“Public renting of bikes, as it exists all over the world, could suit the city of Reykjavík quite well,” says Daði Hall, Master student in Environment & Natural Resources. In his master thesis he discusses the costs and benefits of such bike rentals. “Experience from abroad shows that bike rentals strengthen public transport in municipalities; provided they are structured correctly,” says Hall.
Hall’s idea was born whilst working at the engineering firm Verkís and consists of creating stations where you can borrow a bike. The stations would be situated on popular spots in the most densely populated areas of the city connected to Reykjavík city buses. “You could thus bike to the central bus station (Hlemmur), return the bike there and take a bus to your destination,” explains Hall.
Hall recommends that 12 stations be put up in Reykjavík with 190 bikes with 120 of them in circulation at a time. “The basic idea is to have the stations close together and plenty of bikes. There must be vacant places to return your bike at all times,” he adds and points out that this would be ”a welcome addition for tourists to go sight-seeing in the city in an eco-friendly manner.”
“The municipality of Reykjavík is positive towards the project, but it remains to be seen whether it will be realised. Operations like this one abroad are usually run jointly by municipalities and advertising companies; but the companies that run the bus stop shelters usually run the bike rentals as well. The city of Reykjavík would have to commit to sustainable transportation and good bike lanes would of course have to be in place,” says Hall.
The benefits are unequivocal all around according to Hall as the project would lead to decreased cost in the Health care system, the quality of the atmosphere would improve and transport in the city would become much more efficient at a low cost. Hall would like to realise his dream but he does not plan on getting rich on it. “If authorities in Reykjavík decide to take this on I would like to be a part of the process. It is my civic duty to work on this project,” Hall concludes.
Supervisor: Guðmundur Freyr Úlfarsson, Professor at the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources.
