Cycling in Zaragoza

***alserrod*** · July 5th, 2013, 09:11 PM

Just to start... this is the new justice building made for almost all related to justice in Zaragoza, Aragón (well, this one, and another more joined)

In the middle of the picture (taken by forumer miki89) there is one public bike.

There are several stations (130 within the city) where you can take a bike with a touchless card and leave it in any other station.
Fare is about 36 euro per year and you can use these bikes all you want (but leaving it before 30 minutes)

image hosted on flickr

It was a service created in 2008 and thanks to it, and to some bike lanes in the city (even in the whole city centre) the bike use has increase too much. Not only with public bikes, mostly private ones

MrAronymous · July 5th, 2013, 09:35 PM

It has increased too much?

***alserrod*** · July 5th, 2013, 10:32 PM

I would say that before 2008 there was absolutely no cycling traffic and now it is quite common to see bikes on the streets.
Local laws have been changed, some bike lanes built (I think 130 km of lanes but let's point that they include the whole city centre too) and this service.

In 2008 the city hosted an international exhibition for 3 months related with environment and a lot of things changed there.

***alserrod*** · July 5th, 2013, 10:34 PM

By the way, this is the official webpage of the company that serves public bikes
(English version)

https://www.bizizaragoza.com/en

You can surf and reach some maps

***ikops*** · July 7th, 2013, 12:26 AM

Nice building nice bike.

***alserrod*** · July 7th, 2013, 01:17 AM

Thanks

Related to the building. It hosts absolutely all courts, tribunals and so on of Zaragoza (and some of them are regional ones). All have been moved from several buildings in city centre to these two buildings starting the May 15th of this year

Maybe this is the post with more pictures

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=618

and in that thread (sorry, not in English) you can find a lot of information.

Related to bikes, public ones are in stations like this one

image from heraldo.es a local newspaper

As you can see, they are locked in a bike station. You use a touchless card (as you can see in the image... stations have instructions in English too in the screen) and the system will say which bike you may use (number of station site) and will unlock it.

You ride the bike within half an hour, left it in another station (130 in the city and takes all city centre and some suburbs) and... the bike is not yours. This is... nobody will rob "your" bike because you have finished with it (you are responsible while you're riding but not when it is locked).

There have appeared much less vandalism that supposed with these bikes, and no robberies (have non-sense, looking at them every one knows they are public... no possible confusion).

36 euro per year and forfait. The only restriction is half an hour per journey (and wait 10 minutes between one and another journey)

This is... you can go and return to any point, make a "circle journey" (going to A, later to B and back home), etc... free, just paying the annual fee.... but cannot take it on a Sunday morning to ride for two hours in a park.

There is another issue I enjoy with this system. Sometimes I use them to go to city centre shopping. I take a bike near my home and arrive city centre. Left it and go anywhere. I take several bags and it is uncomfortable to ride a bike again. I have second thoughts... and get back by bus or tramway.
This is... should I have moved to city centre with "my bike", the return journey must be with my bike.
Should I have moved with a public bike, I can return like I would prefer.

***ikops*** · July 7th, 2013, 10:04 AM

They do not use a credit card, I hope. Because I do not use them for those kind of activities.

***alserrod*** · July 7th, 2013, 11:01 AM

They do. Your touchless card is linked to a credit card as far as the fee is charged there and it works as caution for any problem with the bike when you are using it or overuse fees

***ikops*** · July 7th, 2013, 01:41 PM

Ah, that's a pity. I never give away my details to a machine on the streets or when it is linked to another system.

***alserrod*** · July 7th, 2013, 01:51 PM

Well.... It's a public service just managed by a company.
Public transport is to be migrated to an own credit card for citizens. As many journeys (and other services like parking, museums or swimming pools) will be charged at the end of the month according to the use you had. Obviously not great quantities... But credit card

In the case of bikes, you can use a credit card linked to a bank account with no funds.
Nothing will be charged but if you have to pay anything and does not go on, you can receive a public fine.

I've been using this system since it started and no problems. They advice me when the annual fee will be charged and I forget it until next year.

I can stay two weeks without using it or having four uses in a morning

There is less less less bike culture rather than in other countries and this system increased a great deal of bike jouneys

alexandru.mircea · July 8th, 2013, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ikops

Ah, that's a pity. I never give away my details to a machine on the streets or when it is linked to another system.

Doesn't this defeat the purpose of having a bank card? Or maybe I don't understand correctly what your concern is.

***ikops*** · July 8th, 2013, 10:44 PM

There are many purposes to a card, but in the end it's a matter of personal choise whether to use them or not. I choose to not give away too much info about myself.

***alserrod*** · July 8th, 2013, 11:55 PM

Well, a local bank offers a card without credit neither amount in the account. You have to transfer money before any purchase.

