I found this week’s Table Talk about bike-sharing fascinating because I never considered the extensive planning that is involved and how the development of a bike-sharing network across cities intersects with political and economic concerns. Particularly, I found the fact that, when a bike-sharing system is supported by advertisers, the advertisers often focus on placing stations where they want the bikes to be seen rather than where is most effective for motivating people to use the bikes and convenient for those who do to be rather concerning as it reflects yet another area where the interests of advertisers start to undermine the utility of a system or product. There is currently a considerable deal of concern, for example, about advertising undermining the quality of the internet, as users’ attention is constantly being directed away from what they are doing and towards advertisementsm, and as users are constantly subject to surveillance so that the information gleaned from it can be sold to advertisers. Given that advertising can be an effective way of funding the program if the government cannot or is unwilling to, perhaps the systems can still be subject to some sort of government regulation through which the government approves the locations that advertisers select. However, I suppose such an arrangement would at least require the government to dedicate resources to hiring a few individuals qualified to determine whether the location of bike-sharing stations would promote the overall efficiency of the system.

Also, I found it really interesting that the evolution of bike-sharing systems arose out of concern for public safety. While I know that cars are not always the safest option for transportation, living in the U.S., I would considerate choosing to travel by bike far less safe than choosing to travel by car. At least of those I have seen, bike lanes are often incredibly thin and wedged between passing cars on one side and parked cars on the other. This arrangement often seems to create a challenge not only for the bikers but also for the drivers who also have to ensure that they remain strictly within the bounds of their lane and remain aware of the position of any and all bikers within the vicinity of their car. In light of these challenges, I definitely agree with the point raised by a few people that in order for bikes to gain widespread acceptance and usage in the U.S., there needs to be significant investment in infrastructure that will enable people to both be and feel safe while riding them.