“Change is never what we want, until it’s the only hope we have.” – Bruce McIntyre
Move over Portland. The race for the most bicycle friendly place to live has now gotten tighter with the “bikes of color” in Charlotte. These bikes are everywhere and their bright colors look good in a town known more for pinstripes than pastels.
It’s not only the colors that look good on us; it’s also good to see the smiles on the faces of my friends and out-of-town guests as they rent bikes for short trips or just a breath of fresh air.
Yet these colorful and plentiful bikes seem to puzzle as many as they please. Perhaps it’s too much change and disorganization for this buttoned-down town.
For example, there are a lot of players in this race to follow. Our established blue and white B-Cycles are now joined by LimeBike, along with the orange Spin models. Then we’ve got MoBike in silver with orange and OFO wearing bright yellow.
That’s a lot of color introduced over a short period of time, so it’s easy to get confused.
What I’m not confused about is how well these colorfully diverse bikes fit the City of Charlotte. After all, they reflect the diversity that is Charlotte today; especially true for the 25-34 year olds moving to town.
I’m excited to see how quickly these new arrivals are fitting in. Recently I visited with two men enjoying a picnic. It was a beautiful winter day so they had gotten a to-go lunch and hopped on two “dock-less” Spins. They peddled along Little Sugar Creek, then ate by the lake. Next, they planned to ride south, on the Carolina Thread Trail, to enjoy fresh oysters and drink some craft beer. Then they’d take the bus home.
“A bike only cost a buck for a 30 minute ride so why drive a car?” one said. Besides, on a beautiful day, they both wanted some exercise. I asked where they would leave the bikes when finished and they told me they would only park in an appropriate place, like near a curb, but not on the side-walk. They didn’t want these new bikes or fellow cyclists to get a bad name.
They told me how some renters just toss them aside, but those folks would end up paying a much higher rate if they didn’t play by the rules and treat the bikes right.
I’m hoping we’ll figure all this out soon, because until we do, many of my banking town friends aren’t smiling about these rides. They think the dock-less bikes look sloppy and they don’t appreciate the different colors. Others only like the conservatively painted bikes neatly lined up in their cubby-corrals and backed by their large sponsors.
I think Charlotte just needs to relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the day. We need to move away from our screens, get up from our desk, and go outside – for a ride.
The fastest growing city in the country (yes, that’s us) can’t just keep building wider roads for ever more and more cars, not when there are so many healthier ways to move about on our only planet.
Bicycles bring us together, they unite. I know who’s beside me when I’m on a bike. There aren’t tinted windows or expensive marques for bikes. Maybe our city leaders could use the “bicycle of inclusion” instead of the “crown of separation” as the logo for this international capital of the new south?
That’s why I’m saying, “Change is never what we want, until it’s the only hope we have.”
What’s your take? How do you feel about these new bikes around town? What concerns do you have? How do you think they make our city look to outsiders? Are other cities around the country seeing this same invasion of brightly colored bikes?
Epilogue
Jeff Viscount of Weekly Rides tells me how, in only their first two months in Charlotte, LimeBike has provided 14,000 rides for 10,500 miles and provided enough cumulative peddling effort to burn 314,400 calories (you can have another craft beer after that massive burn).
Extend those numbers out a full year, add in the other values plus the other bikes and you have our only hope.
Now if you’ve stayed with me this far, consider what Tiffany Capers, contributing editor to the Charlotte Observer Editorial Board, said about our recent loss in the Amazon race. She suggested we, “…work on having a better story rather than just writing one.”
Perfect advice, Tiffany.
Great post!!! Love it. Let me start with: Good on you for exploiting the POSITIVES! We’ve all got our two cents. Here’s mine. No one says you have to deposit it! I think the town needs to CTFD. Quit making something out of nothing mind their own business and ride walk run etc. Too many people trying to make a name for themselves by bubbling issues up that shouldn’t even be an issue. You see a bike knocked over, same as when we where kids. Stand it back up and move on. It’s not one person’s job to feel holy… Read more »
s faye’ – Your deposit has been made and it’s worth much more than two cents. There are other things for us to be talking about. I don’t think Amazon passed us by because we did or did not have “bikes of color.” I think they saw what Tiffany Capers saw; that we need to “…work on having a better story rather than just writing one.” They want us to walk the walk without our big talk. Let’s just be kind to each other, care for the environment, make rules that are fair – for everyone, and have wages that… Read more »
As an avid cyclist is a previous life (20 years ago) I am loving the bikes and all of their colors. I have not ridden one yet but I will. I am fascinated by where people are leaving them which begs the question where did they start their journey. Just yesterday Beverly and I were taking a walk in our neighborhood which is certainly not a destination neighborhood and on a street way back in the neighborhood was one of those yellow bikes. Why there? Who rode it? How far did they ride it? Are the bikes going to replace… Read more »
Richard – I’m pleased that you read my story and that you love these bikes of color. You scored two points with me from the start. Your list of uses for these new bikes is wonderful, I think we’ll discover more ideas for our “free range” cycles every day. I’m happy they don’t need to find a coop to roost each night. You’re on to something with the Booty Race in Myers Park – think of the fun when the people along the sidelines strap on a helmet and take a few laps on their favorite yellow, lime, or orange… Read more »
Bruce, I think this blog has helped to change my perspective. I admit to getting annoyed by the all the bikes — I see so many of them since I work uptown, and only once have I seen someone ride one. I’m glad to hear they’re getting more usage than I’ve perceived.
