Another Etiquette Question

[KelOnWheels]

Keep on keepin’ on, fancy key haver. They got there first.

[Steve]

I am not a CaBi member and had lots of anxiety about this when getting to a station with my wife and only two bikes left. For two people to use the kiosk, it takes a few minutes, and I was very worried that a key haver would come take one of them.

I think if people are clearly lined up trying to use the kiosk, then you have to let them have the bikes. It’s just common decency.

[eminva]

I know not all daily users are tourists, but I would put this in the category of things I have done over my 28 years in Washington to help visitors feel welcome here. I would let them have first dibs on the bike and offer to help with check out process, directions, etc.

Liz

[jrenaut]

Tim, stop trolling for drama. Or get better at it.

What if the tourist DOESN’T HAVE A HELMET?

[Tim Kelley]

@jrenaut 59083 wrote:

Tim, stop trolling for drama. Or get better at it.

But these are the types of esoteric questions of morality we grapple with on a daily basis at the BikeArlington headquarters to relieve our dreadful summer ennui….

[jrenaut]

@Tim Kelley 59084 wrote:

But these are the types of esoteric questions of morality we grapple with on a daily basis at the BikeArlington headquarters to relieve our dreadful summer ennui….

If you’re bored, you should go for a bike ride.

[Tim Kelley]

@jrenaut 59085 wrote:

If you’re bored, you should go for a bike ride.

Done!

But seriously though–we’ve seen these types of etiquette questions pop up from time to time. I’m glad to see that most everyone on the forum here are very nice people.

[KLizotte]

@KelOnWheels 59077 wrote:

Keep on keepin’ on, fancy key haver. They got there first.

+1

[PotomacCyclist]

I use CaBi frequently (although not too often for bike commuting) and I’ve never seen anyone waiting at an empty station for a bike. Probably because I try not to ride during rush hour that often. I had honestly never thought about this issue. And since I tend not to bike-commute in the morning on CaBi, I probably won’t run into this situation in the future.

The more common problem when riding to downtown D.C. is seeing a completely full station.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@eminva 59080 wrote:

I know not all daily users are tourists, but I would put this in the category of things I have done over my 28 years in Washington to help visitors feel welcome here. I would let them have first dibs on the bike and offer to help with check out process, directions, etc.

Liz

Liz is clearly the nicest person on the internets.

[Steve]

@eminva 59080 wrote:

things I have done over my 28 years in Washington

I didn’t know you were born here.

[acc]

@Tim Kelley 59074 wrote:

Since the last one got so many good responses here’s another one:

You are a key holding annual member and are walking up to a station with one bike left in it. You notice someone at the kiosk of the station who is putting in their credit card to get a code to check out the bike as a casual user.

So, do you take out the last remaining bike at the dock with your key, even though there is someone else who has already started the slower check out process, or do you wait/move on to another station?

Well geez, I’m gonna get caught. So, duh. I mean if I wasn’t going to be seen that’s an entirely different situation.

[PotomacCyclist]

I finally arrived at a full station at the same time as another rider. But no conflict or tough decision was involved. Neither of us could dock our bike. I did arrive ten seconds before the other person but no docks were open.

I was calm because I saw a CaBi rebalancing van a couple blocks away and followed it to downtown DC. So I knew that spaces were likely to open up shortly. The CaBi employee parked the van and removed two bikes from the station. Perfect. A third rider showed up. He would probably get an open dock in 30 seconds.

Then when I walked into the office, I learned that all of my CaBi promoting has had an effect. One guy told me that he just downloaded the SpotCycle app and that he was going to sign up as a CaBi member soon. I talk up CaBi very frequently, both with co-workers and with tourists that I meet at CaBi stations. I don’t know how many have become members as a result, but I like to think that more than a few have. Am I eligible for a commission?

[Author]

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