January 2019 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

WFP Analysis: Winter cycling isn’t extreme (Jan14'19)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jan '19

14 Jan '19

*Winter cycling isn’t extreme * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/winter-cycling-isnt-extr… “THE majority of people who are biking in the winter, they’re the extreme. They’re the extreme cyclists and I don’t see that changing.” Coun. Jeff Browaty made these comments last month at city hall, while questioning the value of clearing snow from Winnipeg bike lanes in the winter. His statement made headlines, but the sentiment that Winnipeg is too cold to support winter cycling is not seen as an extreme viewpoint. We don’t label cross-country skiers “extreme.” It is not extreme to let our children play in the schoolyard at lunchtime. A game of shinny on an outdoor rink isn’t extreme, and the only thing extreme about skating in the middle of Winnipeg’s frozen rivers is the lineup for skate rentals at The Forks. So, why is riding a bike in the winter seen as extreme? The difference, of course, is that cross-country skiers don’t share their tracks with 2,000-kilogram machines travelling 60 km/h. Winter cycling is seen as extreme not because of temperature, but because riders must compete with cars for space on slippery, ice-covered roads. What if they didn’t have to? What if cyclists had their own lanes, protected from cars and kept clear of snow? Would they still be extreme, or would they be as normal as someone skating on the river trail? The experience of other cities invariably shows that with those conditions in place, winter cyclists become quite ordinary. Studies, surveys and real world examples consistently demonstrate that the greatest deterrent to winter cycling is safety and road conditions, not temperature. Winter cities that have built well-connected networks of protected bike lanes and made it a priority to keep them clear of snow have all realized the same results — a dramatic increase in winter cycling. An extreme example of this can be found in Oulu, a city in northern Finland, 150 km from the Arctic Circle. With a very similar winter climate to Winnipeg’s, Oulu has an extensive cycling network and pervasive bike culture that have resulted in a percentage of cyclists in the winter months that is almost six times higher than what Winnipeg experiences in the peak of summer. Closer to home, Montreal has been celebrated as one of the top cycling cities in North America, with more than 100 km of on-street protected bike lanes and 800 total km of cycling paths. Over the past nine years, the amount of cycling infrastructure in the city has doubled and the number of Montrealers who cycle as their main mode of transportation has grown by 50 per cent. The city has begun to focus on winter cycling and now clears snow from 60 per cent of its pathways. Investments have been made in new technology such as rotating brush plows that are less damaging to protective curbs and more effective at removing ice. These efforts have paid off, more than doubling the number of winter cyclists in just a few years. In a city that experiences twice the amount of Winnipeg’s snowfall, with temperatures only about five degrees warmer in the coldest months, Montreal maintains 15 to 20 per cent of its summer cycling population through the winter, averaging more than 15,000 cyclists per day. Two-thirds of those continue to ride at temperatures below -20 C. Winter cyclists in Montreal were once dubbed les hurluberlus de l’hiver (the weirdos of winter), but today they are neither weird nor extreme. In Minneapolis, a top cycling city in the United States and its coldest major city, similar conclusions have been reached. In summer, almost three times more people commute by bike in Minneapolis than in Winnipeg. The city’s cycling system is an innovative network of on-street bike lanes connecting to a series of “bicycle freeways” along former rail lines, linking the suburbs with downtown. Most of these routes maintain more than 30 per cent of their ridership through the winter months, largely because the city has dedicated bike-lane clearing crews that are independent of the street cleaning system. Their mandate is to clear all bike paths within 24 hours of a major snowfall. The city’s new Pedestrian and Bicycle Winter Maintenance Study recommends going further, by identifying priority cycling networks that will be cleared immediately, similar to the way Priority 1 streets are handled in Winnipeg, allowing cyclists to anticipate safe routes connecting major destinations after a snowfall. In Calgary, a protected downtown cycling network was created in 2015, along with a strategy to promote winter cycling. The results were almost instant, with four times more people cycling downtown in the winter, only one year after the complete network was created. Today, about 30 per cent of summer bike commuters continue through the winter months. More than half of those ride in temperatures below -20 C. Some of Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods have high summer cycling participation. Wolseley is in the top 10 in Canada, with 15 per cent of all commuters using a bike. Other central neighbourhoods see more than six per cent cycling participation, a higher proportion than both Minneapolis and Montreal. As we continue to expand and fill in the gaps in our cycling network, a tipping point will come, and clearing lanes of snow will pay off with much higher winter-cycling ridership as it has in every other city. This could translate into thousands of winter cyclists in these neighbourhoods. Winnipeg is a proud winter city in many ways, but winter cycling is still viewed as extreme because we have built a city that makes it so. Our perceptions come from what Winnipeg has been, not what it can be. As our city moves forward, policies such as bike lane snow-clearing should reflect our aspirations, allowing the opportunity for our future to be different from our past. *Brent Bellamy is a senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

