3 WHEELED MOTOR BIKES

OnGuard PitBull MINI DT 5008 Bicycle U-Lock and Extra Security Cable

The On Guard PitBull U-Locks feature 8.4 Tons of pull strength plus higher quality lock cores.
Keyed locks include five European-style keys, (1 lighted), all tube QR mounting bracket
Pitbull has 8.4 Tons pull strength plus higher quality lock cores
Unique cylinder offers optimum resistance to picking and reinforced sleeve over crossbar for additional security
13mm ultra-hardened steel shackle provides maximum cut resistance
$2,251 anti-theft protection offer
Item Specifications
Lock Size3.5" x 5"
Bracket Incudedyes

In mid-August I sat stationed at the intersection of Chambers and Caledonia in Victoria's Fernwood neighbourhood to count bicycle movements.

The count was conducted over the afternoon peak of 3 to 6 p.m. when journey to and from work trips are most prevalent and travel for other purposes are also typically quite high.

Victoria plans a "greenway" project along Caledonia (the perpendicular street in the photo, looking into the background/westward). The cross street in the photo is Caledonia,. Both streets are secondary collector streets and traffic calming elements are already in place along Chambers. Caledonia is signed as a bike route but has no other improvements at this location, though bike lanes are in place for a block or so further to the west of the picture and additional improvements are planned for the corridor.

Fernwood neighbourhood streets are somewhat disjointed, making vehicle travel less than ideal, and the new greenway plan aims to further calm traffic. Curb extensions will be constructed at the corners and bulb- outs added along the lock to break up the linearity of the road space.

Corners with a gentle turn radius are often a problem for traffic speeds, encouraging drivers to carve through corners too quickly, posing a threat to pedestrians and cyclists, particularly at locations like this where streets are narrow (more so on sections of Chambers not visible in the photo).

On street parking along Caledonia also helps to calm traffic, but during working hours, occupancy is reduced, giving the street a wider, more open look that encourages speeding. Mid-block curb extensions with landscaping will mitigate the traffic speeds and longer term plans for the corridor should further enhance the appeal for cyclists.

The two roads connect at this T-intersection, though there are a couple of houses (behind me in the photo), are accessed across a driveway entrance on the remnant section of Caledonia, perhaps 50 metres or so long.

One additional treatment that I will raise with our engineering department will be "sharrows" or shared-used arrows, that could aid in encouraging cyclists to position themselves to "take the lane" at the intersection to emphasize their intended direction, and remind motorists to keep behind them to reduce the potential problem of right turning vehicles overtaking left turning cyclists.

A local resident sat with me for the duration of the count (she owns the house with the white picket fence at the corner at the right hand side of the photo (northwest). Although she was aware of the popular use of both streets by cyclists heading to and from the neighbourhood to downtown or, in the opposite direction, out to the University and campus of a local college, she was surprised at the very actual numbers recorded.

In mid-August, the number of cyclists might actually be lower than the "high water mark" in September or October, May or June, when students are in school or university and college and bike trips in the neighbourhood could be higher. A high school is only blocks away (behind me and to the left of the photo), and with no other major streets to cross, as is an elementary school (again a couple of blocks away to the right and further west of the photo, again without major streets to cross, at least from this part of the neighbourhood).

The afternoon peak hour traffic for bicycle travel has been established for the Capital Regional District that includes Victoria and its surrounding suburbs. The pattern of trips have been extracted from their "Origin and Destination" travel survey that uses a trip diary distributed randomly to residents across the region to record travel choices in mid-fall (late October/early November), to establish mode splits and time of day patterns.

For bicycle travel, about 34% of daily trips are recorded in the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. afternoon peak hours, when the highest concentration of journey from work trips are on the roads. The O/D study numbers and mode splits, it should be noted, were last measured in 2006, so some changes may be revealed by the update to be conducted in the same time frame in 2011 (a project I lobbied hard for as staff and political representatives sought to limit the scope of the study to reduce costs - and ultimately, the need for good data convinced decision makers to pursue the full study.

