JC Decaux Shortchanges Dublin on Bike Hire Deal

This story Was Dublin 'shortchanged' on free bikes and can advertising be dangerous and can citizen activism do something about the problem highlights one of the problems associated with JCDecaux's "free" bike hire scheme.

Dublin City Council recently signed a deal with advertising group JCDecaux which would see a number of advertising panels erected on the city’s streets in return for some rent-able bikes. The first of these adverts have been put up in recent days and have quickly proven to be a major traffic and pedestrian hazard...

Pedestrians, motorists and cyclists know that billboards can be dangerous if they are erected in inappropriate locations, it's Councils that don't seem to understand this (assuming they have control over where these billboards are erected which often seems unlikely).

So, what was the original deal?
Back in July 2007:

Dublin has agreed to let J C Decaux erect 120 billboards on public footpaths around the city. In return the agency will provide 500 bicycles for low rent at 25 locations. It will also supply four kiosks with public lavatories, maps and signposts. The value to Dublin is calculated at €85m.

ie, 1 bike hire facility for every 5 new billboards!

Now in July 2008:

Over the last few weeks I have noticed a number of these very large street advertisements at various locations throughout the city ...... OH! forgot to mention that there is no sign of the bicycles

Ofcourse the other point that no-one ever seems to consider is the impact these bike hire schemes have on bike hire businesses already operating in the city. If Councils would allow for the expansion of these businesses using the same sort of automated technology on public land that they are happy to provide to Adshel and JCDecaux, without the expectation of profiting to the tune of millions of dollars every year, then we would be improving the economic health of our Australian businesses, rather than destroying them.