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AT Webinar: Bus stops with bikeways (Jan 16th, 2-3pm, EcoCentre)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg for a group viewing of the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-o…> boardroom. This will be followed by discussion for those who wish to stay. Should be an interesting topic with Winnipeg's very own *Chris Baker* as one of the presenters! cheers, Beth *AT Webinar: Wed, Jan 16th, 2-3pm* Bus Stops with Bikeways: Designing Transit Stops with On-street Bicycle Facilities The increasing emergence of on-street bicycle facilities, including bike lanes and physically separated facilities, pose challenges for integrating transit stops while avoiding conflicts and delay for bicyclists and transit users. This webinar will explore the best practices for designing streets for bicycling and transit. *Presenters:* - Jesse Boudart, Toole Design - John Urgo, AC Transit - Brian Patterson, Urban Systems - Chris Baker, City of Winnipeg -- Beth McKechnie* | *Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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WFP: Pedal to the metal for bike registry (Jan10'19)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

*City staff to probe whether measure can curb meth-related theft* * Pedal to the metal for bike registry * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/councillors-ok-mandatory-bike-regis… A COUNCIL committee has unanimously supported a proposal to consider mandatory registration of bikes at the point of sale. Councillors on the protection, community services and parks committee told the administration on Wednesday to examine the idea, which was raised by Coun. Ross Eadie. Point Douglas activist Sel Burrows encouraged the committee Wednesday to support the plan. He wanted the registration system in place by the spring, but that’s not going to happen. The administration said the earliest a report could be completed for the committee is May. Council would consider it in June. “The big concern for us is going to be the consultation,” said Cindy Fernandes, the city’s social services director, whose department will be responsible for the report. “There are a large number of stakeholders — the public, the retailers, the Winnipeg Police Service. If the intent is we’re going to reduce the number of thefts, will this actually help in that way? We’d actually like to make a determination or recommendation as whether this will help resolve that issue.” Eadie and Burrows raised the issue in mid-December, saying bike theft is fuelling the meth crisis. Police acknowledge an increase in stolen bikes, which are taken to chop shops, where they are exchanged for hits of meth. The city maintains a voluntary bike registry, which went online in April. Fernandes said about 10,000 bikes are registered, but that’s believed to be a fraction of the number of bikes in the city. There is a cost of $6.60 to input data on the city’s online bike registry. Several bikes can be registered per household and three photos of each bike can be posted as well. If recovered by police, the stolen bikes will be returned without charge. Registration can be done at winnipeg.ca/bikeregistry The city says more than 3,000 bikes are stolen every year. While police recover about 1,000 of them, fewer than 100 are traced to their owners and returned. Burrows and Eadie said the idea originated with a police sergeant, who thought a mandatory registry could deter thieves. Burrows said when police see someone pulling two or three bikes down the street, they might suspect they are stolen, but since most aren’t registered, there is nothing they can do. He and Eadie believe that requiring retailers to register bikes when they are sold will put a dent in the number of thefts and the city’s meth problems. Fernandes said her staff will conduct a cross-jurisdictional review to determine what other cities are doing with registration, as well as talking to retailers and specialty bike stores. Fernandes told councillors she wants to be sure her department can devise a system that meets their expectations. Regardless of the municipal review, Eadie said Winnipeg’s public service shouldn’t be afraid to break new ground. “There’s no problem with the City of Winnipeg being at the leading edge of this,” he said. “If it doesn’t exist in the rest of Canada, I don’t care.” The proposal would see retailers who sell bikes brought under the jurisdiction of the Doing Business in Winnipeg bylaw, which regulates pawn shops and used-goods retailers, gold dealers and massage parlours. While a final report will be given to the committee in May, Fernandes was instructed to present a verbal status report for the committee’s April meeting. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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CTV: Councillor's tweet about bike lanes stirs controversy about snow clearing priorities (Jan8'19)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

