As “Dockless” Bikes Gain Popularity In Charlotte, Some Say They’re Getting Messy

CHARLOTTE, NC.– They’re hard to miss, those thousands of colorful bikes across the city, and they’re gaining popularity. Since launching in  November, more than 86,000 trips have been taken using “dockless” bikes. But some people say they’re getting messy.

Four companies have launched fleets here in Charlotte, bringing the grand total to about 2,000 bikes. Charlotte DOT has rules in place to keep them organized — but some people aren’t listening.

“They’ll flip them over, they’ll knock over a whole stack. They’ll put up fresh ones at six in the morning and knock all of them over,” says South End resident Jovan Moss.

Charlotte Department of Transportation created  an ordinance to manage all the new bikes. That ordinance has parking rules.

“Bicycles need to be parked when they’re not in use, in places that are safe. They don’t obstruct our sidewalks,” say Charlotte Assistant City Manager Danny Pleasant.

You have to make sure you park your bike in a location that does not block a sidewalk. You also can’t block bus stops or loading zones. But here’s the catch, riders won’t be penalized because city leaders are waiting to adjust city codes until the experiment is over.

“Part of the reason why we’re doing a pilot program is to see what kinds of regulations we might need at the end of the pilot programs,” says Pleasant.

The bikes have GPS, so companies know exactly where they are at all times. Limebike told WCCB if a bike is parked improperly, their local team can easily find it and move it within two hours. Same with the other three companies.

Manager at Craft in South End says he won’t wait that long.

“People just come and stroll by and just drop them off where ever they want to. Sometimes I have so many bikes that don’t fit on the rack, I have to literally put them across the street or something,” say Manager at Craft Julio Bonilla.

If you want to tell the city what you think fill out the survey: http://charlottenc.gov/Transportation/Programs/Pages/BikeSharePilotProgram.aspx