At the end of the count, 234 bike trips were recorded through the intersection, and, extrapolating from vehicle count data collected by the city, this accounts for about 14% of all trips (excluding pedestrians) on the two streets. Given the pattern of bicycle travel (all day trips have been growing at a faster rate than peak hour, journey to/from work trips and the share of all day travel accounted for by cyclists may, indeed, be higher. The bicycle share of all day travel across the region is at 3.2% according to the 2006 numbers, higher in the urban core, but still lower

BIXI is a public bicycle sharing system launched in May 2009 in Montreal. The system provides 3,000 bicycles and 300 pay stations located Montreal's central core.[1]

Bike docks serve to house and lock bikes. They are modular units controlled by RFID wireless technology. A button notifies users of defective bicycles. Users can rent a bike using a subscriber key obtained through a long-term online subscription or an access code provided by the pay station. Pay stations are touchscreen-operated and only accept credit card.


[edit] The bike
The one-piece aluminum frame and handlebars serve to conceal cables in an effort to protect them from vandalism and inclement weather. The tires are filled with nitrogen and designed to be puncture-resistant. BIXI bikes are guaranteed for five years and designed to last a minimum of 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometres).


[edit] Rates
In order to use the system, users need to take out a subscription, which allows the subscriber an unlimited number of rentals. Subscriptions can be purchased at $5 per day (at a pay station), $28 per month or $78 per year. With a subscription, bike rental is free for the first half hour of every individual trip; an unlimited number of such free trips can be made per day. A trip that lasts longer than 30 minutes incurs a charge of $1.50 to $6 for each subsequent 30-minute period. The increasing price scale is intended to keep the bikes in circulation.

Rates (not including the subscription)[2]:

time first 30 minutes second 30 minutes third 30 minutes fourth and subsequent 30 minute periods
rate free $1.50 $3.00 $6.00


[edit] Development of BIXI

[edit] Stationnement de Montreal
The project was included in the transportation plan for the City of Montreal, which aimed at encouraging active means of transportation, like bikes. The program is run by the city's parking authority, Stationnement de Montreal.[1]


[edit] Other developers
8D Technologies[3], the 8D system used to run BIXI controls parking and bike rental and return from the same automated terminal. The system runs on solar energy to reduce environmental impact and maximize the system’s overall energy efficiency.
Dallaire Design[4], the design of the physical components. The bicycle design incorporates an anti-theft mechanism.
Cycles Devinci[5], the firm of mechanical engineers mandated to manufacture BIXI bikes. The company is located in the Saguenay region of Quebec.
Robotics Design[6], created the “bike dock”.
Morrow Communications[7]
Michel Gourdeau suggested the name BIXI, a portmanteau of bicycle and taxi, which was selected by a majority of the people who participated in a contest organized by the city of Montreal.

[edit] BIXI station network
The location of a BIXI bike station is determined by several parameters, including population density, points of interest and activities (universities, bike paths, other transportation networks, and data on travel patterns of the general public. In Spring 2009, 3,000 bikes will be deployed in Montreal through a network of pay stations located mainly in the boroughs of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, the Plateau-Mont-Royal and Ville-Marie, spilling over into parts of Outremont and the South West. A second phase of deployment is already being studied.


[edit] Awards
BIXI was ranked in 19th in Time magazines 50 Best Inventions of 2008. [8]
BIXI also won the Eco-Design award from INTERIEURS FERDIE.[9]
BIXI was awarded the 2009 Gold Edison for Energy and Sustainability.[10]

[edit] Ottawa/Gatineau pilot project
A trial implementation in Ottawa and Gatineau is taking place in the summer of 2009, with 50 bikes and four stations available until September 2009. The trial may lead to a permanent program which could start in 2010.[11]


[edit] References

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Perfect Credit is the definitive guide to getting and keeping outstanding credit. Think of this book as a roadmap for anyone hoping to establish picture-perfect credit, make improvements to have stellar credit, or simply maintain a fantastic credit standing. Right now, roughly 220 million Americans have credit files maintained by the "Big Three" credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Of those individuals, about 40 million Americans (roughly 1 out of 5), have very poor credit, or "deep subprime scores," according to Experian. Another 50 million adults in the U.S. have no credit files - either because they've never used traditional forms of credit, or because their credit files are "too thin" to generate a credit score. Perfect Credit offers all these consumers an easy-to-follow blueprint on how to get superb credit - and how to sidestep numerous credit traps and pitfalls along the way.