Chicago bike sharing will be known as Divvy, be Chicago flag blue

Chicago Tribune.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 9, 2013 at 11:06am

Jami's in Seattle.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

I see a new business opportunity for BalloonBiker. Is she still in Chicago?

[snip]

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 9, 2013 at 11:12am

This bike design is very stable. I think it would be almost impossible to do an endo on one of these bikes. Most people riding them are likely to be going about 8-12 mph, so risk of injuries in a crash is lower.

Michelle Stenzel said:

Most users won't use helmets. The safety record for bike share users elsewhere is better than riding one's own bike. (I don't feel like hunting for the link to this.) These bikes have fat tires, weigh 40 lbs and most people won't be riding them faster than 12 mph. I believe that riding predictably, following signals, using hand signals to indicate intended movement, and remaining visible (day and night) are much more important and effective ways to reduce the risk of crash and injury. Hopefully Divvy will provide information to new users on all those issues. Bike share systems are only successful where people feel comfortable using the bikes without wearing helmets (whether due to law or culture). Any person or agency that reinforces the "helmets are the most important way to stay safe!" rhetoric is discouraging the use of bike share.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on May 9, 2013 at 12:19pm

Considering that all the life-changing and life-ending cyclist injuries we've heard about for the past bunch of years involved bike vs. motor vehicle, it makes no sense to me that we're talking about the safety risk as if the only possible scenario is a rider toppling over or going over the handlebars due to poor riding skills.

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Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on May 9, 2013 at 12:46pm

I am in Seattle...When I'd wear balloons while biking, it was always coupled with a helmet. I would say that balloons while biking is a kind of anti-safety measure.

Kevin C said:

Jami's in Seattle.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

I see a new business opportunity for BalloonBiker. Is she still in Chicago?

[snip]

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on May 9, 2013 at 2:38pm

I'm so glad that Chicago doesn't have NIMBYs…

Serge Lubomudrov said:

Meanwhile in New Amsterdam . . .

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Permalink Reply by Michelle S on May 24, 2013 at 1:28pm

OUR FIRST BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Thank you for expressing your interest in Divvy, Chicago's bike share system launching this summer!
As we prepare to launch a new transit system of 4,000 bikes and 400 stations across the city, we promise we'll only fill your inbox with the most exciting and up-to-date news.
Today, we'd like to let you know that the Divvy bikes will be making their debut at Bike the Drive on Sunday, May 26 at the Post-Ride Festival in Grant Park. This will be the first time anyone has seen the bikes in person -- so come find our booth and get your picture taken with Chicago's newest addition!
You'll also have an opportunity to enter a raffle to win a Nutcase helmet. Every entry will receive a $10 gift certificate for Annual Membership (to use when those go on sale next week). Swing by any time between 8am and noon!

Come meet our special guest at Bike the Drive on Sunday, May 26.

Over 20,000 people are expected to participate in Bike the Drive this year. The annual event is put on by Active Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit organization committed to safer, healthier, and more sustainable transportation options in Chicago.
And it's not too late to be a part of the event! Save $5 on registration by using code divvy5 at www.BikeTheDrive.org. We hope to see you there!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle S on May 24, 2013 at 1:36pm

So the above is an e-mail from Divvy. That's how it copied over, not perfect, sorry.

Hi Elliot at Divvy, a couple of questions:

I can't make it to Bike the Drive on Sunday. Will there be other opportunities to see the Divvy Bikes?

When will the annual memberships go on sale?

I saw that in NYC they held free sessions for people to brush up on their bike skills; will we have that here in Chicago?

May I also suggest that you add the "station of the day" locations to a map on the website itself?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 24, 2013 at 2:49pm

In the link you posted they mention that they will "go on sale next week".

I'll waiting in (a virtual) line to get a membership before they run out ;)

Michelle Stenzel said:

So the above is an e-mail from Divvy. That's how it copied over, not perfect, sorry.

Hi Elliot at Divvy, a couple of questions:

I can't make it to Bike the Drive on Sunday. Will there be other opportunities to see the Divvy Bikes?

When will the annual memberships go on sale?

I saw that in NYC they held free sessions for people to brush up on their bike skills; will we have that here in Chicago?

May I also suggest that you add the "station of the day" locations to a map on the website itself?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Erik Swedlund on May 24, 2013 at 3:53pm

I've been tracking known stations as they have been announced while waiting for the full official map. See mine here: http://goo.gl/maps/5xKxr

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 24, 2013 at 4:41pm

Thanks!

Erik Swedlund said:

I've been tracking known stations as they have been announced while waiting for the full official map. See mine here: http://goo.gl/maps/5xKxr

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Permalink Reply by Elliot Greenberger (Divvy) on May 25, 2013 at 8:30am

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for posting our big announcement here on The Chainlink! Based on what we're seeing here and on our Facebook page, Chicago is as excited to see the bikes as we are to show them off. :-)

Answers to your questions below.

I can't make it to Bike the Drive on Sunday. Will there be other opportunities to see the Divvy Bikes?

--> There will certainly be other opportunities to see the bikes. Bike the Drive just happens to be the first. We'll be posting events via email, social media, etc. as they come up, so stay tuned.

When will the annual memberships go on sale?

--> Annual Memberships will go on sale next week. If you're on our email list (which it appears you are), we'll send an announcement out the morning we go live. You'll be the first to know. For those who aren't on the email list, you can sign up now at DivvyBikes.com. As stated before, Annual Memberships will be $75.

I saw that in NYC they held free sessions for people to brush up on their bike skills; will we have that here in Chicago?

--> We're working on it! By the way, NYC officially launches on Monday, so check out their Facebook page if you're curious to see updates: https://www.facebook.com/CitibikeNYC

May I also suggest that you add the "station of the day" locations to a map on the website itself?

--> When we open up sales for Annual Memberships this week, the website will feature a full map of all planned stations for 2013-14. Instead of just 15 "Stations of the Day," you'll be able to see hundreds of stations all across the city. We're polishing up the full map and will be sharing it all this week.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reply or to email us at info [at] divvybikes [dot] com. Thank you!

- Elliot

Michelle Stenzel said:

So the above is an e-mail from Divvy. That's how it copied over, not perfect, sorry.

Hi Elliot at Divvy, a couple of questions:

I can't make it to Bike the Drive on Sunday. Will there be other opportunities to see the Divvy Bikes?

When will the annual memberships go on sale?

I saw that in NYC they held free sessions for people to brush up on their bike skills; will we have that here in Chicago?

May I also suggest that you add the "station of the day" locations to a map on the website itself?

Thanks!