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LimeBike's Maggie Gendron demonstrates the company's bike at Monday's Council meeting. |
City Council meetings are dominated by talk and rarely have show-and-tell moments, but Monday's agenda-setting session was that rare exception.
When the Council got to the proposed Memorandum of Understanding between the city and LimeBike to establish their bike-sharing service in the city of Plainfield, company representative Maggie Gendron and Economic Development employee Jeanette Aparicio wheeled one of the lime green bicycles down the aisle to the front and made a brief presentation.
The agreement is for a year, and LimeBike will initially supply between 200 and 250 bikes for use citywide (the number could grow if demand increases).
Customer will use a smartphone app to locate, unlock and pay for a trip with the bike. The cost is $1 for each 30 minutes or portion thereof.
The genius of the system is that it is totally driven by GPS.
Unlike Citi Bike which operates in New York and Jersey City and with which many are familiar, LimeBike does not use docking stations.
This means the bike does not need to be returned to a docking station at the end of a trip. The user simply parks the bike and manually locks the rear wheel. Another user can find the nearest bike by its GPS location which is relayed through the smartphone app.
LimeBike will have a small staff responsible for keeping the Plainfield fleet in tip-top shape. These workers will also retrieve bikes that are left in out-of-the-way locations to ensure their constant availability.
For more on LimeBike, see their website here.
Councilor Diane Toliver was not impressed, and said she had concerns about safety since the city does not have dedicated bike lanes.
Resident Timothy Priano also had reservations about the sturdiness of the bike and considered that the tires were too insubstantial for the potholes that riders will encounter.
Notwithstanding Toliver's objection, the resolution will be on next Monday's agenda and is expected to pass handily.
City Council's business meeting will be on Monday, March 12 at 8:00 PM in the Council Chambers/Courthouse at East 4th Street and Watchung Avenue. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.
When the Council got to the proposed Memorandum of Understanding between the city and LimeBike to establish their bike-sharing service in the city of Plainfield, company representative Maggie Gendron and Economic Development employee Jeanette Aparicio wheeled one of the lime green bicycles down the aisle to the front and made a brief presentation.
The agreement is for a year, and LimeBike will initially supply between 200 and 250 bikes for use citywide (the number could grow if demand increases).
Customer will use a smartphone app to locate, unlock and pay for a trip with the bike. The cost is $1 for each 30 minutes or portion thereof.
The genius of the system is that it is totally driven by GPS.
Unlike Citi Bike which operates in New York and Jersey City and with which many are familiar, LimeBike does not use docking stations.
This means the bike does not need to be returned to a docking station at the end of a trip. The user simply parks the bike and manually locks the rear wheel. Another user can find the nearest bike by its GPS location which is relayed through the smartphone app.
LimeBike will have a small staff responsible for keeping the Plainfield fleet in tip-top shape. These workers will also retrieve bikes that are left in out-of-the-way locations to ensure their constant availability.
For more on LimeBike, see their website here.
Councilor Diane Toliver was not impressed, and said she had concerns about safety since the city does not have dedicated bike lanes.
Resident Timothy Priano also had reservations about the sturdiness of the bike and considered that the tires were too insubstantial for the potholes that riders will encounter.
Notwithstanding Toliver's objection, the resolution will be on next Monday's agenda and is expected to pass handily.
City Council's business meeting will be on Monday, March 12 at 8:00 PM in the Council Chambers/Courthouse at East 4th Street and Watchung Avenue. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.
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