Councillor's tweet about bike lanes stirs controversy about snow clearing priorities https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/councillor-s-tweet-about-bike-lanes-stirs-contr… An online post by a Winnipeg city councillor has some pedestrians and cyclists at odds. North Kildonan City Councillor Jeff Browaty was out in The Exchange District after this week’s big snowfall and took issue with the way the snow was cleared in the area. He posted a tweet showing a snow-covered sidewalk on King Street and a clear bike lane on nearby Bannatyne Avenue, with the caption ‘Typical sidewalk vs typical bike lane, today.” Browaty said commuter cycling isn't practical or mainstream and argues more people need to walk to the bus or get to the store. He's frustrated seeing bike lanes cleared before sidewalks. "You can't do everything on day one. It takes like a period of time to get work done. I would rather see sidewalks on Henderson Highway done, sidewalks in The Exchange done, prior to the bike lanes,” Browaty said. Cyclist Sasha Schellenberg said sidewalks should be prioritized to a degree, but it’s also crucial to clear bike lanes of snow. "All active transportation in Winnipeg we have huge issue with. It's just not being cleared in a timely fashion. It takes so long for sidewalks and bikes both to get to cleared so to make that comparison is ridiculous," he said. The city said King Street with the snowy sidewalk is priority one and Bannatyne Avenue is priority two, but sometimes the crews’ sequence is slightly off, and they do follow guidelines set out by city council. The section of the sidewalk Browaty photographed has now been cleared, which will help people like Mike Ginter. He has a broken foot and has been using crutches through the snow. Ginter agrees with Browaty -- that sidewalks should be cleared first. "It's really disappointing, not a lot of people ride a bike in when it's this kind weather, in deep snow. There are a handful that do. I believe they should be done absolutely last," said Ginter. Browaty said there's a review about snow clearing priorities underway and he’s going to make his opinions known. The City of Winnipeg said there are about 400 kilometres of bike path and 3,000 kilometres of sidewalk in Winnipeg. Sidewalks on main routes are cleared first, followed by sidewalks on bus routes and collector streets, then residential streets. The city says generally bike paths get the same priority as the street where they are located. The Exchange District Biz also has a crew to help out in the area. After a snowfall, it sends out a bobcat to help clear a path for pedestrians and push snow away from bike lanes.

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Wpg Sun: Clearing sidewalks should be priority over bike lanes, says Browaty (Jan9'19)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

Clearing sidewalks should be priority over bike lanes, says Browaty https://winnipegsun.com/news/news-news/clearing-sidewalks-should-be-priorit… A city councillor is lobbying for snow to be cleared off sidewalks before bike lanes, arguing the walking paths see much more winter use. Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) took to Twitter on Monday to post images of a snow-packed sidewalk and a cleared bike lane, both located in the Exchange District. “Typical sidewalk vs typical bike lane, today. #WrongPriorities #WalkingisATtoo,” Browaty wrote with the images. The councillor said he believes the official prioritization of sidewalks is needed because winter cycling isn’t a mainstream local activity, while Winnipeggers must often walk to nearby bus stops and stores. “It’s frustrating … when sidewalks are not done and bike lanes, which are very poorly used in my opinion, are plowed to the concrete,” said Browaty. “(And) you can’t do everything on day one. It takes a period of time to get (snow-clearing) work done.” Browaty said he expects biking trails can sometimes be left snow-covered for up to six days without much impact, while he believes sidewalks in front of seniors’ blocks offer a “lifeline” to access the broader community. But an advocate for cyclists argues all active transportation routes are worthy of regular snow clearing. “It’s not an either-or situation. We have to recognize that different roads have different usage levels, whether it’s walking, biking or driving. So I think it’s important that we … are clearing that (whole) network,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. Cohoe said many paths allow both walking and biking, which would complicate any effort to prioritize one of the two. He argues the city should make cycling practical by consistently clearing routes, since bike traffic can lessen vehicle demands on roads, produces no polluting emissions and promotes public health. In contrast to Browaty’s claim, Cohoe said he also believes Winnipeg’s number of winter cyclists is growing. “Certainly, people do want to get out there … and be active in winter,” he said. Under current city rules, both active transportation paths and sidewalks are plowed by priority. Those along main roads are cleared first, followed by those next to collector streets and, finally, those adjacent to residential streets. When an AT path isn’t next to a street, the snow-clearing priority relates to how often it is used, said Ken Allen, a city spokesperson, in an email. Allen said Winnipeg currently has about 3,000 kilometres of sidewalks and about 400 kms of active transportation paths. Browaty said he will lobby for his preference when Winnipeg city council considers funding for a $1-million plan to beef up its snow-clearing efforts along active transportation routes in the 2019 budget. If approved, that AT winter maintenance strategy would take effect next winter. jpursaga@ <https://postmediawinnipegsun.wordpress.com/mentions//> postmedia.com Twitter: @ <https://postmediawinnipegsun.wordpress.com/mentions//>pursagawpgsun

