China And The Problem With Bike Sharing
We are approaching the realm of Industry 4.0, and with it all the interesting and mysterious facets that will result in a more diversified economic system. There are already markets available to explore that are offering innovative products, with engagement methods to prompt the user into experimenting further with the approaching new economy.
As times change so do the age-old beliefs about how the economy works : One person produces, the other buys and owns the product. However, many trends have shifted our belief system: material goods are no longer necessary in the shape or quantity we once believed.
Today, we see ownership as a dynamic relationship; material things remain with us for a finite amount of time. It started with the leasing of cars, allowing users to try new models and types, and has evolved into the Sharing Economy where the need to own has slowly faded away.
This economy has prompted the birth of many new businesses that provide solutions and services to the ever changing needs of our society. Globalization thrives upon the premise that somewhere else the sun never sets and therefore there is always an opportunity for profit.
Image: TPG / Getty
The need for people to share goods and services has prompted this great phenomenon of bike-sharing across the globe. Asian countries like China have embraced this wave of transportation change as an attempt to curb car use and the consequential pollution, but also to provide a relatively fast transportation method to anyone wielding a smartphone that knows how to use an app.
In 2018 the picture is grim and bikes rather than strolling down Chinese streets are piling up in junkyards. Oversupply of bicycles has resulted in entire landfills littered with yellow, red, and blue coloured bikes as the Chinese population seems to have a better affinity with the car as it provides a faster and better emancipation tool in the age of globalized economies.
Image: Reuters
In the picture below, it is initially hard to understand the context looking down at this landfill holding abandoned bikes. They look like bushes with their flowers and leaves but they are not, they are the remains of a market demand which overshot its target. Now cities in China are flooded with more junk, adding to its national precarious environmental record, one of the lowest on the planet in terms of water and air pollution.
Why is this happening? The rise of geo-startups has created a realm of services that are localized within a specific geographical region and function according to their specific goals, often aided by an app that works in parallel from a smartphone, thus empowering large numbers of users to get their hands on these bikes. This has made the bike pick up quick and easy, even allowing bikes to be returned to other stations, but still others are left on the side of the road or thrown into water canals.
This has turned a well-thought startup idea into a case of major littering. As China’s laws lacks regulation over the bike sharing industry, several companies took advantage of the situation and supplied territories with large quantities; however, this issue combined with users not accustomed or educated to this process and the lack of proper infrastructure has resulted in municipalities confiscating all unattended bikes.
Image: Yibo Wang / Shutterstock
This has prompted patches of land to be rapidly filled with abandoned bikes characterized by different colours according to their company theme. One among the many is BlueGoGo which serves Shenznen’s area just north of Hong Kong but also Guangzhou, Chengdu as of 2017 and it’s characterized by the blue and white coloured bikes.
Environmentally, this phenomenon is an ongoing disaster and apparently there’s no easy solution, especially in a country like China where there are few guidelines on these issues and pollution restrictions are historically slim. Rusting bikes with their synthetic components will decay due to the elements and leak their toxic materials into the ground, thus tainting the soil of heavy metal particles. This uncovers the darkerside of the modern economy where products can be cheaply made in high quantities when there isn’t a true need for them, having economic and environmental impacts.
Thousands of forgotten bikes are there to remind us how easy it is to massively produce what we don’t actually use or need. Much like modern stores, the endless supply of goods isn’t always the result of a direct demand by the consumer but a projection of an unregulated fast and furious financial system, which struggles to strike a balance between environmental issues and governmental responsibilities.
By Carlo Ienna, Experience Designer
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
