Furthermore, although the access to bikes is available to pedestrians, some still feel uncomfortable using bikes in cities because of the drivers. Many people still feel that the city needs to create more bike lanes to allow these people to safely bike throughout the city amongst cars, buses, truck, and other automobiles.[8] Lastly, although cities can pride themselves in marketing these bike-sharing programs as a supplement to cities’ overall sustainable movement efforts, these programs are not very profitable for cities, which may deter cities from implementing these programs at all.[9] According to John Pucher, a professor of urban planning at Rutgers University, the bike-sharing program business plan is not a profitable one. Pucher believes the business model should be reconsidered if cities want these programs to last. Moreover, Pucher does not think a city can thrive by solely relying on government funding in order to cover any losses the program may have.[10]
Despite these drawbacks, it seems bike-sharing programs will continue to expand throughout the country. The US is essentially trying to keep up with other countries that have already created well-established bike sharing programs.[11] If more cities continue to follow this trend, renting a bike in your town for the day could be an activity you partake in closer in your future than you may think.
[8] NPR Staff, Bike-Sharing Programs Roll into Cities Across the U.S., Jun. 1, 2013.
[9] Alan Yu, Big Bike-Sharing Supplier’s Bankruptcy Doesn’t Doom U.S. Programs, Jan. 21, 2014.
[10] Id.
[11] Karla Cripps, Bike Share Boom: 7 Cities Doing it Right, Dec. 6, 2013.
