Ok, bike share is finally coming to Philly. Now where do put the bike stations on our narrow streets. Ideas? cbsloc.al/13M0VEQ #inq
— Inga Saffron (@IngaSaffron) May 1, 2013
The heart of this tweet is the fear of getting a good idea, bike share, embroiled in an extended NIMBY fight energized by idiots who hold “a cost-free street parking spot” on their own list of rights, right after (or before) speech, religion, assembly, and non-self-incrimination. Fighting idiots is necessary, but creates delays and just feels like a demoralizing waste of resources.
I would suggest simply going around the parking-worshippers and siting bike share pods by simply asking for volunteers. There are plenty of enlightened property owners and/or tenants out there who understand that a bike pod in the parking lane in front of their building adds far more value than a car. Just ask those people or businesses to come forward. The city can then distribute many (most?) of the pods where they will be guaranteed not to be offensive to the immediate neighbors. Indeed, it would make for an effective publicity campaign to base the process around the loudly stated assumption that there will be more demand for a pod than pods to be distributed. Make it a desirable status good, not a sacrifice; if you want to be really cheeky, auction the pods in the most oversubscribed locations. And let the smart businesses reap the benefits of their early adopterhood.
(Normally I would reply to a tweet wih a tweet, but 140 characters is just not enough to explain an idea, sometimes. Apologies for any issues from the WP phone client.)
Sic Transit Philadelphia 