Photo by PoPville flickr user Joe Flood

“Dear PoPville,

This morning as I was unlocking a Jump Bike on the bike racks outside the Woodley Park Metro, a woman who was locking her own bike lectured me on how it was improper for bike shares to be left on the racks because the racks were for people like her who own their bikes. She went on to claim, as if she knew this for a fact, that the city would not give Jump Bikes a contract after the current trial period because their bikes take up rack space. She then walked away.

I have no idea if what she is saying is true, but I am a big fan of Jump Bikes since the electric motor makes my uphill commute tolerable. DC is a hilly city, and a muggy city for much of the year, so many of us stand to bike more with the electric bikes as an option. Bottom line, I would be very sad if Jump Bikes couldn’t get a contract. Read More

From an email:

“ANCs 2A, 2B, 2E, and 2F are pleased to announce that they have launched a new website for the upcoming town hall on the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) dockless bikeshare demonstration program. The new website can be found here.

The new website includes logistical information for the town hall, including a program agenda, and information on DDOT’s demonstration program, including responses from a pre-town hall survey that was sent to each of the five dockless bikeshare companies operating in DC (Mobike, LimeBike, Jump, Spin, and ofo). Read More

Well this pretty much sums up 2017.

From WMATA:

“Demarcus Joseph Graves, 50, was arrested by Transit Police yesterday evening on charges of felony malicious destruction of property, malicious burning, impeding Metro operations, fare evasion, and open warrants.

Shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday, an individual, subsequently identified as Graves, was observed on Metro digital video systems entering Minnesota Avenue Station making no attempt to pay the fare. The subject walked upstairs to the train platform where he came upon a LimeBike (bike share bicycle) that had been left there by a Metro customer.

For unknown reasons, at 7:03 p.m., the subject is observed picking up the LimeBike and throwing it onto the inbound Metro tracks. The bike landed between the two rails and was struck by an arriving Orange Line about 90 seconds later. Passengers aboard the train were safely offloaded to the platform; there were no injuries.

The impact with the bicycle caused significant damage to the undercarriage of the train. Metro was forced to single track around the incident for more than four hours before the train could be moved. Read More

Thanks to jonah for sending the above:

“I know you ended the series but have you seen designated dockless bike parking? N & Connecticut in the World Bank building.”

And Mark Lyon sends:

“@Mobike encourages its users to #parkitright and not appear on @PoPville”

Like Donkey Kong.

Thanks to Tim for sending from Columbia Heights.

“Dear PoPville,

Mobike continued to track and charge me for 12 hours after the bike had been locked following a ten minute ride.

They refunded me but did not respond to my concern about them continuing to track me when the app was not open and the bike not in use.

On a positive note I burned over 7,000 calories!”

Thanks to Christian for sending: “Paris also introduced a dockless bike share program this month called Gobee.bike.”

Photo by JPS from Logan Circle

Cari wonders:

“Dockless bikes: I’m not exactly sure how these bikes work (I use Capital Bike Share and my own bike), but what I have noticed is that folks are “keeping” these bikes for themselves. The other morning as I was unlocking my own bike from the front of my house for an early morning swim, a neighbor up the street came out of his house with a lime bike. It was 5:30 in the morning. He’d clearly brought the bike into his house for the night. I suspect whatever navigation is built into these bikes cannot discern between being parked on a sidewalk and being parked inside someone’s house. Since that morning, I have seen this similar situation four more times. Do the lime/orange bike folks realize that people are doing this? Is this built into their business strategy?”

An exasperated reader from Park View writes:

“Besides the DDOT email address where we can log complaints as part of the “demonstration period,” has anyone experienced this and found an effective resolution? It seems hardly civil that those who don’t use this system must put up with others who mistreat the parking policies of these bike companies.”

Photo by August “Spotted at Fort Totten.”

You’re killing me smalls.

“Spotted through the window in the back corner of the Au Bon Pain at 6th and D NW.” thanks to Adam

And so concludes ‘Where’d You Find A Dockless Bike Today?’ Bless you all. And of course thanks to the Ben and Sylvia Gardner foundation for making it all possible.

“Guy selling limebike on LetGo app…” thanks to Brittany

“5th and O St, NW” thanks to Anne

Lots, and I mean lots, more after the jump. Read More

hahaha thanks to Brian for sending:

“you need to see the Google image search for “china bikeshare pile.” Is this the fate that awaits us?”