Barcelona goes Bicing

Bicing (www.bicing.com) is a big part of Barcelona's cycling story.  Now with 6000 bikes and 200,000 members it is a vibrant integral component of the city's transport system.  Bicing racks seem to be everywhere in the city, with all kinds of people taking, returning, and riding bikes.  Unscientifically, it looked like about a third of the bikes on the street were Bicing.  There were lots of different types of people riding the bikes, including kids being ridden on the plastic rear fender.  It seemed like the whole range of Barcelona society is riding the bikes.  I was struck by how normal Bicing was, when I saw a teen say goodbye to his friends, swipe his card, and ride off.

These are the same bikes and the same system as in Washington DC, though the current size of DC's tiny system doesn't make for a good comparison.

Bicing was the first modern European public bike system to be funded separate from an advertising contract.  It was initially funded from the new parking revenue but now the system has expanded and it subsidized by other municipal funds.

If you can't fit a bike in your apartment and you can't afford a folder, Bicing is a good workable solution.  It also works because of the combination with Barcelona's excellent public transport.

The Bicing system is not perfect.  There are many complaints about the system, mostly about the distribution of the bikes.  The bikes are sometimes all gone when you need one or the rack is full when you want to return one.  I remember a guy waiting with his bike at a full rack near our hotel, hoping someone would come and take one soon so he could return his.

Many bike dealers think the system is a disaster.  They believe many people stopped buying bikes because Bicing is available.  Koos thinks that is mostly a matter of unfortunate timing.  The system was expanded about the same time as the economic crisis which was the real reason for the drop in bike sales.  He also notes that Brompton sales have not dropped and thinks that people buy one because they are more reliable and flexible than Bicing.  Most agree that Bicing is good for business because it has expanded, maybe even created a market.