Community spirit put to the test - again

When Taipei launched a public bicycle program in 1998 to promote alternative means of transport and leisure, it came to an untimely and humiliating end.

"We embarked on the project with the principle that `man is basically good,'" said Jack Chen, (陳守忠), the vice chairman of the Cycleland Foundation (自行車新文化基金會), which sponsored the project. "It was a test."

And Taipei residents failed miserably.

Of the 526 bikes released for public use, only 90 were still usable when the program was prematurely shelved. "We had bicycles coming back with the frame actually broken," Chen said. "It seems that some people would ride the bikes into walls or ride them down staircases."

Despite the disappointing results, Cycleland, a non-profit foundation associated with Giant, Taiwan's best-know bicycle label, and the Taipei City Government are at it again. Undeterred, and a little wiser from past mistakes, they have launched another program with Giant offering 1,000 bikes, 400 of which have been released for use at various Taipei parks during the trial period. So far, the second time around has yielded far more promising results.

REALITY MEETS IDEALISM

When the project was originally initiated in 1998, the bikes were fitted with a coin operated lock, much like those on some shopping trolleys. An NT$50 coin was all that was required to release the bicycle from its stand; a sum insufficient to guarantee riders returning the bikes after use. As the bikes were left unattended in their stands, they were also subject to vandalism.

"We took this into consideration when we initiated the project," said Niu Chao-ming (紐兆明), a technical officer at the city's Bureau of Transportation. "We accepted that we might lose all the bikes."

"I guess community spirit just isn't strong enough yet," Chen said.

This time, however, Giant has taken some precautions.

Working together with the city government, regulations governing the use of the bikes have been established. Now, use of the bikes will require the deposit of an ID card or NT$2000 in cash. A maximum fine of NT$1,500 has also been imposed for willful destruction of the bicycles and offenders will also be lumbered with a criminal record.

But these measures go somewhat against the spirit of the venture, and also saddle Giant with considerable additional costs. Chen seemed almost embarrassed about the fine, saying: "It's not really the point. It's just there to remind people to take care of the bikes. We don't want to emphasize it particularly."

The token cost of the rental, NT$10 for two hours use, is intended to emphasize the community aspect of the service.

But the requirement for a deposit has imposed considerable additional costs on Giant. According to Chen, the costs of installing an attendant and employing regular maintenance staff will cost the foundation an extra NT$1 million to NT$2 million a year. But at least now the bikes have some protection against vandalism and might be able to last through the three years the project is expected to run.

The current set up for public bicycles is still relatively primitive. On the Tachia section of the Keelung River Park (基隆河河濱公園), one of four areas where the bikes have been located since they hit the road on Aug. 20 this year, the rental center consists of two cargo containers dumped rather haphazardly beside the cycleway. Shut over the lunch period on weekdays, they could have been part of the detritus of the bridge construction that currently mars that section of riverside park.