Recently we added some video to our site, but you may not have noticed.
Below are some easy ways to watch the piece (3 parts), which is about community policing and the Segway PT in Bridgeport, Conn.
I was in Amsterdam recently for my full indoctrination to the bike culture. If you’ve been before, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, just take a look at this bank of bikes outside of Centraal Station:
People in Amsterdam use bikes as THE way to get around. Rain or shine, kids or not, heavy cargo or light gear, they still take a bike to get where they need to go.
Having now experienced all this, I’m paying more particular attention to the bike share programs that seem to be sprouting up.
Basically the way it works is bikes are offered for a small membership fee and then are scattered at stations about a city. Take one when you need one. Return it in good shape for the next user. Pretty simple stuff.
New York City this week is getting a small taste of how the program might work with 20 bikes being available. From AP:
In Stockholm, Sweden, there are 1,000 bikes and 80 pick-up and drop-off stations for a population of 800,000. In Lyon, France, there are 3,000 bikes and 350 stations. Paris’ bike-sharing system is scheduled to start July 15 with 10,000 bikes and 750 stations.
From The New York Times:
New York City officials, who are aware of Mr. Haskell’s goals, are trying to determine if a ride-share program would work. “We are studying it with interest,” said Molly Gordy, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation. “The big questions for us are how to combat theft and vandalism, which are two problems prevalent in New York.”
Back in Amsterdam, they lock down their bikes at least once with one of these huge locks. Sometimes there’s also a C-clamp-type lock they secure the other wheel with as well.
Has anyone participated in a bike share program yet? If you commute in Manhattan, would you consider a program like this as an alternative way to get around?
Oh yeah, I spotted a couple of these fine i180s in the ticket center at Centraal Station on my way out to Schipol. Thought you’d like to see.
-Eric
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Updated 7-26-07: Centraal Station name fix. Thanks, Florin!
We spotted this new concept plug-in hybrid on the way to lunch the other day.
We got a little chuckle.
Is the congestion charge really working in London? Depending on who you talk to, you may get different answers.
News from ETA is that it is reducing car use in central London at the rate of 70,000 vehicles per day. At the same time, bike use is up by 43 percent.
No matter what team you play for; be it the Commuters Comrades or the Daily Delivery Dudes, it’s time to realize that the £8 toll is changing behavior in favor of Mother Earth.
For any of our London readers, has the congestion charge changed your transportation behavior? (Or shall we say, behaviours?)
For the New Yorkers, what are your thoughts on the proposed plan?
-Eric
We are very pleased with the growth that is going on in the police market for Segway. Just last week we hit a new milestone. Last week the reported number of police agencies using Segway PTs worldwide doubled since December 2006. Currently 350 police agencies around the world use our technology for their work. This growth, and that in the private security market, is being widely reported in the news.
Some people have pointed out that the original DeputyDog blog had some snarky comments about the Segway PT as a policing tool (even though they put it on their top 10 list of emergency service vehicles). I acknowledge that I read those comments, but I still feel that Porsche, Lamborghini, Lotus and Ferrari are good company to be in. The attention from DeputyDog and Autoblog show the massive amount of awareness in the marketplace for the Segway PT as a policing tool and the sales growth demonstrates that police see the Segway PT as a credible solution. Of course, it’s best to hear it straight from the officers who use them.
-Carla
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