Happy Birthday Bicing!

Bicing, Barcelona's public bicycle sharing system, marked its one year anniversary with a party on the seaside this weekend. About 2,000 persons gathered to hear speeches, watch marching bands, and eat a giant birthday cake.

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From the perspective of this user Bicing is a success and I think most Barcelonans would concur. Using this form of public transportation has saved me time and money, as well as provided me with an opportunity to get some extra exercise -- all without contributing to air pollution, noise and traffic congestion.

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Here are some statistics provided by Bicing that reflect the program's popularity: today Bicing has more than 130,000 users from 16 years of age to 83. The majority are between the ages of 26 and 35. The 4, 300 bicycles are used an average of 30,000 times a day. Each bike is used an average of 8 times a day. The average trip lasts 17 minutes and covers 3 kilometers. There are currently 286 stations that cover every district within the city limits. About 120 workers travel around the city in special Bicing vans to make repairs, switch out damaged bicycles and provide station maintenance. Every day about 300 new people join the system by paying the 24 euro annual membership fee.

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Future plans include expanding to 400 stations and 6,000 bicycles by this summer. Neighboring cities, such as Badalona and L'Hopsitalet, are considering joining the network so that Bicing can cover the whole Barcelona metropolitan area. There is talk about increasing the program's operating hours. (Currently the service is available from 5am to midnight on Sunday through Thursdays and 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.) Plans to create a weekly pass for tourists have been put on hold, but stay tuned, because as soon as it is inaugurated, I will post a notice.

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However, the system is not perfect and not all users are happy. One anonymous commentator on the ADN.es website wrote:

"It's a shame that you do not mention the very bad management of this service: thefts of bells and damage to gears, insufficient availability of bicycles at stations, failures in the computer system that prevent you from taking a bicycle even though some are available, fines and unjust sanctions due to mistakes by those in positions of responsibility..."

(Click here for the original Spanish version of the article the writer was commenting on. Scroll down the page to view his comments.)

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This writer is referring to the following situations:

• some of the bikes are vandalized, forcing users to ride without bells or with non-functioning gears;


• at times there are no bikes available at a station and it is necessary to wait until someone returns one -- indeed sometimes there are lines of people waiting for a bike;


• the computerized station racks sometimes breakdown and either will not allow people to take bikes or will not allow bikes to be returned;


• and some members claim that they have been fined 250 euros for losing bikes that in fact they had returned.

The latter could be because of a problem with the computerized rack, but it could also be because the user did not check to make sure that the bicycle was locked into the rack properly. I have actually seen kids at the Bicing bike racks trying all the parked bikes to see if there are any bikes that they could take be cause they were not locked properly.

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Of course, the burden of proof is on the member. For that reason, I usually not only check to see that the rack has properly locked the bicycle by trying to remove the bicycle from the stand, but I also immediately try to check out another bike because if the system has recorded the bike as returned, the computer system should give me a message that I need to wait 10 minutes before borrowing another bicycle.

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Other things I hear people complaining about are the limited number of bike lanes in Barcelona, the lack of respect pedestrians and other vehicles have for bike lanes, and the fact that police seem to fine bicyclers for violations much more than they do pedestrians and vehicle drivers. (I've never heard of a pedestrian getting fined for walking in a bike lane, although it is against the law.)

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So, yes, there are problems but all in all, I have to say I am not only satisfied, I am grateful. Bicing is a great way to get around!

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¡Felice cumpleaños, Bicing!

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Carloz

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P.S. Bicing has an old English version of it's website that is not updated anymore. Click here to view it.

Will success kill 'Bicing', Barcelona's new public bicycling system?

Below is my translation of an article by JAUME BAUZÀ from last Sunday's El Pais newspaper.

