So far. I forgot to point this out a couple of weeks ago. There was a nice story in the Guardian giving a one month update on the progress of the Velib program in Paris. Recall I blogged about its launch here, and expressed hope that the expectations that it would not work were wrong (I’m such an optimist). Well, the news is that it is working! The whole article (by Angelique Chrisafis) is here. A quote:
Day and night, tourists, commuters and returning party animals cruise by on the chic new machines. People have joyfully discovered the cheap new way of exercising en route to work or getting home drunk after the metro closes, hence a rush of hires after 1am. There’s a glut of bikes deposited at stands at the bottom of hills and none left at the top, as people freewheel down from the heights of Belleville and Montmartre.
(Now I’m in the mood to get out the wonderful movie “Les Triplettes Des Belleville” (or “Belleville Rendezvous” or “The Triplets of Belleville”) for an enjoyable evening.) Further:
The Green party has congratulated Parisians for leaping on a scheme that shows that protecting the environment “is not a punishment, but a delight”.
But for all the hype, has Vélib’ actually stopped people using their cars? Anecdotally, most people using the bikes are coming off public transport, seeking an alternative to bus, metro and expensive Paris taxis at night. At rail stations, so great is the rush for suburban commuters to jump on bikes rather than cram into Metro carriages that some have tried to lock up bikes on stands at night to secure them for the morning. But the increase in people cycling does seem to be boosting bike awareness and challenging the car mentality. Paris, with its wide streets, is already a better city for cyclists than London. And no, you don’t wear shorts, helmet or pollution mask; most people prefer a suit or high heels. Blase cyclists can be seen negotiating the high-speed free-for-all that is the Place de la Concorde while puffing a cigarette and calling a friend.
Ah, Paris…
There’s much more in the article (including reports of some more alarming aspects of the scheme’s success, like the increased violations of traffic rules and so forth), but on balance I’m very pleased. It’s also great to hear that only 100 bikes have been stolen – theft was one of factors expected to be a major contributor to the failure of the scheme.
It’s only been a month, so I should not break open the champagne yet, but….
Also good to hear is the news that London is looking at it! Good Ol’ Ken (the Mayor) has been reported (story by Hugh Muir, also in the Guardian) as confirming that he wants to try such a scheme. So, I ask again (as I did in the previous post)… anyone want to have a go at trying to get Major Antonio Villaraigosa to lead the way here in the USA by starting with Los Angeles?
-cvj
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Never too late!
I’d love to try it… one day…!
-cvj
I’ve just been to Paris, and I can say that the Velib system really is fantastic. We rode all along Champs Elysees all the way to Notre Dame, it was brilliant!
I know I have sort of joined late here..:-)
You might like this article in the International Herald Tribune, in the Fashion section (!) about the Velib. It seems that Velibs are not only making a hit for use, but a culture is developing around it. For example, dressing to ride the Velib is another fashion statement. Singles are meeting each other (velibataire) sharing their use of the Velibs too.
well…. an idea in a blog post does not a campaign make. But thanks.
-cvj
Always wellcome.
Perhaps a personnal experience would help you to convince your Major afterwards!
I hope this will work by the way. Congratulations on the campaign idea.
T.
I like Paris. Paris is very nice indeed. Great, in fact. I’ve not been there in a few years though. I should change that… time for a refresher… and then I’ll get to try the Velibs!
-cvj
Clifford,
I get the feeling you’ve been spending some time in Paris already ?
Did you by any chance happen to enjoy the place a little?
-T
Thomas… This is really fantastic!! Thanks!
-cvj
Hi Clifford,
very good blog.
I’m very surprised and happy that you know about the Vélib thing!
I’m from Paris, and I confirm it works.
One sees people riding Vélibs everywhere, and they are still as clean as new. Also, it doesn’t look like they get stolen, or degraded, although for all I know perhaps they are, but get replaced very fast.
An interesting side effect is that some Vélibs are more valuable than others : a Vélib at the top of a hill, say Montmartre, is very valuable because there are less of them. This makes sense : who would ride his vélib up a hill ?
So there is a regulation taking place, vans carrying Vélibs where they are needed. This regulation is currently in the process of being maximized ,but it’s pretty good already.
An interesting problem for graph theoretists !
I’d be glad to join in on the voices clamoring to Mayor Villaraigosa! Sounds like a great way to help Angelinos get around.
Only concern: what if someone steals the bike from you while riding (as is wont to happen around USC)? Do people insure bikes in the same way?
a related service: Deutsche Bahn will deliver a (not free) bicycle to you with their Call a Bike service. One of those bikes looks like this (not the best picture to see all about the bike though.. sorry).