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Mark your calendar! 2019 APBP webinar series
by Beth McKechnie 08 Jan '19

08 Jan '19

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg again this year for group viewings of the monthly APBP webinars in the EcoCentre boardroom. Here's what to look forward to (Wednesdays, 2-3:15pm central time): Jan 16: Bus Stops with Bikeways: Designing Transit Stops with On-street Bicycle Facilities Feb 20: Viewing Low-Stress Networks Through an Equity Lens Mar 20: Navigating Without Curbs: Accessibility on Shared Streets Apr 17: Designing Streets for the Speeds You Want May 15: Maintaining Green Infrastructure: Hints for Success Jun 19: Finding Common Ground with First Responders: Enhancing Safety and Maintaining Access in Street Design Jul 17: Return on investment for Active Transportation Aug 21: Getting the Green Light: Improving Actuation and Detection for Cyclists & Pedestrians Sep 18: Can We Talk About the Street? Building Support for Controversial Projects Oct 16: If We Build it Will They Come? Estimating Demand for Biking and Walking Nov 20: Aging in Place: Designing Communities to Support Mobility Dec 18: Education and Encouragement: Bringing the Right People Together cheers, Beth -- Beth McKechnie* | *Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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WFP: ‘Lifelines’ must take priority: councillor (Jan8'19)
by Beth McKechnie 08 Jan '19

08 Jan '19

*‘Lifelines’ must take priority: councillor * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/lifeline-sidewalks-higher-snow-clea… IT’S high time the city recalibrates its priorities when it comes to clearing sidewalks after major snowfalls, a city councillor suggested Monday. North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty said he believes the work of Winnipeg’s snow-clearing crews is second to none in North America, but there are areas where sidewalks are “absolute lifelines for the neighbourhood.” “I do believe that where sidewalks are lifelines to the area it’s an important thing that should be done first off,” Browaty said. “There are areas where people need to walk to the bus, where kids need to walk to school, where you have senior residences — and many seniors don’t drive — in my mind, those are far higher priorities than cycling.” When sufficient snow falls to trigger widespread clearing, the priority should be on roads and downtown sidewalks, with bike paths coming last on the list, he said. “The reality is that the numbers will prove there are a lot more people who need to walk to the bus or get down the sidewalk than there are cycling in the winter,” he said. “I just don’t believe Winnipeg is ever going to see massive cycling in the winter. It’s never going to be mainstream here.” Browaty tweeted two photos Monday afternoon comparing a well-used, mushy Henderson Highway sidewalk where the going was tough, to a scraped-to-the-asphalt bike lane in the Exchange District. The city has been contemplating enhanced snow clearing for priority sidewalks and bike paths for several years. In March 2016, Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes called for a report to look into the feasibility of improving snow clearing on priority sidewalks and bike paths, but it got seven extensions before it was tabled last May. Public works communications officer Ken Allen said the budget for the initiative won’t be considered until March. “The idea would be to make it, so, from south Pembina Highway to downtown, you could travel that distance clear on active transportation pathways,” Allen said. “It would improve snow clearing of sidewalks and active transportation paths from all parts of the city to downtown. If approved, the strategy would be implemented not this winter but next winter.” The city’s current policy is to have major streets cleared whenever three centimetres of snow accumulates. Clearing isn’t triggered on bus routes, collector streets and back lanes until five centimetres have accumulated. Winnipeggers awoke Monday to find an overnight snowfall of more than 14 centimetres, leading to a large deployment of street-maintenance resources throughout the day. “Using the mild temperatures, leveraging that, we started our operation with some salting on the main streets. Once the snow compounded, we started our snow plow operation on the main streets as well,” said Michael Cantor, the city’s manager of street maintenance. “This morning, we started our operation on bike routes, bike lanes, sidewalks and back lanes. And we’re going to have a bigger operation tonight on our bus routes and collector streets.” More than 200 pieces of equipment were deployed Monday, including loaders, graders and truck plows. That number is expected to nearly double once the city begins working on residential plowing Wednesday. Environment Canada warned that a cold front bringing blowing snow and strong northwest winds was heading into the city overnight Monday into today. ryan.thorpe(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe

