Galway's new bike scheme (SPIN) up and running!

ceatharloch

Try it out at

http://grandscheme.co.uk/galway/

run (at the moment) out of the NUI, Galway campus.
A great initiative for cycling in Galway!

gordongekko

ceatharloch wrote: »

Try it out at

http://grandscheme.co.uk/galway/

run (at the moment) out of the NUI, Galway campus.
A great initiative for cycling in Galway!

handy if your doing a short spin. I wonder how much it costs if the bike is stolen.

topcat77

good scheme but only available for staff and students. Looking at the scheme and it's only suitable for cycling on campus. the first 30mins is free but after that it can be expensive. 3-4hrs will cost you €6.50. the idea is for short journeys between docking stations, so you lock the bike at the docking station and finish your rental. If you use it as it's designed you won't be renting the bike while it's locked so you can't get charged if it's stolen. I think it will cost you €46.50 for 24hr rental.

Iwannahurl

A shared bike scheme for Galway is a very welcome development. The Dublin scheme has helped to create a surge in cycling (admittedly from a low base) in the capital.

A "workshop" was held recently to discuss the proposal. I wasn't there unfortunately. It was mentioned in this City Tribune report: http://www.connachttribune.ie/galway-news/item/1114-sixteen-sites-identified-for-new-galway-public-bicycle-scheme

The NUIG scheme is already up and running, apparently. I was talking to some staff members recently and they said that a particular feature of their scheme is that the electronics are fitted on the bikes. This means that there is more flexibility in terms of sites for docking stations. The bikes are also pink, I'm told, which may be a deciding factor for the colour-conscious.

The City Tribune report linked to above includes an illustration of what a proposed site on Augustine Street might look like. For me this immediately raises the question of how Galway City Council intends to facilitate use of the shared bikes. Augustine Street and some adjacent roads are one-way, which means that, for example, it will be illegal to cycle the quickest route to that docking station from the Flood Street/Quay Street/Cross Street direction. Users of the shared bikes who wish to dock in Augustine Street will therefore have to take a circuitous route or else become 'rolling pedestrians' or, more likely, will cycle illegally against the flow of traffic either on the footpaths or the roadway. A similar restriction may well apply at Raven Terrace.

Therefore another upside of the proposed shared bike scheme for Galway is that it might well prompt a long-overdue revision of the City Council's counter-productive policy of forcing cyclists to follow convoluted one-way systems designed for motorised traffic.

ceatharloch

I've seen many places "its only available for staff and students", even I think
from the guys who run it.

Go to the sign-up page

https://grandscheme.co.uk/galway/Register

I think you will find you can register and use the system without being
staff/student of NUIG......:)

topcat77 wrote: »

good scheme but only available for staff and students. Looking at the scheme and it's only suitable for cycling on campus. the first 30mins is free but after that it can be expensive. 3-4hrs will cost you €6.50. the idea is for short journeys between docking stations, so you lock the bike at the docking station and finish your rental. If you use it as it's designed you won't be renting the bike while it's locked so you can't get charged if it's stolen. I think it will cost you €46.50 for 24hr rental.

dloob

The city council finally put the proposed locations for their scheme online.
http://www.galwaycity.ie/GeneralNews/120813_01.pdf

It's pretty much city centre only.

Iwannahurl

Thanks for that map.

Docking stations well situated for NUI students and staff, I would suggest.

However, I would reiterate that the existing city-wide one-way system is going to be a factor in the way this shared bike scheme is used.

Cathedral: one-way system around Nun's Island.
Eyre Square/Ceannt Station/Forster Street/City Hall: one-way system around Eyre Square, Forster Street, Bothar Brendan Ui hEithir.
Merchants Road/Dock Street: one-way system around Abbeygate Street, Merchants Road, Docks.
Headford Road: one-way system around Woodquay.
Mainguard Street: pedestrianised, plus one-way system around Lombard Street, Market Street, Cross Street.

