It’s a shame the latest rollout seems to have only been the larger bikes. The smaller ones felt better in the city, especially for shorter trips.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme
(2046 posts)-
Posted 3 months ago #
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Mon@8
About 240
Posted 2 months ago # -
There were 6 bikes at our local stand Sunday morning, then 0, then 7, with a couple about to book out 2.
4 being riden in chain along Melville Dr Monday morning.
Anecdotally seems to be getting well used.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Certainly clear that through the day, bulk of available bikes are often in different parts of the town - so, ‘mobile’!
Have been ‘about 250’ every time I’ve looked at the app lately.
Obviously impossible to know how many are on hire or OOU for battery or other reasons.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Brakes on them seem a bit rubbish, especially for a bike so heavy (at least compared to hydraulic discs). Everything else was good though.
Very quick to get across town - 10 minutes for our journey
Posted 2 months ago # -
Eight parked outside Waverley Court Council HQ today and a ninth in the bike racks. This aggression will not stand
Posted 2 months ago # -
@gembo pics for ma web page or it didn’t happen!
Posted 2 months ago # -
Only being able to see parking locations in the city you’re in is an absolute nonsense. Trying to plan a trip to Glasgow where I have three city centre destinations to move around but can’t get any information on closest Voi parking spots… bah
Posted 2 months ago # -
Ok pic of the one in the racks? They re too wee for you anyway
Posted 2 months ago # -
@gembo yep - anywhere you see them - they go on this project page
Posted 2 months ago # -
Rode one from home into town on Sunday night. Parked up outside the National Museum. Tried parking adjacent to the bike racks, but the built-in (and quite wobbly) kick stand couldn't cope with the slope on Chambers Street, no matter what angle the bike was pointed. I had to park it leaning up against a rack to prevent the bike from tipping over.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Thur evening
About 280
Posted 2 months ago # -
Is there a reward type thing ie few mins credit, for returning Voi bikes that are either abandoned in-zone, but away from a parking spot, or abandoned out-of-zone?
I come across lots of the former when walking the dog most mornings and would gladly wheel them back to a parking spot if there was an incentive.
Thought I saw mention of this somewhere on X or reddit or something a month or two ago, but can’t see anything when I look now. I did try scanning one this morning, but it wasn't having it.update - has been pointed out that sometimes the bike icon (of an abandoned bike) has a little present on it when there's 3 free mins to be earned - but only seems to work for those pedaling the bike back, and wishing to hire on at that moment.
"5 free mins of credit for returning this bike to a Parking Zone" would work, but seems its not a thing.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Out of zone ones have had ‘3 minutes free’ - which can’t really be much of an incentive.
I’m still not clear if OOZ bikes have power effectively/completely turned off.
Also, anecdotal, VOI don’t seem to respond to anyone with complaints or suggestions(?)
Posted 2 months ago # -
Currently, Sat am, about 280 available
3 OOZ
Posted 2 months ago # -
Used the Voi bikes to get to and from a function last night. Passed several others in use, including a couple of groups. They really do seem popular.
The zone really does need extended south, as there is clear demand for it. I managed to bag the last legit parking space in the two docks at Bruntsfield. I imagine many people, myself included, are only parking there as it is the current southern boundary of the scheme.
Hopefully the next zone extension and extra bikes comes soon. It will have to if the '800 bikes by the end of the year' is to actually happen.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Sunday lunchtime
More than 300
Minimal rain expected in next few hours
Posted 2 months ago # -
Been off to the big toon to see about a new drum kit.
Took the cargo bike to work and switched over to a Voi bike to Haymarket. Would have been from Bruntsfield but no bikes, which is impressive as the parking zone by the loos at Bruntsfield Ter is full; meaning it has ten (?) deid bikes in it?
I plan trips to the nth degree (soothes the soul) and found the inability to look at where parking/pick-up zones were in Glasgow while in Edinburgh a total pain in the neck. I was able to see in the Voi app while on the train nearing Falkirk.
Took a Voi bike from Queen St station to Trongate to the Roland centre in GuitarGuitar, then one back again. Made the whole trip extremely easy, though I should have got the 45m pass and tested if it moves between cities (it should).
Glasgow cycle racks experiencing many of the same parking pains we are. From the placement of the zone, they're intending on this - wonder what Weegie cyclists think.
Posted 2 months ago # -
You can sort of see why they have this icon-grouping-cumulation thing, as opposed to the Lime app technique of not being able to show every dot in a particular view as there are too many, but I'd very much prefer every available parking spot being a precise dot in the exact position of that parking spot, rather than as part of a larger sub-group of parking spots with an icon centered several blocks away.
Posted 2 months ago # -
Wow - the Glasgow zone is gigantic!
Not the same issue in Glasgow with hire bikes being parked in Sheffield racks, as those are quite often the official hire bike parking sites. @bakky - your photo shows a corner of the "People make Glasgow" totem, which is the sign for cycle hire parking.
Posted 2 months ago # -
More than 300 available now Fri 4pm
Posted 2 months ago # -
331 and two out of zone.
Posted 2 months ago # -
About 340
Sunday dark POURING rain
Posted 2 months ago # -
Update having spoken to Voi, ahead of publication tomorrow; Hire bikes blocking cycle parking: December update
Posted 2 months ago # -
I chanced upon a parking spot with four fallen bikes this morning and took a recording of the view on the app whilst I put them back upright (including unthreading the brake lever of one where it was firmly jammed into the pedal of another). Interestingly, not all the fallen cycles were missing/unavailable. Before I started, a number had the augmented "present" icon with three free minutes, but when I'd finished, only one, with the extra icon disappearing as two of the bikes were righted. Though not exclusively, the free minutes seem to have previously been offered to me on bikes outside the ride zone, or not in a parking zone, but at this particular spot it seemed to be specifically there because the bikes were sideways. I'll pop the clip up on BlueSky later after speeding it up a little.
@bakky Regarding the article, it'll be interesting to see from the list/coordinates of the parking spots where VOI think they are versus where they appear in real life - there are a few I've griped at them in the app where the map they use doesn't accurately show the real shape of the street structures, so if they've plonked a point at a point on the map from a screen rather than by standing on the street they might be a little off. Salamander Place in particular seems to be focussed right where the dropped kerb is, Easter Road at Drum Terrace seems to be on the opposite side of these street in the map compared to on the ground, Hermitage Place and Albion Road both seem thrown off by a high wall etc.
Posted 2 months ago # -
@wingpig - I bagged a free 3-minutes by picking up a fallen bike (plus three others) at the Bruntsfield dock yesterday. It was also advertised with the little green present on the app. No idea why the other fallen bikes weren't offering an incentive. Also noticed that the green light at the top of the handlebar stem only came on when a bike was righted.
Posted 2 months ago # -
I'm torn between thinking the free-minutes-for-uprighting bikes is cynically outsourcing responsible storage to the proles, and thinking it's genius :)
@wingpig agree regarding coordinates - will be interesting to see.
Posted 2 months ago # -
https://bsky.app/profile/wingpig.bsky.social/post/3m7ggfuyf7s2o
I wish I'd noted if any of the fallen today were not flashing green before being put upright. The overall number at the zone remained the same, whereas last week at the Meadows Playpark zone the implication I assumed from them not flashing green when on their sides was that they weren't available until they were upright.
As noted below that post, three free minutes but only if you can wrestle it upright.Posted 2 months ago # -
Do you need to 'hire' the bike before up-righting it in order to claim those minutes?
Posted 2 months ago # -
Presume only available if you actually ride it straight away.
Posted 2 months ago #
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