dockless bike share survey

We're at the end of the 6 month dockless bike share pilot program.  CDOT is now evaluating ridership data and public feedback.

Have you been using dockless bike share? Want to share your thoughts about it?

CDOT has put out a survey asking for your feedback on the program. Click here to take it.

If you've found dockless bike share (Jump, Lime and Pace) useful and would like to see it available here in the future, please say so in your survey comments. Many of us have enjoyed having this flexible transportation option.

Terrain Fest and Artist Studio Tours on Sun. 9/23

Come out for Terrain Fest on Sunday afternoon 9/23 from 2:00-4:30 pm. It's happening at 95th and Hamilton in conjunction with Beverly Art Walk artist studio tours.

We'll have art and reading activities for kids, music, kids' bike safety demo and more. Representatives from the dockless bike share companies will be there. If you have questions about dockless bike share, you can ask a rep.

If you are interested in seeing bike routes developed in the 19th ward, come out and see a map of proposed ideas and do a survey to let CDOT know where you want bike routes. 

Parents - bring your kids with their bikes and helmets to learn about riding smart and safe.

Thanks to Beverly Bike & Ski, we will have a bike safety check. Stop by and get it checked out.

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Here's more info about the Artist Studio Tours happening from noon to 5:00 pm on the same date. We highly recommend biking between studios.

Artist Line-Up: (from North to South, 90th to 111th)
Dalton Brown - 9036 S Oakley
Brian Ritchard - 9419 S Leavitt
Jomo Cheatham - 95th and Hoyne
Charlette Hein - 9737 S Hoyne

Sandra Leonard, John Colson, Audrius Pliopylis and
Jean Vanier- Trinity Church, 99th and Winchester
Raymond Broady and Brendan McAlinden - 10357 S. Hamilton
Judie Anderson, 10632 S. Hoyne
Pat Egan, Kathy Figel and Karen Doubek - Art From The Heart studio, 2266 W. 109th
Dan McCabe - 2213 W. 109th St.
Tom Olsen and Jack Denst - 11112 S. Hoyne

Studio Tour After-Party 5-7 pm at the beautiful Wild Blossom Meadery (9030 S. Hermitage Ave.)

and then there were 5, no make that 4, dockless bike share companies

If you've been following bike share in the area in recent weeks, you may have noticed a few changes. For several weeks, we had bikes available from LimeBike, Pace and Ofo. Jump and HOPR/Bike and Roll got into the mix - making a total of 5 brands of dockless bikes, each with its own app and slightly different terms.

Due to the city sticking to its low mandated limits on the number of bikes the company could put out on the streets, Ofo picked up its bikes and went home. Meanwhile LimeBike, which has the same low mandated limit of 50 bikes, is still pushing to stay.

Jump bike

Jump started putting its bikes out on the streets just over a week ago, increasing to 350 bikes in the coming weeks.

Also, Pace is looking for locations to install its own racks, which can be used with their bikes or other bikes. They're increasing the number of their bikes available from 250 to 350, under the terms of the city's pilot program.

Pace bike rack

Things are definitely getting interesting.  I'm curious to see what the big picture looks like for dockless bike share in Chicago when November comes around.

dockless bike share update

Things have really been in flux in the last week. At first, it looked like the city would hold firm on the lock-to requirement and we would lose LimeBike and Ofo starting tomorrow.

I wrote to our alderman and CDOT, asking that they reconsider this, because so many potential destinations in the ward (especially on residential blocks) lack suitable fixed objects to which one could lock a bike at the end of their trips.

The point has been raised that the low number of bikes for such a large service area (the city south of 79th St. and east of the Skyway) was not sufficient for an effective pilot program.  I agree with that point. When bikes are equitably distributed so that neighborhoods through the service area have bikes in them, there aren't a lot of bikes to go around.

It's been a game of chicken between the city, LimeBike and Ofo going back and forth on the question of whether LimeBike and Ofo bikes without lock-to capability would remain in the service area until the 11/1 end of the pilot program.

Pace bikes is offering bike racks for installation on private property. I've heard that a few neighborhood businesses will be getting the racks soon, so there will be more bike parking available for both dockless bikes and personal bikes.

In the last few days, we've gotten some encouraging news. Jump, an e-assist bike with lock-to capability, will be launching here on Monday, so we will have another dockless option. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County also has its own dockless bike share program available in Dan Ryan Woods, Whistler Woods, and several other locations (including the Botanic Garden).

Today's news: the city is increasing the cap on the number of bikes with lock-to capability and allowing LimeBike and Ofo to stay. I'm curious to see how the big picture evolves between now and 11/1. Stay tuned...

dockless bike share - what I've seen so far

Since the 5/1 launch of dockless bike share in the ward, I've been taking rides using the bikes and seeing plenty of other people riding them. The patterns I've observed suggest that a lot of people are enjoying the bikes and finding them a convenient way to get around.

Someone rode this LimeBike to the church and thoughtfully parked
it at the edge of the sidewalk, where it doesn't interfere with access.

