Adventures of a CityCycle Tragic

So that is why there were no bikes at my Station!

With much fan fair and Can-Do Campbell Newman, CityCycle (Brisbane’s bike hire service) finally went live on 1st of October.

Those who know me are unfortunately all too aware of how “into” the idea of CityCycle I am. As each announcement brought it closer (all be it a year behind schedule) my excitement grew. So follow my journey from registration to riding…

On the 1st of September I logged into the webpage to register and was thrilled to get (what I thought was rare) a <1000 membership number. As each day ticked by, I eagerly awaited the release of the free helmets supplied by the Brisbane City Council. I even went along to “open days” at my local parks to get acquainted with the bikes. I was truly a CCT (CityCycle Tragic).

Such mellow hues.

Two weeks to go and helmets were rolled out at libraries. 2000 free helmets of which 500 would go to public users.  I formulated a plan to ensure (hopefully) that I would get my helmet. Rather than fight the swarming hordes lining up at the Brisbane Square Library on Day One of  release, I would craftily go to my local library (New Farm) straight after work on the Tuesday, as they are closed Monday. I just had to hope that all the people who missed out at the BSL wouldn’t hightail it to New Farm and nab all the helmets before I could get there.

Tuesday rolled around. I left work super early, rocking up shortly before 5pm, card in hand to collect. Would I be in time? I see behind the counter a helmet on a box – YES ONE LEFT!

Turned out I was the first person who had come in for a helmet. #embarrassedpanda

#78 still looks exactly the same

Now, with bright yellow helmet in hand (well actually in bright yellow backsling) all I had to do was wait for the 1st of October, and hope that my closest Station (#78) would be finished in time – the day before it wasn’t looking good, but no worry, there were two that looked ready to go (sans bikes) on James Street (#59 & #77). On the 30th of September I call to confirm that my stations on James St would be live from 5am. Yes!

Attempt 1:
5.05am I am up!
5.15am I am at James Street looking for bikes. I am feeling remarkably lazy for someone about to go cycling, so I walk down the incline to #59 just past the Palace. No bikes. I walk back up James St to #77. No bikes.  I call the CityCycle helpdesk – Message Service. #unamusedpanda
7.30am I leave for work, still no bikes at #59 & #77. 10.30am Station #77 officially goes live on their webpage – but no bikes. 2.30pm Station #77 has bikes!

¿dónde están las bicicletas?

Even though I had no luck with Attempt #1 to ride I am unperturbed by this setback. I am excited to get home, change and use CityCycle to get to a birthday dinner at Hill End before a catch up at Southbank. According to the foldout map, Station #105 is just across the road from the restaurant. With more and more stations going live throughout the day, and CityCycle assuring us that there would be 500 bikes on the road I am confident, CityCycle Tragic that I am, that it will be ready.

Attempt 2:
I wrap gift in basket friendly manner. I check webpage to make sure Station #105 is live. Station is White (planned, in construction, or built CityCycle station) , not Red (Open and operating CityCycle station). I call CityCycle. No, not active – not actually built yet.

Ooookaaaaay.

No, I can work with this. I will DRIVE to Hill End, but take my helmet with me so I can drive to West End Markets (Station #112) and then cycle to one of the many Stations (#94, #95, #97, #100) in and around Southbank.

Attempt 3:
After a fantastic dinner, I ask my friend who lives across the road of the West End Markets if there were many bikes there. After seeing the look on her, I ask if it is actually built. Nope. No matter! The CityCycle Tragic knows there is a way around this! I will drive to another Station, then cycle to Southbank! I farewell my friends who are going to catch the bus to Southbank, but not me, I have my helmet and my CityCycle Card! Before I jump in the car, I look up the site again, and see that Stations, #94, #95, #97 and #100 are White (inactive). I couldn’t believe that one of the busiest parts of Brisbane wasn’t live.  In the end I just drove there.

