The city of Ota in Japan thought it could help people who needed a ride around downtown by setting up a free bicycle loan program using abandoned bikes that had been repainted yellow.
The program started with 30 bicycles in mid-November. Within two months, all but three were missing.
That's an amazing rate of disappearance, but missing bicycles are common in yellow bike programs in the US. Since there's always a ready supply of discarded bicycles, the Austin Yellow Bike Program, for instance, simply puts more bikes on the street.
Cover up
The Texans who run that program that started in 1997 say many of the yellow bikes end up being taken by individuals for use as a private bike. They're painted gray or another color to mask the previous yellow paint job.
“Our ultimate intent is to make bicycle transportation available to all and especially those in need, so seeing a gray bike in use still brings a smile to our faces.”
Beginning in 2007, Austin Yellow Bikes started releasing bikes four times a year.
The same problem arose with Lexington's Yellow Bike program in its inaugural year in 2007. The group set out to collect its 80 bikes in the fall to be stowed away for the winter, but could only find 52 bikes.
Ota's solution
According to a story at Asahi.com, officials in Ota contacted the nearby city of Kiryu, which also lends bikes but doesn't have the theft problem. The difference is bike borrowers have to leave their name, address, and expected return time.
That was too much regulation and paperwork for Ota officials. Their solution is simply to put more yellow bicycles out on the street. Maybe when people get used to the program, the mayor said, “their manners will improve.”
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