I think Kingston is a blowhard, and I imagine I am not in the minority with that opinion, but against my better judgement I read his op ed on DallasNews and figured it would be a good topic for discussion with all the residents.

First off, having Kingston write on op ed immediately polarizes the issue because so many have strong opinions of the guy.

And starting your letter with

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Dallas needs bike-share. Our air quality is terrible -- 13th worst air quality in the nation (but our best ranking ever). Our highway and street networks are snarled, a condition that will worsen as we continue to grow. Our 33 percent obesity rate places an avoidable strain on public health resources and costs all of us money at Parkland.

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just makes me laugh.

As he points out in the article, the research will show us exactly who uses the bikes, when and where the bikes are used, but these companies aren't out to save the world. It is the all mighty dollar.

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So, the City approved a plan to treat the first several months of bike-share operation as a pilot program to gather data. During this phase, operators have deliberately deployed more bikes than they need because the only way our pilot program will miss data is if a bike isn't available when a rider wants it.

We need this rider data in order to develop reasonable rules regarding dockless operations. As a bonus, the data will also be useful for a variety of related urban decisions like revisions to DART bus routes and future housing and economic development plans.

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Which is where I thought uses were most evident...apartment to bus stop...bus stop to store...work commutes for those without a car. I don't think bike sharing is going to save the environment, but is it convenient for someone who normally walks but doesn't want to own a bike? Yes.

One last funny

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And all signs point to more ridership in the future. Ofo saw a greater than 50 percent increase in trips from December to January when it was bitterly cold.

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Anyone else think that had something to do with all the teenagers out of school biking around on "free" bikes and tossing them all around the city, like the creeks, Whiterock Lake, and other odd places? Heck, there was even a picture of some piled up and apparently lit on fire near the Katy Trail.

No one gets me worked up more than Kingston. I voted for the guy during his first term. Since then he has become one of the biggest ****** bag blowhards to ever grace Dallas politics. However, I do agree with him on a couple of issues:

1. Killing the Trinity Toll Road
2. Re-purposing Fair Park away from the State Fair

Now that that is stated this paragraph right here is classic Democrat "deplorables" and "crumbs" type of commentary:

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An unexpected side effect of the pilot program has been a growing chorus of curmudgeons, griping about the bikes. There have been some legitimate operational concerns, but mostly people just don't see the bikes as the mobility tool that they are. They call them litter or ugly. In a city beset by utility poles, vaults and advertising kiosks placed in the middle of sidewalks and a proliferation of surface lots blighting downtown, it's a little hard to take these complaints seriously. The truth is that many people complaining are really upset at what they see as lazy or inconsiderate behavior by their fellow Dallasites.

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And this one is classic big government Democrat "we know better than you so we are going to decide for you":

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The City Council will take legitimate complaints seriously, but we will also weigh complaints against the proven benefits of bike-share like improved air quality, reduced automotive congestion and increased exercise. LimeBike has served almost 70,000 users. Ofo bikes have been ridden almost 100,000 miles. The majority of rides are occurring during morning and evening rush hours, meaning that the percentage of bike rides replacing car trips is significant. The concentration of bikes will decline as the market becomes more efficient, and riders will learn better manners.

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He's insufferable.

I do like his comment here but I'm also betting he only applies it to businesses he sees as leftist favorites. He did, after all, make it his personal mission to kill a new Trump Hotel being built in downtown because of his personal hatred of Trump. Never mind what's good for the city.

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Dallas welcomes innovation-driven businesses. The new generation of city leadership has taken the approach of observing how the new businesses, from Uber to AirBnB, operate before imposing regulation. Skipping the important step of first gathering information leads to onerous regulation, stifling of business and innovation, and reduced options for citizens.

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Deats said:

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We should have done a Citibike type model with defined stations and places to leave them.

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The docked bike share/rental model was too expensive for Dallas to select. It was the preferred model, however.

Any ideas on how this has impacted brick and mortar (aka tax paying) bike rental shops such as Local Hub?

They sure have mucked up all the nice places. There were 32 of these turds between dreyfus point and buckner the other day. No one will ever show up along that stretch of WRL wanting to rent a bike