Dear PoPville – CaBi Etiquette?

Photo by PoPville flickr user fromcaliw/love

“Dear PoPville,

What is the proper etiquette when two people are approaching a CaBi stand and only one bike is left? Yesterday I was walking up to the dock at New York and 15th, helmet and CaBi key in hand, when a woman walking in the opposite direction suddenly broke into a trot and rushed to the one remaining bicycle (no helmet and no obvious CaBi key until she whipped the key out as she approached the rack). It’s not that I really minded having to walk a block and half to 14th & H to find a bike. Perhaps I would be less irked if she’d had the proper protective head gear or had her CaBi key out and was obviously heading to the rack, it just seemed rude for her to suddenly grab the bike and ride off (not even a snarky “oh, looks like I got the last bike!” which at least I could have laughed at).”

Anyone else encounter a bikeshare standoff like this? It seems like it’s just gotta be one of those situations where whoever gets there first wins – it could involve feints and/or sprinting – so if there’s only one bike left I’d start double timing it. But I agree with you – proper etiquette – should at least acknowledge the less fortunate rider.