If this scheme becomes (deservedly) popular then I think we can expect to see a lot more bikes on city centre streets. Unless the inherently cycle-hostile one-way system is significantly modified then we're going to hear a lot of complaints about readily-identifiable shared bikes going up on footpaths and the 'wrong way' around town.

On the other hand, the advent of the Council-supported shared bike scheme could be the ideal time to implement a provision recommended as long ago as 1979, and which is mandated in the current city development plan.

topcat77

The plan just looks like half measures in it's city wide scope. would like to see it expanded from Salthill or even Silverstrand to Merlin park hospital.

Iwannahurl

They wouldn't want to overextend themselves in the early days.

AFAIK the NUIG bikes have the electronics on board, which means the location of docking stations can be changed if necessary.

Fixed docking stations require monitoring to ensure that bikes are distributed appropriately. A wider network of stations would be heavy on resources, and in the early stages of the scheme that might be excessive if the usage per bike is low. Just guessing, tbh.

what_traffic

dloob wrote: »

The city council finally put the proposed locations for their scheme online.
http://www.galwaycity.ie/GeneralNews/120813_01.pdf

It's pretty much city centre only.

Interesting map - they have put a bike station in the grounds of City Hall itself. Only counted 13 stations (original proposal was for 23 stations in Galway City back in June 2011).
See page 3 of the attachment: Summary-Bike-Scheme-Technical-Report.pdf

galwaycyclist

They are standard bikes by the look of them





3 speed hub gears



The unit on top has the authentication system. Apparently once you have put in your details to use the bike a little drawer pops open with a key for the lock.



The lock is a standard U-lock.

Iwannahurl

Far be it from me to be sexist, but in my opinion it seems clear that (a) these bikes are targeting females and (b) will be shunned by most men.

The Dublin bikes are fairly neutral in colour and design, but even so I recall a contributor to a Sunday morning programme on RTE Radio 1 a while back referring to their "effeminate handlebars".

Irish cycling culture doesn't allow men to have swept-back handlebars: just check out what's on offer in the vast majority of bike shops. They're either straight, or curved in the approved direction.

Cycling culture, or even society in general, doesn't permit men to have baskets on their bikes.

So, the bent handlebars, wicker basket and pink livery are clearly aimed at women, I reckon. If so, what's the overall rationale for a female-focused shared bike scheme?

Cleahaigh

The bikes look terrible alright.

I don't think the one way system in Galway is particularly bike hostile. It covers such a small diameter that it's easy to bypass by walking a short distance at a wide variety of points and it is much, much safer for pedestrians.

Iwannahurl

Compliant people paying to avail of the shared "bike" scheme will be doing a lot of walking around the city so!

In what way is the comprehensive one-way system in Galway "much much safer for pedestrians"?

Or do you mean it's much safer for pedestrians if people walk their bikes rather than cycle them the wrong way on one-way streets?

thesandeman

Iwannahurl wrote: »

it's much safer for pedestrians if people walk their bikes rather than cycle them the wrong way on one-way streets?

I mentioned this in an earlier bike thread but cyclists got annoyed about it.
It doesn't take much effort to get off the bicycle and walk the couple of hundred yards that is the pedestrian area if they don't want to spend the extra minute to cycle the legal route.

biko

Just a gentle nudge, please don't let this thread go down the route of what cyclists/motorists should or should not do. You guys will just end up arguing.
Focus on the scheme and the implications it will have for the city.

I'm guessing the colour scheme, distinct frame shape and basket is indeed aimed at females.
I think this may be because of two things, firstly women are often more environmentally minded and secondly the bikes are less likely to be stolen if the scummers can't ride them.

Me, I'd happily use them but then I'm secure in my masculinity.
And the tourists won't mind.

Iwannahurl

thesandeman wrote: »

I mentioned this in an earlier bike thread but cyclists got annoyed about it.

It doesn't take much effort to get off the bicycle and walk the couple of hundred yards that is the pedestrian area if they don't want to spend the extra minute to cycle the legal route.

