Sunday, January 27, 2008

Bike-sharing in Tel Aviv


Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reports the government of Tel Aviv is looking for its own bike-sharing program to include 1,500 - 2,000 bikes and 100 stations. The contract would be for five years with a five year extension. The annual membership fee would be about 120 Israeli sheckles ($33 USD), with the first 30 minutes free to subscribers. Beyond this time, it would likely cost between $1.35 - $2.70 for each additional hour.

Tel Aviv does require all cyclists to wear helmets, however, Haaretz reports, "The municipality is also hoping for an amendment to the helmets law in the near future, which will require the use of helmets only when using sports bicycles off urban roads."

Just how bike-friendly is Tel Aviv? The city has 46 miles of bike trails with a total of 62 miles planned by the city's 100th anniversary in 2009. Additionally, Tel Aviv has a 5% bike mode share, which is greater than that of Lyon and Paris combined before the launch of their own respective bike-sharing programs.

Tel Aviv's program could be the first of its kind in the Middle East.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

a few corrections:
it will be more like 150-180 stations every 300-400 meters.
the contract will be for 10 years with 5 years extension.

Anonymous said...

What about special contracts for tourists? I am coming over for just 1 month, so not interested in a 5 year contract. I would be happy to sign a monthly contract, since I am used to bike almost every day.