Attempt 4:
It is now Day 2 of CityCycle and I still haven’t ridden one of the bloody things. I plan to jump on at #77 (working station on James St) and cycle to Merthyr Village (Station #82) to do some light shopping. Learning from last night’s errors I check the webpage.  White. Really!?!?! Merthyr isn’t operating?
I have decided that this is a conspiracy, but that I will NOT be defeated. I know from my introduction to the bikes that they have a lock – so I will ride to Merthyr, lock it manually, ride it back – and if I need to, I can check it in at a live Station I have found around half way.
I stroll to #77. Decide on my bike, wipe off the rain with my shirt (making mental note that I need to carry a teeny towel) and stride up to swipe my card.
I swipe.
I swipe again.
I place it up against the yellow section of the machine.
Nothing.
Screen is black.
I call CityCycle.
After much discussion, it is decided that the monitor must be broken. They will get someone to fix it.

I will prevail!  I walk home. Find a live Station (#65) that will be easy to park at and also let me have a nice ride, jump in the car and drive off into Teneriffe. It should be noted that I could have walked to Merthyr by now.

Attempt 5.
I arrive at Station #55.
I swipe.
I swipe again.
I place card up against reader.
I put ear to side of machine to hear the whirling of a computer fan or like.
I swipe in slow motion.
Nothing.
Screen is black.
I call CityCycle. This one must be down too – they will send a technician. I ask for the location of another Station and the lovely Sasha who has been dealing with me all morning suggests #70 – Macquarie Street as it is ABSOLUTELY working – there has been hiring and returns.

Attempt 6:
I jump in my car, find a park near the  Station #70, grab my helmet and card, check my enthusiasm is still intact and go!
Things are looking up – as I can see, from a distance, that the screen is on! There is a slight skip in my step as I stride to the racks and pick my bike.
I swipe.
I swipe again.
I place my card up against the reader.
I say a little prayer to the St Cyclus, the Patron Saint of Cyclists.
I swipe in slow motion.
The welcome screen remains welcoming.

I laughingly call CityCycle again. Poor Sasha, but as there were less than 600 members last time I saw a figure (Thursday) I figure they have a fair bit of free time at the Call Centre.

Step by step we go through the motions.

Conclusion? Card must be faulty. She will put in a request and get one printed on Monday. #sadpanda For those of you who have seen the log in screen, there is a code for casual users, I ask if I can have one of them as I have a picnic in the Botanical Gardens on Sunday. Solution? She will get me a new card printed now, and as she knows I live one street over from their office, she will buzz me in and give it to me personally. GO SASHA!

I still haven’t ridden a bike, but at last we, hopefully, have a solution. I pick up my new card en route to the Gold Coast, with the intention of riding when I get home.

Attempt 7:
It is 4.30pm and the rain has finally stopped. I have checked the webpage again, and Merthyr (#82) is now Red! It is ON! I walk down to #77. I can see the screen working!
I pick a bike (the same one I picked this morning).
I swipe.
OMG IT WORKS!
I agree to terms and conditions and go grab my bike.
It doesn’t move.
I try again.
Still locked.
I try the trick a friend told me – push it forward then pull it back – nothing.
Hi CityCycle – Can you please help me?
We pick another bike (just in case) and I swipe, grab the bike and it releases. That mechanism might be stuck (read “we will send our poor technician out to check it”)
I FINALLY HAVE A BIKE!

Now as I haven’t ridden in some 10 years (exercise bikes while watching TV don’t count it seems) I have picked a nice, not too hilly, non-busy, indirect route to Merthyr Village.

I AM RIDING!
At last I am finally MAXTREMEPT!
It starts to rain lightly.
It starts to rain not so lightly (but the CityCycle Tragic does not turn back!).
I reach the first hill.
I go to change gears.
They don’t. 2nd gear clicks and jolts, and 1st just spins. This is going to be an interesting ride. I try to change gears again (you do this by rotating the grip on the right hand). Nope. Third gear it is. The last hill leaves me remembering just how terribly unused to cycling I am, but I am at Merthyr Village and I lock my bike in first try.