The convoluted one-way system in Galway City centre is far more extensive than the pedestrianised area.

The central idea of a shared bike scheme is ease of use. The central idea of an (Irish) one-way system is facilitating motorised traffic flow. The two concepts are not readily compatible, which is why it is the norm in European countries with well-developed traffic and transportation policies to exempt cyclists from one-way restrictions, banned turns and the like. Likewise the emphasis in such European urban areas is more on car-free or substantially traffic-calmed city/town centres rather than on entirely pedestrianised zones. There's a video somewhere on YouTube (also posted on Boards) that illustrates the highly-successful Dutch approach to facilitating bicycles in this manner. I can't find it just now, unfortunately.

These concepts have yet to be fully understood, appreciated and/or implemented in Ireland. That said, recent national and local policy supports the exemption of cyclists from one-way restrictions and prohibited right turns, for example.

A bicycle is an ideal form of door-to-door personal transport, and it makes no sense for a city to try to promote cycling by means of a shared bike scheme and at the same time make bikes less efficient and convenient by restricting their use in the compact 'inner city' area, such as by forcing them to slavishly follow a system of one-way streets designed to keep motorised traffic moving.

To my mind it is also not tenable to propose that people pay to use shared bikes, and then insist that they get off and walk with the contraption whenever a car-centric legal prohibition demands that they do so. It would be easier just to forget about cycling altogether and walk for free, unencumbered by having to wheel a bike beside you.

NB: This post shows clearly that optimum permeability for cyclists is officially recognised as a core element of the strategy to promote shared bike schemes: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=84045888&postcount=98


================================

EDIT: I submitted this post before I saw Biko's gentle reminder re arguing etc.

It ought to be possible to have informed debate about such matters.

Discussion about optics such as the colour of the bikes etc is all very well, but there are also fundamental policy issues that will arise and which have a major bearing on the utility of cycling which in turn is relevant to the 'workability' of a shared bike scheme.

National and local policy, as well as best practice internationally, recognises that promotion of cycling means making it an easy choice.

I am not looking for arguments, but I do think that good policy and practice in this area must be recognised and asserted.

biko

Feel free to use the Cycling in the City to discuss the intricacies of biking around town.

inisboffin

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Far be it from me to be sexist, but in my opinion it seems clear that (a) these bikes are targeting females and (b) will be shunned by most men.

The Dublin bikes are fairly neutral in colour and design, but even so I recall a contributor to a Sunday morning programme on RTE Radio 1 a while back referring to their "effeminate handlebars".

Irish cycling culture doesn't allow men to have swept-back handlebars: just check out what's on offer in the vast majority of bike shops. They're either straight, or curved in the approved direction.

Cycling culture, or even society in general, doesn't permit men to have baskets on their bikes.

So, the bent handlebars, wicker basket and pink livery are clearly aimed at women, I reckon. If so, what's the overall rationale for a female-focused shared bike scheme?

Maybe they are being revisionist with the pink

My Granda had a basket on his bike all his life, and it didn't diminish his testosterone, just helped him bring home the shopping easier.

While I take your point about possible marketing motives, I think the notion of 'cycling culture' not allowing something is pure daft!

snubbleste

Are the bikes pink
I thought they are light purple, close to the shade of the Uni's colour scheme

what_traffic

biko wrote: »

I'm guessing the colour scheme, distinct frame shape and basket is indeed aimed at females.
I think this may be because of two things, firstly women are often more environmentally minded and secondly the bikes are less likely to be stolen if the scummers can't ride them.

How can you back that up? More enviromentally minded?

Could be simply that far less women cycle in NUIG than men; mirroring the national trend?
http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/08/27/will-dublin-become-a-city-of-women-on-wheels/
Also having a one size fit's all bike means anybody can use the bikes. Also easier for the elderly users(NUIG staff)

galwaycyclist

biko wrote: »

Feel free to use the Cycling in the City to discuss the intricacies of biking around town.