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The Rise and Fall of China’s Cycling Empires
by Beth McKechnie 07 Jan '19

07 Jan '19

*China’s bike-sharing firms were supposed to be the next big thing. What happened?* https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/31/a-billion-bicyclists-can-be-wrong-chin… Until the late 1990s, China was a nation of cyclists. Bicycles were such a vital part of everyday life that in the 1970s, owning one was a prerequisite for marriage the way an apartment and a car are for Chinese men today. A massive “bicycle army” rolled through the streets of Beijing every morning like a flowing Great Wall. Then, from 1995 to 2002, the government created bicycle-reduction policies <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15568318.2012.699999> in order to encourage the growth of the auto industry and usage of the mass transit infrastructure. But when the SARS epidemic hit, public transport became associated with disease and danger, sparking an even bigger rush toward cars in cities. Today, Chinese metropolises have some of the worst traffic gridlocks in the world. Bike-sharing apps seemed poised to be the solution—and millions of bikes were poured into China’s streets by the private sector in the last three years. But today, as the companies fail, unused units pile up in bicycle graveyards, and queues of angry users demand their deposits back, it’s obvious just how doomed the idea was from the start. The rise and fall of the China bike craze played out like a sped-up version of every tech bubble, an unprofitable idea sustained by fantasy, false predictions, and the power of bigger firms. Local authorities struggling with traffic have been trying to put residents back on two wheels. As early as 2007, docked bike-shares were introduced by municipal governments to alleviate mobility issues in cities such as Beijing, Hangzhou, and Wuhan, but users found accessing bikes via docking stations to be inconvenient, and the services failed to thrive. The bicycle rental company Ofo was created in 2014 as a Peking University school project, and Mobike was found in the following year, both capitalizing on the shortcoming of all docked bike-sharing services: that the stations limited access and spontaneity, two essential joys of cycling. The “little red bikes,” as Mobikes came to be known, soon appeared on the street corners of Shanghai, ready to be discovered via a GPS-enabled mobile app, and rideable with just a 299 yuan deposit, about $45, via mobile payment. The little yellow Ofo bikes soon followed suit by spreading beyond campuses, eventually joined by around 60 other start-ups. The image sold by the firms was fresh and upbeat, riding on the same bright-eyed enthusiasm for the potential of mobile technology that helped the mobile payment app Alipay, the e-commerce platform Taobao, and the social media app WeChat become staples of Chinese life. Users wanted both a cheap way to get across town and the freedom of cycling. For the government, the bike-share boom was both an opportunity to become a world leader in climate change and also harkened back to a happier, simpler, and more harmonious time when China was the kingdom of bicycles <https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2017/04/bikeshare-save-biking-in-chi…>. Mobike’s slogan, “Bring bicycles back to the city,” captured why the program was appealing to local authorities, who at first were willing to give firms a lot of freedom to experiment and grow. While Mobike and Ofo blazed the trail, dozens of other firms such as Bluegogo and Xiaoming Bike sprung up. But cars were not going to be banished from the streets, and it wasn’t long before cyclists took mostly to the sidewalks. It took even less time for haphazardly parked bikes in a multitude of colors to begin clogging the sidewalks, already made too narrow by makeshift parking lots and scooter traffic. By 2017, in Beijing and Shanghai, where the bikes were most concentrated, there were parts of the city where streets resembled urban obstacle courses made of bikes that citizens had to clamber over and maneuver around. Trucks were deployed daily to collect improperly parked bikes, and workers to stack bikes neatly. Despite efforts to manage the bikes, they were like a brightly colored rash that increasingly drew the ire of both citizens and local authorities. But at first users and investors alike assumed that this over-saturation was just a stage in the industry, just like what mobile payments and food delivery had gone through. Consumers were happy at the dirt-cheap prices as companies raced to the bottom to draw numbers. Many start-ups were flat-out giving out free rides in an all-in bid to win users, and consumers only too happily enjoyed all the perks while small companies quickly burned through their modest stockpile of investor money and disappeared. As various players began to bow out, there were instances of people not being able to recover their deposits from bike companies that went bankrupt <https://technode.com/2018/07/11/xiaoming-bankrupcy/>, ominous foreshadowing for things to come for Ofo in 2018. It was always unclear how the firms were ever supposed to be profitable. According to analysis published by Xinhua <http://www.