But in this case it is your responsibility to have enough credit if overuse or problems with the bike, you can transfer the money later, though, because the ammount is charged at the end of the month.

It is like if an tolled motorway asks you the credit card to pay any fine. You are free to use it.

I have to say that no problems in more than five years.

First service was very reduced, costed only six euro per year and I was one of first users.

uldemolins · July 9th, 2013, 02:21 AM

In the future, Zaragoza municipal authorities plan to include personal tax information in the card for payments (bus, tram, cycling...) in order to make the payments greater or less according to the income level of the citizen. This, in my point of view, is unacceptable and a step towards the control of the individual by public and private corporations.

***alserrod*** · July 9th, 2013, 09:38 AM

It's matter of discussion and if I had to make a guess I would say that will not be applied (not because city government wants but so difficult)

Anyway, all public services cards are being migrated to this kind of card

With this card you can use the bike service (you pay once per year and unlimited) as weel as bus, tramway, parking and so on with the chip they have.
Libraries are free but for asking a book you can use this card too (you avoid to carry many cards in your pocket). They will take the bar code it appears there.

You can ask one prepayed (when you want you can charge the money you want) or post-payment (there are two banks, three in the future, that offers this card joined with a credit card so you avoid one card more in your pocket).
If post-payment, it will be charged at the end of the month. Nevertheless... should you lose it, not many money can be stolen as far as can be use only in bus, tramways... they could steal only several bus tickets.

It is said that they want to set fares according to any person incomes but it is also known that they do not have facilites to manage that information.

In any case what they are doing is asking different fares in some services to citizens and non-citizens (they set a fare if you have this card and it is available only for citizens).

In the first picture I posted it appears the first touchless card. Now they do not release them. New cards have to be asked via this global one and former cards can be migrated to the global card (and no return).

***alserrod*** · July 22nd, 2013, 02:05 PM

Zaragoza bike public service has started giving service via twitter.

Nothing new of course... but the answers are being improved indeed. Sometimes it is faster to ask them via twitter rather than email or phone and faster answer.

they send several news about service too.

Seems nothing new as said, but the number of complains about service has been decreasing in the last months.

***alserrod*** · August 1st, 2013, 05:30 PM

According to an official tweet, there are 10.000 daily journeys as average in the public bike service

***alserrod*** · August 12th, 2013, 03:00 PM

According to a social network message sent by the company, the public bike service in this city has a journey with an average of 11 min 40 sec.

I've checked my journeys in my account and several of them are quite close to that time. They are about 2 km.

***alserrod*** · October 8th, 2013, 05:58 PM

Public bike services reports 9900 uses per day in september

***alserrod*** · December 3rd, 2013, 12:24 PM

Zaragoza has opened a new bike-lane over a street last month. It is not quite long but it is very useful to link two different lane networks.

Here you have a picture taken by forumer adpg

July 5th, 2013, 10:32 PM	#3
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	I would say that before 2008 there was absolutely no cycling traffic and now it is quite common to see bikes on the streets. Local laws have been changed, some bike lanes built (I think 130 km of lanes but let's point that they include the whole city centre too) and this service. In 2008 the city hosted an international exhibition for 3 months related with environment and a lot of things changed there. __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 5th, 2013, 10:34 PM	#4
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	By the way, this is the official webpage of the company that serves public bikes (English version) https://www.bizizaragoza.com/en You can surf and reach some maps __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 7th, 2013, 01:17 AM	#6
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	Thanks Related to the building. It hosts absolutely all courts, tribunals and so on of Zaragoza (and some of them are regional ones). All have been moved from several buildings in city centre to these two buildings starting the May 15th of this year Maybe this is the post with more pictures https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=618 and in that thread (sorry, not in English) you can find a lot of information. Related to bikes, public ones are in stations like this one image from heraldo.es a local newspaper As you can see, they are locked in a bike station. You use a touchless card (as you can see in the image... stations have instructions in English too in the screen) and the system will say which bike you may use (number of station site) and will unlock it. You ride the bike within half an hour, left it in another station (130 in the city and takes all city centre and some suburbs) and... the bike is not yours. This is... nobody will rob "your" bike because you have finished with it (you are responsible while you're riding but not when it is locked). There have appeared much less vandalism that supposed with these bikes, and no robberies (have non-sense, looking at them every one knows they are public... no possible confusion). 36 euro per year and forfait. The only restriction is half an hour per journey (and wait 10 minutes between one and another journey) This is... you can go and return to any point, make a "circle journey" (going to A, later to B and back home), etc... free, just paying the annual fee.... but cannot take it on a Sunday morning to ride for two hours in a park. There is another issue I enjoy with this system. Sometimes I use them to go to city centre shopping. I take a bike near my home and arrive city centre. Left it and go anywhere. I take several bags and it is uncomfortable to ride a bike again. I have second thoughts... and get back by bus or tramway. This is... should I have moved to city centre with "my bike", the return journey must be with my bike. Should I have moved with a public bike, I can return like I would prefer. __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 7th, 2013, 11:01 AM	#8
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	They do. Your touchless card is linked to a credit card as far as the fee is charged there and it works as caution for any problem with the bike when you are using it or overuse fees __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 7th, 2013, 01:51 PM	#10
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	Well.... It's a public service just managed by a company. Public transport is to be migrated to an own credit card for citizens. As many journeys (and other services like parking, museums or swimming pools) will be charged at the end of the month according to the use you had. Obviously not great quantities... But credit card In the case of bikes, you can use a credit card linked to a bank account with no funds. Nothing will be charged but if you have to pay anything and does not go on, you can receive a public fine. I've been using this system since it started and no problems. They advice me when the annual fee will be charged and I forget it until next year. I can stay two weeks without using it or having four uses in a morning There is less less less bike culture rather than in other countries and this system increased a great deal of bike jouneys __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 5th, 2013, 09:35 PM	#2
MrAronymous Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 8,766 Likes (Received): 12390	It has increased too much?