Jill – So often what we see depends on our angle. You’re good to open your eyes and see them in this new way. We could talk about the same in seeing our neighbors from a different view. I’m sure there are many bikes uptown, that’s their prime habitat. Think how easy it is to hop on and go for a sandwich a few blocks away. And if you are seeing them parked, it’s because someone role them there. The numbers show how often, for how many miles, and the calories burned. Imagine the benefits for everyone as our cars… Read more »
Love them! For me, color is insignificant! Green benefits! That’s the choice that matters! Enjoyed this piece and am sharing. Thank you, Bruce!
Janelle –
Thanks for joining in. So true, each color has “green benefits” and that’s what we need.
Share away my friend, see you soon.
– Bruce
Great writing and perspective on dockless bikes, Bruce. I agree with all of your points 100%. As the fastest growing city with some of the worst equity, economic, and environmental problems in the country we cannot afford to dismiss these bikes based on aesthetics. Doing so is easy for those who have choices. But for those 30% of Charlotteans who don’t own a car, dismissing them isn’t so simple. I believe the dismissive attitude by some reflects their existing disdain for bikes on the streets and/or their resistance to change in general. We desperately need a culture shift here around… Read more »
Shannon –
Thanks for your comments. The work you, and everyone involved with Sustain Charlotte, are doing has started us in the right direction.
This should not be about the color of the bikes, or that a few get knocked over. It’s about making transportation choices, planning for smart growth and sustainability so our children and grandchildren can live in an even better community.
Please come back often, your voice is needed at the table.
– Bruce
Hi Bruce, We met last week when I parked my Lime Bike in Freedom Park. The folks from Lime bike had to go there to pick up the bike as the county won’t allow private company bikes to compete with the B-Cycles (which I ride too). Being new to Charlotte, I think it is tremendous that this city is moving forward with alternatives to private automobile ownership. I try to Uber, walk, or ride bikes to most places where practical. It is nice not to have to deal with traffic, parking, expenses associated with driving, worrying about having one extra… Read more »
Mark –
Thanks for joining the conversation. The next time I see a suit with a briefcase stuck in the basket I’ll smile and wave. I hope it’ll be you. But then again, I hope I’ll see more and more pinstripes on these bikes of color. I’ll welcome them all.
I applaud your acceptance of alternatives to using a car for every small journey in Charlotte. Our city needs more – just like you.
Now that you’ve found Choices Do Matter, be sure to come back often. It’s great to have voices like yours at the table.
– Bruce
Thank you, Bruce, for a great article! Given time, the dockless bikes will become more decentralized, moving from their first Uptown or South End location and into neighborhoods all around Charlotte as people begin to use and understand how they work. Want to creatively contribute to the dockless bikeshare conversation? Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) staff will be giving an update at Sustain Charlotte’s Shifting Gears public action workshop on Wednesday, February 28th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Central Piedmont Community College. As a group, we will brainstorm and offer ideas directly to CDOT staff on how to… Read more »
Kate –
Thanks for your comment and for all the great work by Sustain Charlotte. Your team is making a wonderful impact on our growing community.
Yes, we will get all the different bikes sorted out, and in a short order. The CDOT presentation will be informative. Thanks for letting me know.
Come back often.
– Bruce
What I would like to see about the bikes is a wider geographic area in which they are available. I’ve used Spin one time on the McAlpine Creek Greenway when I walked one way and saw one and thought “hey this would be better than walking all the way back.” This was when Spin first rolled out and I haven’t seen one in that area since. I think having them all clustered around South End and Uptown isn’t achieving their full potential. Spread the love. Put some up in the University area where there are a lot of students. Put… Read more »
Michael –
I agree. I think they will continue to enjoy wider distribution around the city.
I understand the January numbers for LimeBike look even better than November and December. I am looking for a big expansion this spring.
I’m glad you like these new bikes, come back and let me know what you think as we get closer to summer.
– Bruce