Montreal Gazette - BIXI green effect 'exaggerated'; Only two per cent of rides replace trips by car

Bixi's environmental benefits have been "grossly exaggerated," with the vast majority of trips taken on the bike-sharing service actually replacing other "green modes" of transportation, McGill University researchers have found.

Eighty-six per cent of Bixi trips replaced walking, or rides on personal bikes or public transit, according to an online survey of 1,432 Montrealers conducted this summer by researchers at McGill's School of Urban Planning. Another four per cent of trips wouldn't have been taken without Bixi.