Due to the lack of bike racks around the CBD, Ponsonby, Parnell and Newmarket areas, Nextbike are being told by the Auckland City Council to remove units that are attached to street furniture, ie not attached to proper bicycle racks.
This means a downsizing of the bikes available for people to use. In every way that Wellington is a great city to walk and cycle in, they do not have this great bike share scheme. It costs an arm an a leg to rent one for a few hours.
Plus, I always felt that the Nextbikes were cheering me on whenever I cycle pass them. It makes me happy seeing the presence of so many bicycles around the CBD.
If you have used this service before, here’s how you can help Julian Hulls, director of Nextbike. He has drafted an email template that you should send to Councillor Ken Baguley (cr.baguley@aucklandcity.govt.nz), Chair of Auckland City Councils Transport Committee
Dear Ken Baguley
I am writing to you because I am surprised that your Council has asked Nextbike to reduce its number of bikes and use only bike racks to secure Nextbikes. There are large parts of central Auckland with no bike racks or very low numbers placed in awkward places. As a user of Nextbike I will no longer be able to ride to Victoria Park, Ponsonby, Parnell, Kingsland, the Univeristy quarter or the Hospital. I think you need to put in more racks.I have used Nextbikes XXX times and have found it to be really handy. The bikes are strong, simple and easy to ride. I have seen similar schemes in operation overseas and was very excited to see Nextbike start in Auckland. This is exactly the sort of project that Auckland should be supporting and I urge you to help Nextbike in anyway possible.
The new cycle lanes and paths that are going in around Auckland are great, but unless there are places to lock bikes for locals, and companies offering easy bike rental for the tourists what is the point. Please make sure that Nextbike are able to continue and that you encourage them to grow.
Hat tip to Auckland Trains
Hi Su Yin,
I have to be honest, I've only once seen someone riding a nextbike in Dominion road, yet when you get up in Mt Eden quarter virtualy every available space has a nextbike locked to it.
I've seen more people on their own bikes in the area, (which is encouraging), than I ever have & yes I support Nextbike bike but they should not dominate the parking areas.
I personally use Nextbikes 2-3 times a week and see many others using them.
Staff at our company (in Parnell) use them frequently to get to/from client meetings in the CBD and to get to Britomart to commute.
This makes no sense.
Response from Nextbikes to Barb Insull CAA
• Great utilisation of bikes compared to Europe
Nextbikes utilisation has grown to an average of 43 minutes a day, per bike, almost exactly 1/3rd of the rate that similar schemes in Europe get used at. Nextbike has recorded a number of months where usage has been the same or slightly higher than Europe. This is particularly impressive when commuter rates on private bikes in Auckland is typically just 1/10th of European cities, many of whom see considerable volumes of snow through the winter months. This shows that a significant portion of Aucklanders are ready and willing to use bikes as transport.
letter to herald 22 April 2010
City Bikes
Seeing bikes for hire dotted around the city sends a message that the city is promoting healthy and suitable peddle power. I cannot support the city's ban on these bikes being parked on guardrails around the city.
At least the bikes give some of those guardrails more purpose than just their contribution to street clutter (thinking Karangahape Rd Ponsonby Rd, Anglesea, Fanshawe St). It cannot be argued that they are obstructing pedestrian movement because nobody walks that close to the edge, particularly at those built out kerbs noted above. Bike stands in the pavement would, in fact, be more of an obstacle. Is the city limiting all bikes to be tethered to official bike stands only? How much would that regulation cost the city? It's more efficient to keep the walking zone clear and be resourceful about bike parking.
One of the good things about the bikes on rails is that they are easy to see, and easy to find.
As for the complaint that their advertising is a distraction to passing vehicles – this is the city that permits ENORMOUS billboards to be pasted just about anywhere.
Let's embrace and promote this service for those who want to get about in a sustainable way or get some exercise. They are a great addition to the cityscape. Can we not be so small-minded – for once???
Christina van Bohemen
Freemans Bay
I can only imagine how difficult it was for Next Bikes to make a decision to set up in Auckland…. they should be given support and not grief for their brave attempt to add colour and interest to the city by providing such a service…. FREE bikes for the first 30 minutes. These guys are heroes … they are funding an initiative that the council should be assisting in every way possible.
Please do what ever you can to keep these bicycles on the streets… we all could do with rediscovering the joys of cycling.
I love seeing bicycles around the city .. any bicycles, whether they are tied to railings, being ridden, parked up on their own stands… they don't appear to be endangering anyone as far as I can tell.
As an endangered species, they need to be set free into the wild and not tied up to railings!