The issue of one-way streets in Galway was specifically raised by the NTAs consultants on bike share proposals.

It is not possible to discuss one without discussing the other.

galwaycyclist

Iwannahurl wrote: »

It ought to be possible to have informed debate about such matters.

Agreed - I would suggest that coming onto a bikeshare thread and telling people to get off and walk would not be a good start to such a debate.

biko

what_traffic wrote: »

How can you back that up? More enviromentally minded?

Could be simply that far less women cycle in NUIG than men; mirroring the national trend?
http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/08/27/will-dublin-become-a-city-of-women-on-wheels/

Wow, 77/23 split. I would have thought it was almost the other way around. Can't argue with stats I suppose.
The "environmentally minded" is from own experience among friends and family (I don't know a single guy with a bike but many females) where fitness, savings and environment seems to have effect on transportation choice.

galwaycyclist wrote: »

The issue of one-way streets in Galway was specifically raised by the NTAs consultants on bike share proposals.

It is not possible to discuss one without discussing the other.

You mean this?

• Many of the one-way streets are single lane – these pose more of a navigational than a safety hazard to cyclists
• The number of pedestrianised streets and one-way streets affect cycling options

It's ok to discuss street layout etc. I am hoping the focus in this thread will be on the scheme and its positive effects but fear it may be used by cyclists to give out about city street layout generally, hence the link to the more general Cycling in the City thread.
We'll see I suppose.

Eogclouder

I've used them a few times now to get across the campus to work, they're great!

galwaycyclist

biko wrote: »

You mean this?

No I mean this - link below may now be dead

Jacobs Report: Proposals for Introducing Public Bike Schemes in
Regional Cities Funding and
Large File (12.8 MB)
http://www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Further-attachments-provided-with-response.pdf

Recommendations are made on the complementary measures which would be needed as a new scheme is introduced. Perhaps the most important one would be an increase in permeability for cycle traffic in the city centres through the provision of two-way cycling on one-way streets, and by opening up pedestrianised areas to cycling where conditions allow.

3.3 Galway
A site visit was carried out to Galway in the early afternoon on a weekday. The initial impression of the level of cycling was similar to that of Cork as there was a presence of cyclists in the city centre (fewer than in Cork but the site visit was during the interpeak when cycling levels drop considerably). Cycle parking was relatively plentiful and well used. Many bikes were also seen parked informally i.e. locked to various
items of street furniture. As in Cork, cyclists were seen using the footway in the contra-flow direction adjacent to one-way streets highlighting the need for contraflow facilities. The streets of Galway appeared to be particularly congested both in the city centre itself (below right) and also on the approaches, even in the inter-peak period.

5.2.2 Cycle-Friendly Road & Path Networks
Intuitively, a scheme would be more successful where there is a comprehensive network of cycle-friendly routes. This is not restricted to designated cycle routes but relates to how attractive/safe/navigable etc the whole of the deployment area is for cycling. An example of a cycle-friendly improvement on a city-wide scale is the legislation which permitted two-way cycling in all one-way streets with a 30kmh limit which was passed in France in 2010. As a result, the road network of Paris became a lot more navigable and permeable by bike, with no reported direct increase in
casualties. The worst environment for cycling would include dual carriageways, high speed roads (with limits and/or speeds above 50kmh), gyratories and large
roundabouts. The traffic mix also influences the environment – high flows of HGVs present a particular hazard to cycle traffic.

