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Amsterdam Fights Back Against Rogue Bike Shares

https://www.citylab.com/transportati...-share/535791/

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- So-called “rogue bike shares” are now in the city’s crosshairs, accused of clogging up valuable bike parking space at the expense of local cyclists. The city announced this week that it intends to ban these private rental companies, which park bikes around the city for customers to rent via smartphone apps. Unlike traditional bike-share programs, these ones don’t have dedicated docks for parking and they don’t coordinate with the government to offer service around the city. Even though the rogue bike-share concept has been widely questioned as problematic, most cities might consider it a good thing to have an easy supply of rental bikes on every corner. For Amsterdam, it risks becoming a nightmare.

- It might seem improbable that bike parking could become such an issue, but more people move through Central Amsterdam by bike than by any other means of transit. Finding a suitable parking spot can be a headache for bike owners. The city has been rushing to catch up with demand lately, resorting to adventurous measures such as the creation of bike islands and subterranean bike chambers built beneath the waterfront. Parking is permitted outside official spots unless a sign expressly forbids it (warning: they often do, especially in the busiest areas). But in a city where such huge numbers move by bike, railing space gets snapped up extremely fast. Meanwhile, Amsterdam has no official bike-share scheme of its own.

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