DC's topography includes a hill that surrounds the city and it creates a natural line of where some bicyclists stop and opt for using the bus or metro. If some of the SmartBikes were placed above the hill, there would be more people who'd use them simply because its faster to ride them down hill rather than uphill.

So in many ways by placing them in the downtown area the SmartBikes seen more oriented toward tourists than actual residents, yet I doubt few tourists will go through the registration process before visiting the city. I think they should have used the Paris model and placed the racks at most of the Metro stops first instead of going small and hoping it will grow.

As to the commenter about the lack of baskets, you are slightly right. They have a spot on the front that is a wanna-be basket. Instead of installing an actual basket on the front or back of the bicycles, they are using a bungy cord that wraps around the front. I expect these to break first!

I am debating whether I'll get a SmartBike pass just so I can make a humorous video called "Doing Dumb Things on a SmartBike."

How is anyone going to reasonably expect to find a bike when they need one in DC if there are only 150 (or even several hundred after expansion)? It seems a typically American half-assed approach to trying something new and if it fails it will become the raison de ne pas etre for would-be systems elsewhere in the country.

As far as placing bikes at transportation hubs, that's an obvious starting point. However the allure of a program like this is for bikes to be available almost anywhere in the city, making impromptu trips from any point A to any point B actually feasible.. and easy. Easy is key.

Users of these facilities should be able to rent bikes upon arrival in the city, rather than having to get on the subway. It would be a particularly good alternative for those coming in from the suburbs and working in Lower Manhattan.

Most significantly, there is no locking mechanism on the bikes. The Velib' bikes have built in cable locks, with keys. You lock the cable into the bike (around a pole, or through the wheels) and the keys are released. In this system, you must return your bike to a machine, or use your own lock. I'm not sure what someone would do with a rental bike for 3 hours without locking it, that would be very utilitarian.

Which brings me to the next criticism, which is this 3-hour maximum. Velib' uses a 30-minute allowance without a fee. (There is always a daily, weekly, or annual fee or deposit). This DC system does not encourage a very efficient use of bikes, they seem to be there for the sake of having a system. With locks you would be able to make a long round trip, at least.

Finally, the Velib' system does allow instant rentals, without registration. Even in Stockholm, one is required to sign up at a kiosk to get a card. Velib' uses printed receipts with numbers (for short term) or contact-less smartcards for long term (can be combined with the public transport smart card). I believe one reason that DC cannot do this is the credit card system in the United States is less secure. Europe uses a bank-card system with pin numbers on all cards, and gold-chip security. The US uses a signature system with credit cards, making machines less useful.

In Paris, though, even the process for a yearly Velib' card is onerous, requiring a mailed in form, with a check for the deposit (about 200 euros). The daily/weekly rentals can be purchased at the station, but they will take the 200 euro from your bank account until the rental period is over (or you terminate it prematurely).

Also, the JCDecaux Velib' bikes are more fun to ride, and don't have the tiny front wheels. But they're both fun.

Enjoy it, DC!