Meeting : 7 Dec 2008 (Sunday) at 18:30, Koshy's

Freewheeling : Meeting at Koshy's

Sun Dec 7 18:30 – 19:30

(Timezone: India Standard Time)

Koshy's, St Mark's Road, Bangalore

Meeting to discuss Freewheeling : Brainstorming on ideas and evolving a strategy.
More event details»

Minutes of the meeting can be found here : http://groups.google.com/group/freewheeling-bangalore/t/eb1ab6eb5cbb573a

Research and planning

Research:

Research needs to be done on the various aspects of the project and how it has fared in other locations. Some starting points are :

• The Velib project in Paris - ( Wikipedia entry, Official site)
• Stockholm City Bikes (Wikipedia entry, Official site)
• Infosys' internal community bike scheme
• Autolib (!!?!?!?) - http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/move-over-velib-autolib-is-on-its-way-17274
• New Mobility Agenda - http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/wt_index.htm
• The World City Bike Collaborative - http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/citybike_index.htm (Check if anyone you know is a member here? Membership fees are way too high for us to join, but maybe we can get corporate backing. There are some good free materials there too).
• The Copenhagen bike culture blog : http://www.copenhagenize.com/
  

The aspects we need to look at in all the above are :

• Method of operations, logistics
• Performance of project
• Security
• Finances
• Media
• Public opinion
• Points to adapt to our project

Planning:
Here, I refer to planning at the macro level. This is where the various subsets in the project coalesce.
Also, from the various aspects on the To-Do list and the feasibility and usability discussions, we need to collate, filter and unify the ideas that come in, and schedule and stack the ideas to form a structured whole and then generate a working plan.

Usability considerations

In this post, we look at the usability considerations for the project. Assuming the project is up and running, how useful will it be? Will it have the required impact. Some facets are:

• Will enough people shift from their personal motorised vehicles to use bicycles?
• Will there be a consequent positive impact on traffic?
• Could there be a negative impact due to reckless riding?
• Will the project be financially sustainable?
  
• Will the project be cost effective for the end user?
  
• Will sponsors and involved companies see value in the project?
  
• Will the security and maintenance factors be sustainable?
• Will the general mindset transform over a period of time, making the cycles the preferred option?
• Travel time considerations
• Pollution exposure considerations
  

This blog will be updated based on inputs from brainstorming on the mailing list.

Government and Police interactions

• Government approval - We need to get approval from the government authorities on this. this would mainly involve BBMP, and maybe the Town Planning and Urban Development authorities. We need permissions on getting space for the stations, probable sanctions for biking lanes, legislation if required. We also need to get approvals for the ideas and then legal tenders if required, so companies can bid for the project, probably on a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model. We need government backing on the project. Our case would be strengthened if we had media backing, and backing by eminent personalities.
  

• Police interaction -
  

1. Traffic police : Approval for project ( dunno if we need their permission), inputs on project, approval for biking lanes, safety concerns, bike stations
2. Regular police : Approval for security arrangements, possibility of biking stations along police station compounds
   

Please join in...

Hi folk, I've seen a lot of you respond by comments and e-mails. The response has been fantastic. I've collated your ideas, and I shall initiate discussions on the google-groups mailing list for this project shortly. Please join the mailing list at : http://groups.google.com/group/freewheeling-bangalore

Thanks, look forward to working with you all...