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Welcome New Members!
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To Capital Bikeshare's newest members, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY! We are thrilled with the influx of new members and for the opportunity to help more people get around the District and Arlington by bike. Also, a big thanks to our existing members for coming on board in the early days of Capital Bikeshare and riding with us through the program's first winter. The huge interest and participation in the recent Living Social offer for Capital Bikeshare is a great sign that bikes belong in the region and that many of us are ready and willing to make bikesharing an integral part of our everyday lives. Below is an update on our efforts to maintain good service, and we assure you that the program is prepared for the increase in membership. These efforts include the following:
- Adding new stations, docks and bikes. Several stations in the District received more docks last week, new stations in Rosslyn are now online and approximately 65 new stations will be added across the system in 2011.
- Refining our rebalancing methodology. We are currently studying ridership patterns to improve our bike distribution efforts and are increasing vehicle and staff resources to assist in this process.
- Increasing membership fulfillment capabilities. We've added hands and are busy processing new memberships and mailing membership keys to new members to help them get riding quickly.
The redemption rate on Living Social codes is well below 100%, and many that do redeem are existing CaBi members extending their memberships. As an indication of this, a little more than one week after the Living Social deal, approximately 4,000 people have redeemed the codes for new memberships.
Most of the stations are currently well below full capacity, so the system can definitely handle more ridership. In addition, higher membership numbers will help with bike distribution, depending on the timing and patterns of new trips. Capital Bikeshare is off to a great start. Thanks for riding along with us!
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In the Spotlight: V�lib' in Paris
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Paris boasts the largest bikesharing system in the world. V�lib'-so named from a combination of the words "v�lo libre" or "free bicycle"-was launched in the summer of 2007 with 7,000 bicycles and 750 automated rental stations. V�lib's popularity was so immediate and overwhelming that it expanded to 20,600 bicycles and 1,450 bike stations by the next year. Capital Bikeshare can only hope to someday reach that kind of density!
 | | Image via www.velib.paris.fr |
The pricing structure is much the same as that of Capital Bikeshare, free for the first thirty minutes followed by incrementally mounting fees for increased usage times to discourage anything more than short trips. Likewise, credit cards with an EMV chip are required to rent them. Unfortunately, many Americans who visit Paris and plan to use the system often find that their credit cards are not recognized at the rental stations due to their magnetic strips. Some visitors, however, report that American Express cards will work. Currently, several credit card companies are testing EMV chips which will make V�lib' fully accessible to Americans.
Despite the precautionary measure of credit cards, V�lib' has struggled continually with unexpectedly large numbers of losses due to theft and vandalism, a challenge which, thankfully, has not plagued Capital Bikeshare. Nevertheless, satisfaction with the V�lib' bikesharing system remains extremely high among Parisians, and reviews by tourists on Trip Advisor strongly recommend it as a great way to see all the sights of Paris.
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New at Capital Bikeshare:
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Capital Bikeshare is growing! As membership has increased dramatically and spring promises higher rates of usage, we've been busy preparing for a surge in demand. To date, 24 new docks have been added to four of the most popular stations in the District, and we'll continue installing additional docks throughout the summer. Here's a list of locations with new bike spaces:
- 8 new docks at the 17th Street and Corcoran, NW, station
- 4 new docks at 14th Street and G Street, NW, station
- 4 new docks at 13th Street and NY Avenue, NW, station
- 8 new docks at the 8th Street and H Street, NW station
There's good news for Arlington too. Four stations were added this past weekend in the Rosslyn area, located at:
- N Lynn Street & 19th Street N
- N Fort Myer Drive & Wilson Boulevard
- Clarendon Boulevard & N Pierce Street
- N Rhodes & 16th Street N
Around 25 more stations will be added throughout the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor later in 2011.
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Travel Tips and Tools | |
goDCgo's Interactive Map isn't just a tool for general commuters and DC visitors-it also features useful information specifically for bicyclists. By entering your starting point and/or destination, you'll be able to see all of the bike trails and lanes in the District, as well as Capital Bikeshare stations with real-time information about the number of bikes and open docking spaces available.
If you haven't used Spotcycle yet, definitely check it out. More real-time information here about Capital Bikeshare locations and bike/space availability. Apps are available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.
Remember to put safety first when you're biking. Capital Bikeshare, BikeArlington and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association have safety information available. And of course, always wear a helmet when riding! |
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Fun Stuff to Do For Bike Enthusiasts
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To celebrate the arrival of the new stations along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, BikeArlington is hosting a Capital Bikeshare Scavenger Hunt from April 22nd through the 29th. Just ride to each new station and figure out the clues posted on station maps to win a goodie bag filled with BikeArlington and Capital Bikeshare schwag like a hat, maps, sunscreen and more! For more information, visit www.BikeArlington.com.
Mark your calendars for Bike DC on May 22nd. It's a ride, not a race! Join friends, family, coworkers, people you aren't really sure why you're friends with on Facebook- for a community bike ride. Take in the spring sights and smells of the District and Arlington with an army of fellow happy cyclists on safe car-free streets. The ride starts at the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol at 7:00 a.m. Children 12 and under bike free. To register, visit www.bikedc.net.
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Quotes of
the Month
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"A young boy was playing with the bikes at the 16th and Columbia Road station. As he watched me undock a bike I heard his mother say to him: "One day you'll be old enough to use bikeshare." Cool."
- Michael Farmer.
via Facebook
"@bikeshare overheard at Dupont CB station: 'What a great way to see the city. I don't know what we would have done without these bikes.'"
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via Twitter
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By the
Numbers
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There were 63,319 trips in March 2011 and 1,245,349 minutes of use.
The number of trips increased 33% from February. March had the most usage in a month reported to date.
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