After buying the one item I went through all of this for, I have a 5 min sit down and am pleased to see that the rain has stopped. I head back to Station #82.

Station #82: All Bike - No Action.

Attempt 8:
I swipe.
I swipe again.
Screen IS working.
I swipe in slow motion.
I place card up against reader.
I have an audience.
Another rider comes up.
He swipes.
He swipes again.
He swipes in slow motion (HA! Not just me).
He tells me that he couldn’t get a bike here earlier either so had to walk to the CityCat stop at New Farm Park.
Laughing, I hit redial.
“Hi CityCycle, it’s Tae again!”
I inform them that the reader is broken – they will send a technician out.

I stroll to Station #84 on advice of fellow rider, walking past the non-operational #83.

Attempt 9:
I twitterwalk past the shrubbery to see that the CityCat has just unloaded and there is a crowd of people looking at the CityCycles at #84, reading the flyers and playing with the monitor.
No pressure…
I pick a bike and adjust the seat and BOOM. I am bombarded with questions. I answer honestly but positively.
I go to swipe but can’t get to the machine as a group of 7 people have more questions for me.
I go to swipe, hoping that Saint Cyclus is watching over me.
I have cycle!
I do the front back trick and get my bike out.
PHEW!

Farewelling my audience I ride off along the riverfront – as I have decided that rather than ride back along the roads I will head along the RiverWalk to the Teneriffe CityCat Terminal then scoot up Commercial Road avoiding any and every hill I can. Feeling lucky, I go to change gears. Flawless.

It has taken 9 tries, but I am finally riding, really riding, without a problem. Ringing my bell as I go. Hearing people say “CityCycle” as I woosh past. It starts to get dark and I see that my lights are on as I catch my yellow helmeted reflection in the glass of the Powerhouse. I have a big smile on my face. THIS is what it is all about. Cycling instead of driving or catching the bus all while enjoying the quality of life in the RiverCity.

Pluses:
When it works, it is remarkably simple to nab a bike.
Great customer service!
Sturdy but not too heavy.
Automatic lights.
Very cheap on a yearly subscription.

Minuses:
Some stations are designed poorly – quite a distance from machine to last bikes (Station #84 at New Farm Park CityCat Terminal).
Their webpage http://www.citycycle.com.au/ is terrible.
Their iPhone/iPod only works on OSX 4+ so older models can’t use it.
So many teething problems.
As yet not casual user option (I could be wrong there).

There is a LOT more White than Red.

Will it work? I really hope it does. As I write this, Station #7o on Macquarie St that was working this morning, is currently off line, so they are still undergoing a large number of technical difficulties.

I will say though, that last one good ride made up for those misfired attempts. I can’t wait to use it tomorrow! (I am really hoping I don’t have any more problems) I have never ridden along the RiverWalk in the City (though I am not looking forward to riding up Malt St – I foresee pushing a bike uphill in my future).  I must admit that their customer service was excellent – being in an early adopter has its perks as there was never any waiting to get to speak to someone.

What CityCycle needs now are 500 CityCycle Tragics, who tell all their friends to signup and to take any hiccups with a grain of salt (which they can carry around in their bright yellow backslings with their sense of humour).

It is pretty good now (when it all works), but can you imagine when all the stations are live?  It will be so convenient. Perfect for most of the year and just what this city needs.

#twopandas (but I think it will settle into a solid #threepandas)

UPDATE – Day 3 of CityCycle (October 3rd). Still only 1 (#77) of 3 stations within close walking distance is operational. Macquarie St (#70) is still experiencing technical difficulties. Overnight, the bikes weren’t relocated – CityCat New Farm (#84) still only has 2 available bikes on it. I can’t tell if Merthyr (#82) is working, but there are the same number of free spaces as yesterday (5). Lucky it is raining right now and people aren’t riding.