5.4.2 Galway
· Galway has a population of approximately 100,000 including 25,000 students. A typical city of this size would have a fleet of 200 bikes, and around 1500 registered members;
· The assessment of Galway is that it is generally well suited to a bike sharing scheme. It clearly attracts a large number of tourists, the topography is either flat or quite gentle, there is a significant level of congestion in the city (even during the inter-peak), and car parking is relatively expensive, and timeconsuming to access. Although the one-way streets and pedestrianised areas make it awkward to navigate by bike, there are not many high-speed, multi lane sections are found in some of the other cities. The existing network, therefore, mainly poses a navigational, rather than safety, challenge to cyclists. It is considered that a Galway scheme would therefore attract an above-average number of users a fleet of 200 to 250 bikes;

· Of the four, it is estimated that Galway and Cork are the best suited as they have more of the characteristics of the cities where bike-sharing schemes are successful;
· An exploration of complimentary measures is recommended to increase the impact of any bike-sharing scheme. The key focus is likely to be the need to
improve cycle-traffic permeability in the city centres particularly in one-way streets and pedestrianised areas. This will have the twin advantage of making
cycle trips more advantageous over other modes, as well as making journeys more navigable;

Iwannahurl

inisboffin wrote: »

Maybe they are being revisionist with the pink

My Granda had a basket on his bike all his life, and it didn't diminish his testosterone, just helped him bring home the shopping easier.

While I take your point about possible marketing motives, I think the notion of 'cycling culture' not allowing something is pure daft!

Perhaps pink is the new blue/black/brown...

I'll bet your Granda's bike had bent handlebars as well. Ask any bike shop in Galway for a Dutch-style bike these days and see how far you get.



Culture is a strange thing. People believe and do all sorts of things just because they think everyone else is doing so.

snubbleste wrote: »

Are the bikes pink
I thought they are light purple, close to the shade of the Uni's colour scheme

http://www.kingfisherclub.com/images_other/nuig.gif

I haven't seen the bikes, but I did talk about them with two NUIG staff members. Their conclusion was that the bikes are "definitely pink".

Perhaps the intention was for the bikes to be in distinctively NUIG livery, but if you look closely at the photos you will see the differences. Maybe the bikes were painted by someone who was not 'good with colours'?

Iwannahurl

what_traffic wrote: »

Could be simply that far less women cycle in NUIG than men; mirroring the national trend?
http://cyclingindublin.com/2012/08/27/will-dublin-become-a-city-of-women-on-wheels/
Also having a one size fit's all bike means anybody can use the bikes. Also easier for the elderly users(NUIG staff)

In terms of design, one-size-fits-all is very useful.

As regards the role of colour in marketing, I'm wondering whether the objective here is to get more women cycling. The number of girls cycling to secondary school is significantly lower than the number of boys, iirc, and may this trend continues into Third Level?

Eogclouder

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Perhaps pink is the new blue/black/brown...

I'll bet your Granda's bike had bent handlebars as well. Ask any bike shop in Galway for a Dutch-style bike these days and see how far you get.



Culture is a strange thing. People believe and do all sorts of things just because they think everyone else is doing so.






I haven't seen the bikes, but I did talk about them with two NUIG staff members. Their conclusion was that the bikes are "definitely pink".

Perhaps the intention was for the bikes to be in distinctively NUIG livery, but if you look closely at the photos you will see the differences. Maybe the bikes were painted by someone who was not 'good with colours'?

Unless you're colorblind, they're pruple or very very very very very very very dark pink.

Iwannahurl

Eogclouder wrote: »

Unless you're colorblind, they're pruple or very very very very very very very dark pink.

Not just colour-blind but blind-blind! :cool:

I had a closer look at the photo I linked to above, and it does look as if the bikes are in the NUIG colours. The bike racks are pink, though! I think.

Still, in mitigation I repeat that (a) I haven't seen the actual bikes, and (b) my NUIG staff informants -- who ought to know their colours -- told me that the bikes are "definitely pink".

Time, and usage stats, will tell!

Eogclouder

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Not just colour-blind but blind-blind! :cool:

I had a closer look at the photo I linked to above, and it does look as if the bikes are in the NUIG colours. The bike racks are pink, though! I think.

Still, in mitigation I repeat that (a) I haven't seen the actual bikes, and (b) my NUIG staff informants -- who ought to know their colours -- told me that the bikes are "definitely pink".

Time, and usage stats, will tell!

Colour is subjective I think to an extent! I've been using them all week to cross the campus, I'd argue purple but I can see room for them being called pink.