The Balancing Act That Bike-Share Riders Just Watch - NYTimes.com

[Tom Johnson]

An interesting piece on real-time networks, nodes and balancing node capacity.  

So how would you solved NY City's bike distribution problem?

-tj

The Balancing Act That Bike-Share Riders Just Watch
 
Michael Nagle for The New York Times
Loading bikes onto one of the box trucks can take 45 minutes, to say nothing of replenishing a station.
By MATT FLEGENHEIMER
Published: August 14, 2013 342 Comments
In its opening months, New York City’s bike share system has found itself locked in a perpetual race against its riders — to remove bikes from fully occupied stations, and to refill stations before the supply runs dry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/nyregion/the-balancing-act-that-bike-share-riders-just-watch.html

[Steve Ross]

I saw this in the NYT ... On paper ... Last week.

The root cause is a continuing software problem, one which no other city with these bike thingies has. So the city cannot fully use predictive analytics to determine when the bike racks will fill up. But the NYT in this story focuses on the moving trucks.... Amazing the NYT noticed the problem at all, as it has been happening in New York, not Kabul or Cairo (where it has been screwing up coverage of the riots as well).

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Steven S. Ross

Corporate Editor, Broadband Communities, www.bbcmag.com

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[Mark Janssen]

> An interesting piece on real-time networks, nodes and balancing node capacity.
>
> So how would you solved NY City's bike distribution problem?

Answer: Queuing Theory.

MarkJ
Tacoma, Washington

[Tom Johnson]

And how would that literally move the bikes back to where they are needed?

-tj

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[Steve Ross]

Provides a predictive schedule and better use of resources... And also helps site new racks

Sent from my iPad

Steven S. Ross

Corporate Editor, Broadband Communities, www.bbcmag.com

Facebook, Skype and LinkedIn: Editorsteve

Twitter: Editorsteve1

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[Tom Johnson]

Yeah, but it still sounds like the bikes won't move themselves.  Perhaps, though, there was an under-estimate of the number of bikes needed.

-tj

[Mark Janssen]

> And how would that literally move the bikes back to where they are needed?

Sorry I sent that message prematurely. Although queuing theory gives
you the equations for calculating how much of a resource you need so
that you can guarantee a certain level of service during the busiest
time. It isn't necessarily helpful of saying *where* those resources
should be placed. Ror that, one would have to determine the main
"sources and sinks" -- the places where riders show up needing
transport and where they most often reach their destination,
relinquishing the bikes.

[Steve Ross]

It would allow dispatch before the racks were anywhere near full. Given capacity at many sites dispatch could happen when racks are 20 percent full. Also could '' sacrifice'' a site to maximize transport efficiency clearing other sites.

(sent from mobile phone)
Steve Ross
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