At this point, we have three companies operating in the service area specified by CDOT: LimeBike, Ofo and Pace. I've heard that Jump wants to come into the Chicago market, but I've heard nothing about approval or a launch date.

Ofo bike waiting for a rider

There might not be enough bike parking to go around if the lock-to requirement is enforced as of 7/1. The city allowed the pilot program on the condition that all dockless bikes have the capacity to be locked to a fixed object at the end of a trip. Right now only Pace bikes have that capacity, and it doesn't sound like LimeBike and Ofo will be adding it.

This is disappointing news. Many of us ride the bikes to get home from the train or other places, or from home to the train. I have been observing the bikes on the streets in various neighborhoods and seen very few problems. Occasionally I see a bike knocked over or left in an inappropriate spot, but that has been rare.

On many residential blocks in the dockless service area, there is nothing to lock to that's smaller than a light pole, so riders have to find a spot that may be 1 block or more from home. This makes dockless bikes less useful than they would be without this limitation. I would urge aldermen and CDOT to consider this and re-evaluate the lock-to requirement and 7/1 deadline. 

I understand why CDOT would prefer bikes that can be secured to a fixed object, because of problems in Dallas and other cities with large numbers of dockless bikes.

Even on a rainy day, bike parking at the 99th St. Metra station
is often full.

People lock up their personal bikes in creative places if there isn't an open bike rack nearby.

Is there a location where you often find existing bike racks full? If you want to submit a request to the city for a rack, click here. It's a good idea to check your desired location on the map and see if there is an existing request for that spot before requesting a new one. You can click Support (similar to Facebook's Like button) to give an existing request a vote. You can also add comments about why you want a new rack there. This can include replacement of an old rack that was hit by a car and destroyed.

Recently I've heard that Pace bike share is intending to install additional racks to help address this problem. I hope that it's enough to make a meaningful difference.

If you're using dockless bike share and you like it, please tell your alderman. If you have specific suggestions about the lock-to requirement or other issues, please share those too. If you're a fan of LimeBike or Ofo and want them to stay, now's the time to let your alderman know.

Contact info for each ward follows at the links below.
19th ward   34th ward  21st ward  9th ward   10th ward  8th ward  7th ward   6th ward  17th ward

Using a signpost for locking up is fine where there's no bike rack.
On many residential blocks, this is the only option.

Additional perspectives:
Dockless bike share and equity

Another perspective on parking

Chicago's south side gets dockless bike share

more bike share launches in the neighborhood

In addition to the LimeBike launch on Tuesday, 2 additional companies have gotten the green light from the city to start operating in the same service area (south of 79th St.) as LimeBike. (LimeBike is the bright green and yellow bike. There were some at County Fair last night, remaining after Tuesday's launch shown in the photo below.)

LimeBikes

Pace bikes appeared in the neighborhood yesterday. I spotted 2 of them by the 95th St. Metra station. Those are the white bikes with blue wheel rims.

Pace bikes

I had my first Ofo bikes sighting at the 99th St. Metra station on my way home tonight. Those are the bright yellow bikes.

Ofo bikes

Each bike share company offers a distinct style of bike. LimeBike has e-assist. Pace and Ofo are regular pedal bikes without e-assist. To use each company's bike, you need to have their specific app on your smart phone. The terms of service and fee structure vary somewhat from one company to another. Because the bike itself is more expensive and the e-assist battery requires charging from time to time, LimeBike costs a little more than the regular pedal bikes. It's worth reviewing the terms of service and checking out the style and size of the bike to see if that particular company's service suits you. Take a test ride or two and see if you like it.

For now, the city is allowing both free-locking bikes (rear wheel lock with no attachment to secure bike to a lock or pole) and bikes with built-in locks for securing to a lock or pole. For each type of bike, you are responsible for the bike from the time you unlock it with the app to when you lock it at the end of your ride.

So far I've done test rides on LimeBike. That bike makes a distinct tone when you lock it to let you know that it's secure and your trip is closed out.  I'd imagine that the others do something similar.

I used a LimeBike to ride home from Metra after work tonight. The basket is a nice size for a small grocery run, buying a container of ice cream or a six pack, retrieving a takeout order, bringing home books from the library and many other uses.

What types of trips do you think you might take using bike share? Have you tried any of the bike share bikes yet? Please share your experiences in comments.

Limebike dockless bike share launch this Tuesday at County Fair

If you're curious about bike share, this Tuesday you can check out a new alternative to Divvy that's launching on the far south side only (south of 79th St.). Limebike dockless bike share will be at the north parking lot at County Fair (10800 S. Western) at 7:00 a.m. this Tuesday 5/1.

Unlike Divvy, which requires that you check out and dock bikes at a station (fixed location), dockless bike share requires the use of a smartphone app to locate and unlock bikes. Bikes can be found anywhere in the service area.  Limebike use is priced at $1 per half hour.

Here's some info from Streetsblog on the launch and plans for additional dockless bike share companies to come into the Chicago market.

More:
Tribune article on Limebike launch
Service area for Chicago dockless bike share launch
Thoughts on pros and cons of dockless bike share

I'm curious to see how it works out. If you try it, please share a note about your experiences in comments.