A Sea of LimeBikes in a Sea of Assholes!

Reasonably priced, environmentally friendly, transportation that doesn’t cost the taxpayers any more money or add to the traffic issues. How can that not be anything but a totally welcome idea? And forgive me for how many times I repeat myself, but promoting bicycling is such a simple and easy solution to so many of our cities problems, that I am dumbfounded into repetitiveness.

The newest variety of bike share apps are dockless (not dickless, although my auto correct seems to believe so). The bikes now need not be returned to a home base. You can pick them up and drop them off, essentially anywhere, making them easy to rent for short term needs and freeing the user from going out of their way to find a place to make their return. The buyer / user is able to leave the bike anywhere, with the assumption that it will be conscientiously parked for the next rider to enjoy, once done with it.

Good intentions and good products only work for (and with) good intended people. Or at least people good enough not to toss their bike into Puget Sound when they’re done with it.

I am well aware that there are always assholes out there. I am unsure if anyone has ever calculated assholes per capita by city… but my guess is, America’s cities would run high compared to many others, but that’s just a guess.

Lack of respect for property, lack of responsibility, lack of the ability to appreciate and accept change with an understanding that with innovation comes unexpected challenges. The inability to embrace the new, without condemning it with the magnifying glass of scrutiny, is the new American unconsciousness.

We know things need to change, but when someone is even remotely inconvenienced, when someone else tries to change the world for the better, they do what they can to make sure it all goes to shit. As technology and innovation advance, there will be growing pains. Why are Americans so very quick to judge, so ready to point a finger and yell to the wind “That does not work!” How can any country be innovative if the populace refuses to deal with even the most momentary inconveniences or work together to help find a solution to such inconveniences?

You’d think that a service that could potentially lighten the load of traffic congestion without raising taxes, especially when that is the most consistent complaint of said city, and getting worse, would be welcomed.

Americans hate to be inconvenienced, especially if it is by other Americans. They don’t want to SEE the homeless living on the streets. They do not wish to step over them. They do not want to waste their time dealing with the problem. They don’t want their tax dollars going to help them (even if they claim that they do). They don’t want to be stuck in traffic. They do not want MORE traffic. They do not want the inconvenience of being rerouted while new roads are repaired or built. They do not want more air pollution or noise pollution, and they do not want to pay more taxes to solve the problem. They do not want to be inconvenienced even in the slightest way, for any reason.

So here comes an innovative solution. One that can essentially help a bit with TWO of the key problems that Seattleites mostly complain about (beyond the weather). But no one wants even a moment of inconvenience, while a concept potentially good for all, shakes out the bugs.

So the bikes get vandalized, stripped of anything that can be taken, stolen and hidden away where others cannot get to them, tossed around like garbage and left in remote or inconvenient locations. Even if the bikes are left standing in a reasonable location, they tend to blow over in the wind, making some Seattleites lose their fucking minds about it.

Apparently bikes on kickstands are just bikes, and bikes on their side are #bikelitter ?!?

I guess time will tell if it will all work out. Cries of foul play, claiming these apps are merely shells for data collecting abound. Although there seems to be much easier and cost effective ways that our data can be collected.

As for now, American courtesy remains the biggest issue at hand.

I must admit, Australia and China has their share of bike share issues.

How do you run a business (or anything for that matter) that relies on good faith, common sense and courtesy, not to leave out a reasonable level of mental health, when it seemingly does not exist? How does a business or society function, when a portion of the people around you are greedy, angry, hateful, sick or just plain assholes?

Sure, seeing photographs of the bikes in unusual locations is funny, but at what price does this weird American condescension cost us?

I supposed they could have stolen the bikes, but assumed there was some sort of locking feature that made such an act difficult?!?

Every single day I head out into Georgetown, I encounter at least one, but usually 3 or 4 of these bikes, strewn somewhere like trash.

Being a writer (kinda), the stories started whirling in my head. I imagined some drunken, wild haired, idiot running out of credit or simply the ability to balance any further, toppling over, then stumbling home, leaving his shocking green chariot in the middle of the sidewalk.

At the time I knew nothing of these bikes. I mean I’d seen similar rentable bikes before, in Paris, Rome and various countries. I knew the tale of Amsterdam’s “White Bikes” aka Witte Fietsenplan.

Yeah! And now here we are! But where exactly are we? These young innovators bring to us a worthy, earth and health conscious option and hey, we can help them try to make it work, or not. Getting more butts in bikes is a good thing, even if it slows your daily commute in your pollution machine.

It seems the issues are the same, be it in business or government. We can choose to work together, find solutions that better things for us all or not. We can be reasonable and try to understand that there are always glitches to sort out when starting something new, or not. Or we can point fingers, blame and criticize until it all turns into… well, I am still unsure how it all ends… but I am rooting for the bikes!

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