Melbourne Bike Share and the Moomba Parade: An opportunity to promote our bike scheme

MBS & THE MOOMBA PARADE: An opportunity to promote our bike scheme 

I feel it’s only a matter of time before Melburnians embrace the blue bikes en masse, and the Moomba  Parade event will no doubt build on the popularity of the bikes.  I have been asked to represent the Melbourne Bike Share Scheme as an ambassador. Sometime ago I calculated my daily trip average needing to be 5.04 daily trips to reach Ride 2,000 for the Moomba Parade.

From the website:

For only $52 a year you can purchase an annual Melbourne Bike Share Subscription giving you access to a bike anytime of the day or night. Annual subscriptions can be purchased online or by calling 1300 711 590. Once you subscribe, a key will be sent to you in the mail.

Admittedly, there is a bit of confusion when people take single use/ weeklong trips as you need to pull out your credit card each time you use a bike for security reasons. This is an OK predicatment  for tourists who are often flashing around there credit cards, but for locals to Melbourne I endorse the use of an annual subscription.

Before the MBS Moomba ride, I already considered myself Melbourne Bike share (MBS) Ambassador, it’s been part of my life since its introduction. I have my own bike, however a docking station is located at the top of my street, and many of the places I frequent also have stations closeby.  My use of MBS makes me visit bicycle stores as rarely as possible which is nice.  I recently had the opportunity to move to a bigger, cheaper house in the area and decided against it because I would no longer be a stone’s throw away from a docking station. I use them daily, and they’re always on my mind.

WHO IS MIBSY?

Mibsy

I am ‘Mibsy’, my Healthy-Living loving, Bike Share nuts alter-ego. I dress head to toe in blue.  I have regularly gone on ‘Bike Share Challenges’ which involve me visiting every dock station in Melbourne. Reading about the work done by Lachlan Campbell on Melbourne’s  rail network   inspired  me to do this. You can read more about his herculean efforts at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/1-day-205-stations-17-hours-25-minutes-20110721-1hr66.html.  I can usually do a BikeShare Challenge in one long and exciting afternoon, if you set your mind to something anything is possible. There are currently 55 docking stations, the City of Port Phillip now supports the scheme so stations can now be found along St.Kilda Beach. It is now possible to ride to Port Melbourne beach and take a leisurely walk along the esplanade to the heart of St.Kilda.

WHERE DID RIDE #1 TAKE PLACE?

	Start Station	End Station	Duration	Amount
Sat 05 June 2010 6:14 pm	Melbourne Uni / Swanston St	RMIT - Swanston St / Franklin St	7 min	$0

I can easily access my trip record at www.melbournebikeshare.com.au.  The Melbourne Uni dock was setup as part of the initial rollout of stations. Shortly after becoming a member, the Faraday St dock was setup which is now my #1 station. When Melbourne Bike Share setup the station closer to home it continued to change my life.

DO YOU THINK THAT COMPULSORY HELMET LAWS PREVENT PEOPLE FROM RIDING THE BLUE BIKES?

Yes, but I don’t think helmet laws should be relaxed. I carry around a helmet 90% of the time I’m out, I strap it around my bag just in case I need it. I know too many people who have been impacted by head injuries not to be a VOCAL SUPPROTER of helmet laws.

More information on why I think helmet laws should remain compulsory can be found through the link below:

http://www.bia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=228:ross-cottees-story&catid=14:your-stories&Itemid=32

YOU’RE CLOSING IN ON RIDE 2,000, TELL US ABOUT RIDE 1,000

Last  year I celebrated my 1,000th ride with Melbourne Bike Share. This celebration coincided with the introduction of a bike dock station at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC). The MSAC dock represents the first station setup for purely recreational riding (you can go on a leisurely ride around Albert  Park lake within the 45 minute free access period).  It was a great day.  There was an Acknowledgement of Country , drinks and nibbles and I gave a short presentation before making my 1,000th ride with a celebratory lap around Albert Park Lake. At the Moomba festival March 12, I imagine I’ll be celebrating 'Ride 2000' on MBS.  http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country.html

Cake made by Mary Mihelakos

'Ride 1000' Celebration

ARE YOU EMPLOYED BY MELBOURNE BIKE SHARE?

No, however they do respect my passion and loyalty.

SO, WHERE TO FROM HERE?

More rides, more milestones and more healthy living.  When I compare Melbourne Bike Share scheme to others around the world it’s a smaller and underused scheme. There is a need to promote this baby! I’ll continue to use the free app ‘Spotcycle’ to check the availability of the bikes around Melbourne and other cities around the world.

I’m often asked by people when stations are going to start appearing in their area, depending where people live my answer lies in the decisions that are made by their respective councils. The City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip have signed agreements allowing MBS dock stations to be setup in these areas. I’d like to see the City of Moreland and the City of Yarra get on board this exciting new method of public transport.

From the Melbourne Bike Share website:

As of December 2009, there were over 90 programs in approximately 135 cities around the world with an estimated 86,000 bikes on four continents and another 45 programs planned in 22 nations in 2009-2010.

I don’t have access to the current global stats, I only know the popularity is growing. London for example has a massive network, colloquially know as the ‘Boris Bikes’.  Boris Johnson happened to be elected as Mayor of London at the time of the official launch. At present there are some 6000 BORIS BIKES and 400 docking stations. There is growing number of cities around the world that are introducing public bike schemes seeing it as a great form of future inner city transport.

Boris Johnson

I HOPE that the privately funded bike share schemes around the world remain an affordable method of transport for years to come.

Thanks to the Squeaky Wheel for contacting me, and to the City of Melbourne in having the foresight to introduce Public Bikes to Melbourne’s dynamic atmosphere.   I’m looking forward to being a part of the 2012 Moomba Parade!

Mibsy xx

Ross Cottee