Is finding bike parking a problem there? If not, why does it matter? "Abusing" is a strong word. How about "using them for what they were made to do without breaking any law or social contract".
In certain places it can be hard to find bike parking, especially if there are few to no racks and you have to lock to fences, parking meters, signs etc. However, if the bike shares are frequently being used then I don't see a reason why they can't use the same locking infrastructure as private bikes. If they are largely sitting unused and occupying the space semi-permanently then I would have an issue.
However, most cars sit idle much of the time occupying much more limited car parking space on the sides of roads and rarely does anyone complain. In fact, they insist it is a right to use up the public space to park their private car.
Yes. It's abuse because Uber presumably have a lot of bikes they would like to inject into the system. Every bike displaces one available parking spot.
Suppose there's a small town with one bike lot at the library. Everyone keeps their bike at home except to go to the library. Does the use of those bike spots affect the public? Yes.
Would it be okay if Enterprise Car Rental used public spaces to hold their inventory? No. That's not how rental companies work.
Perhaps there is no law, but I expect that to last about ten seconds after Uber pulls this stunt.
> Would it be okay if Enterprise Car Rental used public spaces to hold their inventory? No. That's not how rental companies work.
That’s exactly how car sharing works in my city. Originally they had designated spaces, but after a year or so they switched to allowing you to park in any public parking space (and some private) within the city center.
That differs from city to city, sometimes even smaller than that.
Personally, one of the reasons I don't bother to use my bike very much is that the bike racks near my undergraduate institution's lecture buildings - but not their counterparts anywhere else in this city - are almost constantly packed to the brim.
The parking spaces are meant to be used as a public good. Uber is taking this space and using it as commercial storage.
It's the same as if someone shoes up to a public beach and starts laying towels and beach chairs everywhere, and then charges people to use the beach chairs. Or if someone started using water fountains to fill up water bottles to sell at the park.
There's a pretty common notion that if you're using a public good to make money, there's some expectation of money changing hands. An expectation beyond those when things are just for personal use.
