I decided to compare the levels of bike share use in 12 cities. Nine of them in Europe, as well as Melbourne, Montreal and Washington, DC.
I checked the levels of usage at 08:00 AM in all the European cities (I’m including London and Dublin under that label). The morning rush hour is beginning, people are heading to work. I checked the current weather conditions, too. It’s late-autumn in Europe and morning temperatures are getting chillier.
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/10/bike-share-usage-comparisons.html
That brings us to the cities outside of Europe. In Melbourne when it’s 08:00 CET, the time is 17:00. Rush hour going home on a Friday. Prime time for bike share system use. The weather is, coincedentally, very similar to many European cities. Drizzle in London, light rain in Melbourne.
There are comparable levels of bicycle-friendly infrastructure and a general perception of ‘crazy drivers’ in Melbourne and a number of the cities on the list, which makes an even better comparison. So how is their bike share system doing? Remember, Melbourne is the only city on the list that has an all-ages, mandatory helmet law (and one of the very few places that actually enforce it.)