest means that people don't
bike and instead use cars, you've got to live with that as well.
So what are you going to do???<BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>2009/8/15 Jym Dyer <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="/mc/compose?to=jym@econet.org" target=_blank rel=nofollow
ymailto="mailto:jym@econet.org">jym@econet.org</A>></SPAN><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">>
It is good for tourist use, but I think it also could be<BR>>
good for short pre/post subway trips.<BR><BR>=v= The name "BIXI" is
a combination of bicycle + taxi, and<BR>they're trying to market it
as an alternative to the kind<BR>of trip you might otherwise take in
a taxi.<BR><BR>=v= In addition to Montreal, bike-sharing schemes
have been<BR>a success in many European locations, presumably
replacing<BR>many motorized vehicle trips. The first such
system in this<BR>country is Washington D.C.'s "SmartBike" (which is
run by<BR>Clear Channel), but I think it's too soon to tell how
well<BR>it's working there yet.<BR><BR>> The thing that worries
me the most about this not working,<BR>> is just the brutal,
fuck-everyone vandalism impulse. People<BR>> can be
dicks.<BR><BR>=v= J.C. Decaux, who operates the Paris bike-share,
reported<BR>a very high rate of vandalism and theft, but it turned
out<BR>that they were overstating things because they wanted the
city<BR>to pay them more money than agreed upon. There are
also some<BR>people in Barcelona who believe the city government is
taking<BR>away free bike parking and other amenities for bicyclists
to<BR>make room for their bike share, so they've done some
vandalism<BR>in the form of protest graffiti.<BR><BR>=v= My main
issue with BIXI is with one of their sponsors. The<BR>aluminum
for the bikes' frames comes from the mining company Rio<BR>Tinto,
whose company logo is emblazoned right on the handlebars<BR>so you
can stare at it the entire time you're riding the bike.<BR>Frame
material product placement is very unusual, but I suppose<BR>Rio
Tinto needs some heavy-duty greenwash. They do
everything<BR>from stripmining to rainforest destruction to pushing
for<BR>increased proliferation of nuclear power. Greenpeace
has had<BR>to put pressure on them for years.<BR><BR> I
guess they'd rather be associated with biking, at least<BR>in the
public mind.<BR><BR>=v= For once I'd like a bike-sharing program
that isn't<BR>sponsored by a destructive company. J.C. Decaux
is notorious<BR>for their intrusions on liveable space. Clear
Channel promotes<BR>oil wars and has morning drive-time DJs who like
to joke about<BR>hurting and killing bicyclists.<BR>
<_Jym_><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Boston
Critical Mass mailing list<BR><A
href="/mc/compose?to=list@bostoncriticalmass.org" target=_blank
rel=nofollow
ymailto="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR><A
href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list" target=_blank
rel=nofollow>http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</A><BR>To
unsubscribe email <A
href="/mc/compose?to=list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org"
target=_blank rel=nofollow
ymailto="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR
clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Anne M. Wolfe, LL.M.<BR>Mobile: ( 07805)
456901<BR><BR>Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. - Garrison
Keillor<BR></DIV><BR>-----Inline Attachment Follows-----<BR><BR>
<DIV
class=plainMail>_______________________________________________<BR>Boston
Critical Mass mailing list<BR><A
href="/mc/compose?to=list@bostoncriticalmass.org"
ymailto="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR><A
href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list"
target=_blank>http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</A><BR>To unsubscribe
email <A href="/mc/compose?to=list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org"
ymailto="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org</A></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>_______________________________________________<BR>Boston Critical Mass
mailing
list<BR>list@bostoncriticalmass.org<BR>http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list<BR>To
unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org
<P>
<HR>
<P></P><BR>No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>Checked by AVG -
www.avg.com <BR>Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.58/2304 - Release
Date: 08/15/09 06:10:00<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>