Here's the article in the Herald (via many people):
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cycling/news/article.cfm?c_id=31&objectid=10639931
The billboards argument is pretty weak. Unless Nextbikes are given subsidies like other forms of transportation, they have to rely on advertising and sponsorship just to break even. And people are getting this sort of mobile advertising. According to NZ Marketing magazine:
"Advertisers are also warming to the idea: New World recently signed up for 40 bikes and the Open Polytechnic, Resene, Ecostore, Auckland Regional Transport Authority, Monteith’s and Hubbard’s have already taken the plunge."
http://marketingmag.co.nz/magazine/2010/01/nextbike-gets-leg-over/
Agree with Su Yin, the comment in the article about the nextbikes being like billboards is more than weak, it's farcical – maybe all the buses and lorries and courier vans need to be repainted as well or at least covered if they are parked. And as for the council signs about "Getting on with……", blatant advertising on Mr Baguley's behalf
……
I’m all for bike hire. The objection to advertising is obsurd. Buses carry adverts, big adverts.
I think Auckland City Council are right, though. Irresponsibly tethered bikes tied to railings, lamp posts, trees and other items of street furniture block footpaths. This makes life difficult for people in wheelchairs, the infirm and people pushing prams. The only solution is to provide more cycle racks. As a commercial operation, Nextbike should be working with Auckland and putting their hands in their pockets to install more racks rather that bleat on about how unfair it all is.
Hi Darren, thanks for your comment! I think that car companies should be paying for all the car parks too—but everyone else seems to be subsidising it.
I'd be just as annoyed with cars if they parked up against railings, blocking the footpath, because there was no parking space available.
My point is that Nextbike shouldn't act the victim just because they can have their way. There is a solution, but their bikes mustn't interfere with or endanger other users of public spaces.
As I said, I believe that Nextbike provide a much needed service, but they need to be a bit smarter and work with city hall rather than fight it.
The real solution would be for the council to take charge and put the bike hire scheme out to tender similar to what Transport for London have done. This would ensure that the scheme was properly regulated, managed and intergrated into the cityscape.
Hello Darren
If I have come across as a victim, I must apologise. The facts are that:
Wellington and Christchurch have both committed to installing racks that Nextbike can operate from, as a way to encourage us into the city. To date no such support has been forthcoming in Auckland.
The City Council are happy to subsidise bus' to the tune of $92 mill a year, but to date have not made funds available to expand the small number of racks in the city.
The Transport for London bikes will cost the city 108 million pounds, OR 18,000 pounds per bike for the 6 years they are on the street. This is a very expensive solution, by comparison the business case I am developing with Transport officers calls for 149 new racks. Total cost for purchase and installation for the City Council is $149,000.
By way of payment for use of the public space we are proposing that we continue to underwrite the FREE ride component from advertising revenue.
It is a very simple and great value way for the city to get the many benefits of public bikes, not to mention a new transport network that can very easily connect to the existing public transport modes and hubs.
Scaping off the 'greenwash' for a moment. We must ignore the buses for a moment. Buses are part of Auckland (diabolically rubbish) mass-transit "system".
Unfortunatly, however keen and vocal some folks are on cycling, is aways going to be a niche activity (until the oil runs out) . Its no good pointing to Holland as an example, we (with most of Europe) are generations behind them. Cycling in Holland is beautiful, cycling in Auckland (and London) is dangerous.
My main objection is to Nextbike waving a clenched fist at Auckland Council. Has Nextbike offered to install any bike racks, to find some middle ground with Auckland?
The other problem is tethering bikes up to street furniture, whilst there is no law against this and people do it all the time, it is a bit different when a council sanctioned commercial outfit does it and the bike obstruct the footpaths. 90% of the time it's no harm no foul, but there are always going to be some ignorant idiots out there.
As sad as it is, I don't think a cycle hire firm is commericially viable without funding from the council. I also don't think that the infrastrucure exists in Auckland to enable casual cylists to safely traverse the city.
In all honesty, a lot of money needs to be spent making the city pedestrian friendly, compared to European cities, before work can be done improving the situation for casual cyclists.
It is a difficult chicken/egg situation for council officers. In any case, I wish Nextbike well and hope that their sucessful schemes elsewhere in New Zealand help them to succeed in Auckland.
Duplicate post, sorry.
Next bike have been my God sent in the commute from my old hostel on Hopetoun St where there is a rack to the City Hospital where there is also a rack outside the university. A journey of around 10-15 minutes door to door made it free to use everyday, but don't forget, there is a fee (and a noticable one on your phone bill) for calling to pick up a bike and drop one back.
Before I realised there was a bike stand opposite the hospital I also feel foul of this strange oversion to chaining your bike to anything other than a stand. I had a snooty note left on the bike I chained to a hospital sign as well as a security guard remonstrating at me because the bike was causing an obstruction. I can quite understand that especially outside a hospital wheelchair access is important, but the sign was acutally more of an obstruction than the bike! It's hard enough to find a car parking space in this city without getting penalised for parking your bike too.