Click on the title below if you want to read the original Spanish version.
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Success threatens to drown 'bicing'
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In biology it is said that an insect survives because it is small, but that if it grew to the size of a cow, it would suffocate. Something similar could happen to Bicing, with its overwhelming success in Barcelona.
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The public transportation system established by City Hall last March has already has attracted 70,000 users so far -- a figure that grows by 1,000 new subscriptions a day. However, the number of available bicycles is much lower: 1,500 located at 100 stations. This difference between supply and demand is starting to cause problems in getting hold of a bicycle.
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Empty stations for much of the day, queues to get hold of one the prized methods of transport and users who, after an initial phase of skepticism followed by enthusiasm for the innovative service, are beginning to grow impatient.
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"The other day I had to go to three stations until I found a bicycle. If it to had gone home on foot since at the start, I would have arrived there earlier," said Ana at a stop near the cathedral.
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"At first there was no problem, but when I leave for work it's a miracle to find a bike," claimed Antoni in the Eixample area.
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Although the majority of users consulted believe that Bicing is an excellent initiative, a lot of criticism was expressed about the lack of bicycles. Nevertheless, those responsible for the program are not worried.
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"I don't believe there is a serious imbalance between supply and demand. At any rate, the service is still not up and running 100%," stated a spokesman of Barcelona Municipal Services, the public business that operates the new urban transportation system. City Hall foresees by year's end 3.000 bicycles in circulation, distributed through 200 stations all over the city. But how many users will have registered by then?
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"Now we are in a state of flux. With the summer's arrival the promotional [membership] rate of six euros annually has ended. It doesn't seem probable that the number of requests will continue at this pace after September."
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The system is seen as an alternative method of public transportation, so it only allows for trips of half an hour. In case that time limit is surpassed, the user is penalized 30 cents. This way the bicycles move constantly. Clear Channel, the company that put the service operation in Barcelona, reported that there have already been more than 500,000 trips recorded.
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"According to our calculations, each bicycle is used an average of 12 times a day and we believe that those rotations will rise to 15 by the end of the year. So when they say that there are few bicycles, one must keep in mind that they are in continuous movement," City Hall said in response to the criticism.
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At Barcelona Municipal Services, they prefer that things develop naturally. "It's logical that in the future some users will drop the service, having tired of not finding a bicycle. Thus the supply and demand will balance out," explained the municipal spokesman. "At any rate, it's still very early to speculate on that question. The system is new. We started from scratch and we need a year to study where the gaps are and find solutions", affirmed this spokesman.
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The advantages of Bicing are undeniable and explain why Barcelonans have been tripping over their feet to get at this service. It's comfortable, ecological and cheap. According to a profile provided by City Hall, the average user is more than 35 years old (48%), is a professional with an advanced degree (30,6%), lives in the Eixample (26,4%) and uses the bike an average of 15 minutes.
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To absorb such user demand, the town council is working towards installing a new station every day. The Bicing map already includes 75 stations that extend all over the city. For example, the six kilometers that separate Plaza d' Espanya and Glòries can be covered in 28 minutes traveling almost in straight line along Gran Via. The stress and heat produced by cars in two lanes, pedestrians that cross the street without looking and furious cabdrivers suggest making the return trip by Metro. The eight stations that separate both Plazas require 12 minutes travel time.
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Such a system is necessary, many citizens say, above all in a metropolis that has always boasted of treating bicycles well. But success can also kill and the flood of users threatens to reduce the effectiveness of the service.
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"There are things that need fine tuning, but in July we'll have 150 maintenance and distribution staff, 10 vehicles with trailers to carry bicycles and another four vehicles for maintenance. So, we'll fill up empty stations more quickly," pronounced City Hall.

Biking with Bicing in Barcelona

Getting around Barcelona got more interesting with the introduction of “bicing” in April. The word “bicing” is an adaptation of the word “bicycling” and is used as the name for BCN’s latest addition to public transport. It’s great: sign-up via the interent, pay a small annual fee (24 euros), receive a member card a couple of days later and then use it to “check out” a bike for up to two hours at a time. The first 30 minutes are free. If you use the bike longer you pay 30 cdents for each half hour.

So, this afternoon I used the system to get to and from for my routine outing for Sunday lunch over the El Pais newspaper. I grabbed a bike from a stand a few blocks from my apartment and rode it to another stand located near one of my favorite seaside restaurants. A few hours later I collected another bike from the stand and rode it back to the stand in my neighborhood. There are five stands within walking distance of my apartment!

This bicycle lending service is integrated into the city’s bus and subway system. As I said earlier, it’s only been available for a few months and it is already extremely popular. The overwhelming success of the program surprised its developers. I read somewhere that they had projected 15, 000 people signing up by the end of the year. However, 30,000 people subscribed in the first 2 months!

I have been using the system for getting to work as well as for pleasure rides. Of course, since I teach at various locations around the city each day, it’s not possible to ride a bike to all of my classes. However, when a trip to a class involves a bus ride and a transfer to the metro, I can often substitute a bike ride for that bus ride and at least part of the metro ride. It is nice to be out in the open air instead of on a bus or down in the metro. (Although Barcelona’s bus and metro system is very good.) Another pleasant aspect is that since Barcelona is such a style concious city, the bikes and their stands are very nicely designed.Here’s a link to the English version of the Bicing web site:

ttp://www.bicing.com/home/home.php?TU5fTE9DQUxJWkFDSU9ORVM%3D&MQ%3D%3D&ZW4%3D

Barcelona is a pretty progressive place. Well, all of Spain is, really. I am fortunate to live in this country.

5 Responses

By: In Today’s News: David Beckham Ends Madrid Stint with a League Title « My Spain Blog on June 18th, 2007 at 11:29 pm […] Bicing, Barcelona’s public transport by bicycle program, now has over 50,000 subscribers! […]

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By: Pedalling Along on June 19th, 2007 at 4:33 pm

[…] I think if the planets are alligned, people would be willing to give it a try. I ran across this entry about a new bike service in Barcelona, Spain that is taking off. Could you imagine dedicating […]

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By: pixelus on June 20th, 2007 at 5:36 pm

How I wish this was already existing when I lived in Barcelona a long time ago!
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By: Carloz on June 20th, 2007 at 10:27 pm

Well, come back, Pixelus!

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By: Barceloneta and beyond (well, a little) during the summer solstice celebration « My Spain Blog on June 24th, 2007 at 4:54 am

[…] Then I thought, hey, I always stay here in Barceloneta for San Juan. But I wonder what’s happening even further up the beach? Even to the other end? And then I knew how to find out — Bicing, the Barcelona public transit system’s bicycle lending service! (See June 17th post, Biking with Bicing in Barcelona.) […]

Copied from original http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/ posting by Carloz on 17 June, 2007