Bike Sharing: As Urban Transport Solution in a Small City

Abstract

An increasingly frequent traffic congestion and parking problems are beginning to relate to some cities in Slovakia. Smart solution could be bike sharing; this mode of public transport is very popular in the world. This shared system of bicycles has begun to emerge mostly in large cities. Bicycles address traffic congestion as they form a valid substitution for cars on short trips, contribute to the use of public transport by providing effective last-mile connectivity, and simply take up less space on the road. Foreign systems are price inaccessible to Slovak towns, so the former decided to develop own solution. As the system of shared bicycles works from 2016, it is relatively new in Slovakia. This is why this system still has some problems and deficiencies that need to be optimized. This chapter focuses on the city of Nitra, which is currently struggling with the issue of critical transport—the situation is more than serious and is getting even worse. The aim of this chapter is to point out the opportunities and constraints arising from the concept of shared bicycles in the conditions of city of Nitra. We want to support the solutions formulated by us with the opinion of the citizens of Nitra on the basis of a conducted marketing survey (431 respondents—citizens of Nitra). The results of the survey have brought important insights into improving the strategy of shared bicycles, focusing on attractiveness for citizens, and ultimately urban transport solutions.