Posted on April 13, 2010 by by Captcha

The so popular bike share system could finally become huge in Australia with the Victorian government supporting the initiative and implementing the system in Melbourne very soon.

What is bike-sharing?

According to Wikipedia, it is a Bicycle sharing systems where a number of bicycles is made available for shared use by individuals who do not own any of the bicycles. The reasons for implementing bicycle sharing systems are as numerous as the forms the systems take. Recently and most notably, municipal governments have promoted systems as part of intermodal transportation, allowing people to shift easily from other forms of transport to bicycle and back again.

There are mainly two types of Bicycle sharing systems: Community Bike programs organized mostly by local community groups or non-profit organizations; and Smart Bike programs implemented by municipalities or through public-private partnerships, which is kind of what the Victorian Government is doing. The central concept of many of the systems is free or affordable access to bicycles for city transport to reduce the use of automobiles for short trips inside the city thereby diminishing traffic congestion, noise and air-pollution.

“Melbourne Bike Share is a convenient way to make a short trip in the city. Simply purchase a subscription that suits you, take a bike when you need it and then return it to one of the 50 bike stations throughout the city.”

“So whether you’re commuting to work, running an errand at lunch or going across town for a meeting or lecture, Melbourne Bike Share extends your public transport options and makes the CBD more accessible than ever before”. melbournebikeshare

Individual and corporate subscriptions will be available in May 2010.

The system however won’t be free as many bike share systems, you will be able to purchase a subscription for a day, week or year and as long as your trips last less than 30 minutes that’s all you’ll pay. Also for $50 a year you can purchase an annual Melbourne Bike Share Subscription which gives you access to a bike anytime of the day or night. Prices

Find out more about it or buy your bike share subscription at the Melbourne Bike Share site.

Can you hear all Canberrans asking the ACT Government why we don’t have that system implemented in Canberra yet?

Will other major Australian cities like Sydney, Brisbane and even Perth follow this innitiative and do you think your city needs it?

Bike Share coming soon to Melbourne, will other cities follow?, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Tweet