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2018-01/18/c_1122275190.htm>, each bike costs just over $200 to manufacture and $10 for each tuneup by a technician, and they made a profit of just 1 yuan, about 15 cents, per 2 hour ride, following a deposit of between $15 and $45. The mainstream view <https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardwindsoreurope/2018/07/05/mobike-vs-ofo-…>— pushed heavily by investors—was that the user data, rather than the service, was the actual product, and that the harvested user data would lead to more targeted advertising. But as so often occurs, these ambiguously defined long-term returns yielded nothing in the endless interim. There was no short-term return on investment for the companies to stay afloat, and the smaller players began to fall in droves. Between June and November 2017, Kuqi Bikes, Bluegogo, Dingding Bikes, 3Vbikes, and Wukong Bikes all shut down, unable to pay suppliers, maintain operations, or return deposits. Around the same time, local authorities began to roll back their initial tolerance by imposing new restrictions and fines. This wasn’t the first time that start-ups that had previously relied on government lenience had run afoul of new legislation: Didi, China’s Uber equivalent, lost most of its driver pool after cities began to demand that its workers hold a valid local residence permit. As governments tightened up, cyclists found themselves being hit with fines for riding on the sidewalk across cities of all sizes. In May, the 15th Beijing Municipal People’s Congress imposed fines on bike-share companies for improperly parked units, and more cities soon followed suit. At a neighborhood level, signs forbidding bike-share cycles went up on apartment complex gates, in commercial districts, and even in public parks. In these bloody battles for market share and user data sustained by bonfires of money, only those with the deepest pockets can hope to emerge victorious. In the early days of bike-share investment, money poured from a wide range of sources, such as venture capital firm Black Hole Capital and game developer Elex Technology, which both backed Bluegogo, and peer-to-peer investment company Pufa VC (whose CEO backed his son’s bike-share, Dingding Bikes). Throughout 2016 and 2017, barely a week went by without a new announcement on bike-share investments. Mobike began by raising capital from multiple venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Sinovation Ventures, and Panda Capital, before Tencent joined the fray. Early Ofo investors include Xiaomi and Didi Chuxing, later joined by Hony Capital, Citic Private Equity, and Alibaba’s Ant Financial, before the Alibaba parent company followed suit. And yet, at the end of every cycle of life and death for the latest tech bubble, it always seems to come down to Alibaba vs. Tencent <http://fortune.com/longform/alibaba-tencent-china-internet/>, China’s two biggest tech giants. User and user data acquisition has much more strategic value for their ecosystems to come up with increasingly targeted services and platforms. Alibaba staked <https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/12/22/bilibili-cozies-up-to-alibaba-to-…> food delivery and video streaming platforms. Only Alibaba and Tencent have the heft to operate bike-shares at a loss just to acquire geolocation user data. In April, Mobike was saved from its financial struggles when it was acquired by Tencent-backed Meituan Dianping, an online-to-offline e-commerce and food delivery super-app, itself a product and survivor of the tumultuous tech landscape and the brief fad for coupon services. This abruptly launched the bike-share wars into the endgames. Mobike’s newfound financial stability allowed it to pull the rug out from under its remaining competitors by getting rid of the deposit entirely. Even then, Mobike is now a grizzled survivor that has lost its luster. Today it operates with a greatly reduced fleet, and much of its overseas expansions has petered out. Meanwhile, Ofo was suffering dire cash flow problems, struggling to pay suppliers and keeping operations afloat, and concentrating all its efforts on putting out fires rather than growing the business. Earlier this year, Ofo halted its costly and overly aggressive expansions abroad to focus on the domestic market—which placed on display the limitations of its own financial reach and its leaders’ utter lack of a plan. After a missed opportunity to merge with Mobike and a failed Didi acquisition, Ofo stands on the brink of financial ruin, its only lifeline an Alibaba buyout that may never come. Sensing the end of the bike wars, disgruntled people lined up outside Ofo’s office in Beijing clamoring for their deposits to be returned while the digital queue for withdrawing one’s deposit reached as long as 13 million users. Despite the ongoing Ofo crisis, Hellobike has just raised 4 billion yuan, more than half a billion dollars, from Primavera Capital and Alibaba’s Ant Financial. It seems that there are still some who hasn’t woken up from the bike-share fever dream. Meanwhile, Shanghai is adding more docking stations, perhaps a return to the boring, but infinitely more manageable, version of the bike-share. There’s always going to be a small audience for cycling—but it turned out to be a bad dream to build giant firms on. *Frankie Huang was born in Beijing and raised in New Jersey. Currently, she lives in Shanghai where she works as a strategist at an idea studio.* -- Beth McKechnie* | *Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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