July 7th, 2013, 12:26 AM	#5
*ikops* Supermoderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Den Haag Posts: 9,276 Likes (Received): 3054	Nice building nice bike.

July 7th, 2013, 10:04 AM	#7
*ikops* Supermoderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Den Haag Posts: 9,276 Likes (Received): 3054	They do not use a credit card, I hope. Because I do not use them for those kind of activities.

July 7th, 2013, 01:41 PM	#9
*ikops* Supermoderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Den Haag Posts: 9,276 Likes (Received): 3054	Ah, that's a pity. I never give away my details to a machine on the streets or when it is linked to another system.

July 8th, 2013, 10:44 PM	#12
*ikops* Supermoderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Den Haag Posts: 9,276 Likes (Received): 3054	There are many purposes to a card, but in the end it's a matter of personal choise whether to use them or not. I choose to not give away too much info about myself.

July 8th, 2013, 11:55 PM	#13
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	Well, a local bank offers a card without credit neither amount in the account. You have to transfer money before any purchase. But in this case it is your responsibility to have enough credit if overuse or problems with the bike, you can transfer the money later, though, because the ammount is charged at the end of the month. It is like if an tolled motorway asks you the credit card to pay any fine. You are free to use it. I have to say that no problems in more than five years. First service was very reduced, costed only six euro per year and I was one of first users. __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 9th, 2013, 02:21 AM	#14
uldemolins Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 447 Likes (Received): 299	In the future, Zaragoza municipal authorities plan to include personal tax information in the card for payments (bus, tram, cycling...) in order to make the payments greater or less according to the income level of the citizen. This, in my point of view, is unacceptable and a step towards the control of the individual by public and private corporations.

July 9th, 2013, 09:38 AM	#15
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	It's matter of discussion and if I had to make a guess I would say that will not be applied (not because city government wants but so difficult) Anyway, all public services cards are being migrated to this kind of card With this card you can use the bike service (you pay once per year and unlimited) as weel as bus, tramway, parking and so on with the chip they have. Libraries are free but for asking a book you can use this card too (you avoid to carry many cards in your pocket). They will take the bar code it appears there. You can ask one prepayed (when you want you can charge the money you want) or post-payment (there are two banks, three in the future, that offers this card joined with a credit card so you avoid one card more in your pocket). If post-payment, it will be charged at the end of the month. Nevertheless... should you lose it, not many money can be stolen as far as can be use only in bus, tramways... they could steal only several bus tickets. It is said that they want to set fares according to any person incomes but it is also known that they do not have facilites to manage that information. In any case what they are doing is asking different fares in some services to citizens and non-citizens (they set a fare if you have this card and it is available only for citizens). In the first picture I posted it appears the first touchless card. Now they do not release them. New cards have to be asked via this global one and former cards can be migrated to the global card (and no return). __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

July 22nd, 2013, 02:05 PM	#16
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	Zaragoza bike public service has started giving service via twitter. Nothing new of course... but the answers are being improved indeed. Sometimes it is faster to ask them via twitter rather than email or phone and faster answer. they send several news about service too. Seems nothing new as said, but the number of complains about service has been decreasing in the last months. __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)

August 12th, 2013, 03:00 PM	#18
*alserrod* Bienvenue à Saragosse Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zaragoza Posts: 68,383	According to a social network message sent by the company, the public bike service in this city has a journey with an average of 11 min 40 sec. I've checked my journeys in my account and several of them are quite close to that time. They are about 2 km. __________________ En esta tierra hermosa, dura y salvaje haremos un hogar y un paisaje (José A. Labordeta 1935 - 2010)