Paris, on a Bike

Recently launching its Vélib' (from "vélo" - bike, and "liberte'" - liberty) program, Paris introduced 10,600 bikes around the city last Sunday, with plans of adding another 10,000 by the end of this year.

The process is simple, bikes are available on a daily basis (€1), weekly (€5), and annually (€29). To purchase daily and weekly subscriptions, curbside meter stations (with instructions in 8 languages) line every three to four Parisian blocks. Once there, insert a bankcard, create an access code, and then get your Vélib card. To start biking, wave the card in front of a screen at the bike stand, and type in your access code. The machine will then list the station’s available bikes. Choose a bikes, run over to it (only about a minute is allotted for this), and press the button detaching the bicycle from the stand. Returning the bikes is even more simple, take it to any station, reattach to an available stand – a beep and flash will appear signaling the bikes’s been properly locked.

The bicycles can be used unlimitedly for 30 minutes each. After which, €1 is charged for the second half hour, €2 for the third half hour, and €4 for the succeeding half hours, as to encourage rotation of the bicycles. Moreover, there’s an age limit, only those 14 years old and up can use them.

The Vélib' program was an initiative started by Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Delanoë hopes to reduce Paris’ car traffic by 40% by 2020. Since taking office in 2001, he has introduced 125 miles of bicycle paths (often at the expense of car lanes), which, some criticize as having increased congestion in the city.

Another remarkable factor about the Vélib' program is it creates income for the city. The bicycles, docking stations and maintenance are provided for by JCDacaux. In return, they get exclusive use of Paris’ 1,628 billboards. The city hopes to acquire millions of euros from rental income, while decreasing car usage and traffic, and of course, reducing fossil fuel consumption along with it.

Similar programs have already been in place in Brussels, Brussels, Copenhagen, Lyon, Helsinki, Oslo, and Vienna. Read more here.

Image copyright of Budget Travel Online amd Mairie de Paris Photo.

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