The Missing Middle of Biking
Jun. 9th, 2021 12:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis article looks at how hard it is for people to afford a good bicycle, and the problems when they can't. The suggested solution is to offer long-term rental. Other options include:
* Something that was touched on in the article, but not fully developed, was comparing the cost of a bike to a car that could be bought on payment plan. This would be an excellent approach to more expensive bikes, like cargo bikes that can run into the thousands of dollars.
* Companies could simply buy a fleet of citybikes like they do other vehicles, available for employees to use. The benefit to the company is that athletic employees have much lower health costs.
* Universities could institute a biking program that provides free bikes to students who take a class on biking benefits and maintenance. The benefit would be improved student health and performance, along with educating people about bike use and thus promoting its expansion.
* Smaller towns that can't afford a bikeshare with new bikes could instead obtain used bikes and refurbish them. Either provide these free to individual citizens, or leave them around town for everyone to share for free. Many versions aimed at the youth market allow people to refurbish bicycles and earn points toward claiming one of their own. Such programs work and are active across a variety of places.
* Other countries that view biking as transportation are not clogged with cheap crappy bikes and expensive sport bikes. They have affordable, damn sturdy citybikes get people to and fro reliably. They also have a splendid selection of more expensive cargo bikes for people who wish to forgo cars, in which case the bike costs a lot less. If it can be done there, it can be done here. Someone could start building affordable, reliable bikes.
* Something that was touched on in the article, but not fully developed, was comparing the cost of a bike to a car that could be bought on payment plan. This would be an excellent approach to more expensive bikes, like cargo bikes that can run into the thousands of dollars.
* Companies could simply buy a fleet of citybikes like they do other vehicles, available for employees to use. The benefit to the company is that athletic employees have much lower health costs.
* Universities could institute a biking program that provides free bikes to students who take a class on biking benefits and maintenance. The benefit would be improved student health and performance, along with educating people about bike use and thus promoting its expansion.
* Smaller towns that can't afford a bikeshare with new bikes could instead obtain used bikes and refurbish them. Either provide these free to individual citizens, or leave them around town for everyone to share for free. Many versions aimed at the youth market allow people to refurbish bicycles and earn points toward claiming one of their own. Such programs work and are active across a variety of places.
* Other countries that view biking as transportation are not clogged with cheap crappy bikes and expensive sport bikes. They have affordable, damn sturdy citybikes get people to and fro reliably. They also have a splendid selection of more expensive cargo bikes for people who wish to forgo cars, in which case the bike costs a lot less. If it can be done there, it can be done here. Someone could start building affordable, reliable bikes.
