From what the paper is writing it seams they want this scheme to crash and burn.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/stor ... 02,00.html
Bicycle hire in, car spaces out in council station plan
Ursula Heger
February 24, 2010 12:00am
MORE than 190 of Brisbane's rare on-street parking spaces will be ripped up to make way for City Hall's planned bike-hire stations.
Brisbane City Council have admitted 40 car parking spaces in the CBD and 156 spaces in inner city suburbs from West End to Newstead will be lost in the installation of 50 multi-bike racks later this year.
The stations, which are designed to be within view of each other, will also be put on footpaths and in the city's Botanic Gardens and New Farm Park.
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The CityCycle bike hire scheme will give residents and tourists access to more than 2000 bikes for hire to get around inner city suburbs and the CBD.
The scheme is linked to a major funding push for cycleways across Brisbane, with more than $14.5 million invested to connect and expand the city's bikeway network last year.
But CityCycle operator JC Decaux has struggled to find suitable locations for the 150 bike racks.
A spokesman for Council said using parking spaces was part of the original plan.
The scheme would be rolled out in two stages, with the first 115 bike racks operational by the end of the year.
In the first stage, Brisbane's CBD would have 45 bike racks, 19 would be installed in Fortitude Valley, 15 in New Farm, eight in Newstead, four in Milton, Kangaroo Point and South Brisbane, seven in West End and two in St Lucia.
The CityCycle scheme, announced by the Lord Mayor in January last year, has faced criticism for being too expensive for every-day use, with some residents complaining they have not been consulted about the plans.
Hiring a bike will be free for the first half-an-hour, and just $2 for up to an hour.
But the fees can rise dramatically if users do not return the bikes, with a bill of up to $250 for people who rent the bikes for more than 24 hours.
Council has said the bikes are designed for shorter trips, with users who return the bikes to a station every half-an-hour able to ride all day for free.
Users are also able to purchase a subscription membership to the scheme.
Opposition leader Shayne Sutton said the cramped inner city could not afford to lose on-street parking spaces.
"I think we will see the loss of even more car parking spaces than what they are admitting to," she said.
"I want Campbell Newman to admit the full extent of the loss of car parking spaces in these areas, and explain to Brisbane residents how that loss of car parking is going to be managed."
Bicycle Queensland cycling development officer Andrew Demack said: "If people use it the way it is intended, then a lot of the car parks people would have used would not be needed because people will be riding bikes," he said.
But he said there were still some issues to be worked out, including closing gaps in the city's cyclepath network.
Active and Public Transport chair Cr Jane Prentice refused to respond to the issue of lost car parks, but attacked the opposition's stance on preserving CBD spaces.
). The $250 hit for 24 hour hire is designed specifically to encourage people to return the bikes quickly. So that, y'know, others can use them. Sharing and all.