Bikes everywhere! Dockless bikes up access, sometimes chaos
Posted March 03, 2018 6:00 am
DALLAS (AP) - Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise. But the dockless bikes are also producing some chaos, with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes.
Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. The bikes that can be unlocked with an app can bring bike sharing to cities like Dallas that didn't previously have a system and in cities with established systems, they can get bikes into areas that don't have docking stations.
Dallas has seen a flood of 18,000 to 20,000 dockless bikes since the summer.
In this Feb. 28, 2018 photo, a shared bike lays by a sidewalk along a busy thoroughfare in Dallas. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise. But the dockless bikes are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 22, 2018 photo, a pedestrian walks past a pair of "dockless" bicycles parked next to a sidewalk in Seattle. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise, but they are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that can be unlocked with an app and don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 22, 2018 photo, a man rides a shared electric-assisted bicycle in downtown Seattle. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise, but they are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that can be unlocked with an app and don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Associated Press
In this photo taken Feb. 22, 2018, two "dockless" bicycles bookend a pair of tents where people are camped on a sidewalk in Seattle. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise, but they are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that can be unlocked with an app and don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 13, 2018 photo, two dockless LimeBike's share the sidewalk with others from Washington, D.C.'s docked share program called Capital Bikeshare in Washington. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise. But the dockless bikes are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, a shared bike lays in a bus stop in Dallas. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise. But the dockless bikes are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 22, 2018 photo, a pedestrian walks around a "dockless" bicycle partially blocking a sidewalk in view of the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise, but they are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that can be unlocked with an app and don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 22, 2018, a "dockless" bicycle missing a seat lays knocked over on a sidewalk in Seattle. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise, but they are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that can be unlocked with an app and don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Associated Press
In this Feb. 13, 2018 photo, a woman walks past a dockless bike parked outside of the Commerce Department in Washington. Shared bikes that can be left wherever the rider ends up are helping more people get access to the mode of transportation that reduces car traffic and increases exercise. But the dockless bikes are also producing some chaos with discarded bikes cluttering public spaces, blocking sidewalks and even placed in trees and lakes. Over the last year, startup companies have brought the bikes that don't require docking stations into city after city in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
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