A couple of months ago, I mentioned on this blog that France has developed a system of doing bike rental kiosks. The idea is to maximize the use of bicycles throughout the city for short trips -- and then the bikes are just returned to another rental kiosk at the next destination. I just found a Flickr page that has some photos of this system -- for the few that were interested.
Still not sure what keeps the bikes from being stolen, but I do like it as an idea...
Why don't you email them and ask? I would but I'm lazy. I imagine if they're constructed in a way that makes them unique to anything sold en mass.
Posted by: Michelled | September 05, 2007 at 09:59 AM
When one Canadian city offered "free" bikes, they painted them a bright yellow. It worked for a while, but eventually all were stolen. (The culprits just put a quick coat of paint on them, to disquise the telltale colour.)
And while I think a rental system (where the renter has to provide some security) is a step in a more logical direction, at the end of the day I'm left lamenting the kinds of people I live amongst. Who steals free, public bicycles, meant for all? What's worse are those who just accept that some people steal, and therefore would be unlikely to support plans like this, in the first place. It's that acceptance of criminality and lack of ethics that is more damaging to the fibre of society, than the actual crimes, in the long run. If we give up on trying to better society, and hold people to a higher standard of conduct, that can only mean things stay the same, or get worse.
Posted by: Marjorie | September 19, 2007 at 07:50 AM