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A NEW STATIONLESS bike scheme has launched in Dublin that will see 200 more rental bikes hit the streets with more coming in the near future.
The scheme is different to the current DublinBikes scheme in that the bikes do not need to be picked up or dropped off at set rental locations.
Instead, bikes must be returned to the metal Sheffield stands that are dotted around the city. Bikes are sourced via an app which unlocks the bike and when it is returned to a Sheffield stand the rental period ends.
Dublin City Council (DCC) has granted licenses to two operators to run the new scheme, Urbo and BleeperBike, and has said that there will be “full interoperability between the two schemes”.
It means that users can sign up to either operator to avail of the scheme. Both firms are Irish-founded.
DCC has said that it is facilitating the rollout of the scheme which will see 200 bikes on the streets immediately and “a gradual increase in the number of bikes over the coming months”.
Last year, the local authority passed bylaws to regulated shared-bike schemes in central Dublin after a troubled launch by BleeperBike.
After these laws were finalised, the council put out an open call for operators to apply for licences to operate a dockless bike scheme.
In the announcement, the council added that the stationless bike hire scheme will eventually expand services to outer suburban areas.
BleeperBike has already launched its service in both the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Council areas.
The council has also said that it has increased cycling parking facilities in Dublin with the installation of over 1,300 extra cycle parking spaces installed over the past few months.
These stands can be used either by bike owners or by bike hire users.
Shared-bike schemes have caused problems in China and Australia with the dumping of bikes in places like parks and waterways.
Dublin City Council has said that it is working with both operators to ensure that the same problems do not occur here.
“Facilitating modal shift to more sustainable transport options is a vital element in the council’s traffic management and climate change strategies,” DCC’s Dick Brady said today.
“The provision of low-cost bike share is a valuable additional support these strategies.”
Councillor Ciarán Cuffe described the move as “a good day for Dublin”:
Similar schemes have succeeded in major cities all around the world, and we’re delighted to have them here. The lesson from abroad is that properly regulated bike schemes can make a positive contribution to sustainable transport and mobility.
- With reporting from Kilian Woods of Fora.ie
If you use apps that require access to your contacts and your bookmarks and your location and the other stuff… You cannot act shocked that this data is used by companies (and governments) to profile you. It’s the payoff for free maps and apps unfortunately.
Agreed. Once you put your information out there – no matter what data protection or other such promises are made, no matter how safe they tell you it is – you are safer to assume that the whole world knows about it. Laws exist preventing anyone accessing your information without your knowledge or consent, but when it comes to governments and such powers you may as well wipe your backside with the paper the laws are written on because they will do whatever they want, regardless of what the laws say. You can take that as a fact written in stone.
Bad piggies!
Nothing written here shocks me. If you use Facebook, Twitter or download games or movies, it’s more then likely going to be tracked by someone
They couldn’t give us a hand with candy crush no ?
117 – been stuck for weeks.
I’d like to blame the NSA……
Thats it then, the AL Ka-ee-da are finished. Thats how they caught Bin Laden you know. And the poor fecker had just collected his last golden egg!
Are you one of these misguided person who think they caught Osama bin scapegoat
Hi there! Jim Corr is it?
App deleted
Kind of puts their “targeted surveillance” nonsense to bed though, doesn’t it?
I don’t think many terrorists play these games.
According to Rovio, it may be the third-party Ad networks where the NSA/GCQH get their access.
Either way, we’re all correct in saying “this doesn’t shock us”, but it’s also still illegal, immoral (they don’t exclude your kids from the dragnet….) and being done with “our” money (by which I mean mostly UKUSA tax revenue…..perhaps ours too though??).
Would anybody not be a little pi$$ed off if your Govt was wasting money on this type of thing, regardless of the whole spying on everyone all the time aspect? It’s profiling, pure and simple.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/nasa-and-britains-gchq-mapping-political-alignments-of-millions-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/5366496
We can be both unsurprised AND angry. Just let’s not be dismissive. Or even worse, bored. It’s important.
This guy doesn’t write to movie stars he writes to movies.
Dear Mad Max,
Do you know Die Hard?
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