UC Irvine launches ZotWheels bikeshare program
I know it's been awhile since I've posted a bicycling piece, so imagine my glee when I learned that UC Irvine is taking more steps towards transportation sustainability by launching a computerized bicycle sharing program, allowing students to "check out" bicycles for 3-hour periods, with a $40.00 annual pass. From the CityRyde blog:
The New York Times reports that the San Diego-based Collegiate Bicycle Company will launch ZotWheels, a fully automated self-service bike share program, this fall at the University of California Irvine.
UC Irvine approached Central Specialties Limited, a manufacturer of stroller venders, in May of 2008 about the possibility of modifying its vending components to meet the University’s desired bike share system specifications. The result: an intelligent third generation design that has already won an award for Innovation and Collaboration from the McHenry County (of Illinois) Economic Development Corporation’s Business Accelerator Program.
Four centrally located stations equipped with solar powered kiosks will be placed in heavily trafficked areas of the Irvine campus. Students, faculty, and staff will be able to apply online for membership, after which time they will receive a bike lock and membership card that grants them electronic access to the program’s bicycles. The bikes themselves will be cruiser style and painted to reflect the school’s colors.
UC Irvine students can sign up at Parking and Transportation's ZotWheels website and even view a real-time map of bicycle availability throughout the campus. The four stations are located at the Student Center, Langson Library, Physical Sciences, and the Science Library. Map shown after the break:
Comments
Send some bike love this way!
Hey UCI- call UCR's TAPS office and let them know what you've done. This would be a wonderful addition to our campus.
Confusing and contradictory traffic management plans
Meanwhile, they now charging $90 for a OCTA bus u-pass that used to be free. I am not impressed by these token, showy gestures which do little, other than improve the image of UCI. Sadly, there is almost no place to go by bike from UCI -- only by bus or car can students break out of the boredom bubble that is the UCI campus. They have also made it difficult to bike there, with dedicated bike paths that do not go near classroom buildings. On the other hand, they are building many new dorm rooms to keep commuters on campus, which is much more expensive for students and profitable for the university, but meanwhile they also are building more parking spaces at ARC. Confusing and contradictory sums up the traffic management plans of UCI.
>Meanwhile, they now charging
>Meanwhile, they now charging $90 for a OCTA bus u-pass that used to be free.
UCR still offers a free pass, but most of their bus system (RTA) shuts down around 6ish with very few exceptions.
And OCTA cuts will make that pass worthless (no direct buses to to UCI).
Maybe UCI should consider running their own shuttle bus to Metrolink? Isn't the OC portion of Metrolink supposed to be offering service 18 hours a day every 30 minutes starting sometime next year?
I don't think they'll make cuts to UCI
Irvine will likely be up in arms if OCTA makes cuts to all buses to/from UC Irvine. I think some of their councilmembers have an interest on this issue since they send staff members to attend OCTA's meetings, and (according to one of them, at least) they're trying to make sure OCTA doesn't do anything stupid.
Bill- Check the Ride Guide
Bill- While the 6pm cutoff may be true of RTA's rural service, most of the routes in Riverside proper run through 8pm, and the routes that serve campus, the 16 and 1, run until 9 and 10 respectively. Still not nearly enough, of course, but a far cry from the "6ish" you claim.
We were going to get late-night ('till midnight) service until the economy dropped out from under us and the grant was re-purposed.