Vélib’
On July 15, 2007 Paris debuted the world's largest self-service "bicycle transit system" called Vélib outdoing previously designed bike share programs. Vélib is a balance of scale and functionality, clocking in with more than 20,000 bikes, and 1,451 docking stations, which are never more than 1,000 feet apart. As a result, Vélib is effectively a new form of public transportation that has generated more than 25 million new bicycle trips in its first year, 10% of which substitute former car trips.Today the program celebrates its first anniversary. And, throughout the year cities across the globe have kept a close eye on the progress of this environmentally-friendly public transportation mode. Overall, bike-share programs have proven to increase public transportation options at a relatively low cost to the city. Any registered user can "borrow" a bike from a station for a nominal fee and return it to any other station in the system. In Paris, Vélib has saved the city 10 million km in car trips, roughly equal to $10 million in savings. With 200,000 Parisians paying the city $50 each for an annual Velib pass, this has yielded an additional $10 million in revenues. Beyond economics, Paris has seen tremendous traffic calming and air quality benefits from this public bicycle system. Here in the States, a bike share program is about to kick off in Washington DC, and Chicago and San Francisco are in the process of implementation as well. Last week The New York City Department of Transportation announced its plans to examine the possibility of creating a bike share program. In April, I had the chance to visit Paris with Transportation Alternatives' Caroline Samponaro to learn about Vélib. Check out this video to get a picture of it yourself. Oh, and Happy Birthday Vélib!
what about helmets? how many ghost bikes are there in paris?
Call me a dope, but now I know the origin of the word Velib.
No helmets with the bikes--bring your own if you want. But, I can say that riding Velib in Prais I felt far safer than riding in Philly or Baltimore... except for when I decided to circle the Place de la Concorde with the cars (imagine Philly City Hall without traffic lanes). I lived in the far north of Paris and there was a protected bike lane all the way to the center of Paris where there is good protected bike coverage too. I rode during the day and at night. Even in Montmartre where there weren't many bike lanes I felt safe because traffic was relatively low. I think Paris has done a good job of putting in separated lanes where there is traffic making the 'need' for helmets much less. But, I fall firmly on the side of "wear a helmet if you want to, but a mass biking system will only happen when people don't feel they need to wear helmets." Also, for statistics, I know that France as a whole has far fewer bike accidents per ride than the U.S. Not sure I can compare Paris to any other city. I know John Pucher (http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/) had some statistics about it.
Great video. I'm a huge fan of the helmet cam. I think you should produce a bicycle version of C'était un Rendez-vous next time you're in Paris.
What a great video! I tried bike sharing in Vienna, which is a much smaller system, but it seems great. Looking forward to using it in the USA!
Well Clarence, velib comes directly from the words velo (Bicycle) + liberte (Freedom). I tried to show this in the intro of the video. As for the helmet question lrask - maybe this is just something you want to work on inventing? Self-service bikes might work well with self-service helmets...whatever it is, I really hope those cities who are considering public bike programs get creative with the helmet question instead of using it as an easy excuse.
Great video, will circulate. As for helmets, just take a look at http://www.cyclehelmets.org/ then make your own mind up!
I'm sure people will take offense, but I'm getting extremely tired of the helmet issue. Stop mirroring the US situation to bicycle friendly countries and cities elsewhere, educate yourself (thanks Elizabeth, now I don't have to post that link) and try to liberate yourself from the 'cycling is dangerous' mindset.
It's really remarkable what the Velib' program has accomplished in just one year. And really, Parisiens were hardly overall friendly to the idea of giving up space to the bicycle. Anything is possible if there's will and sustained policy/planning. I'd know, I'm from Amsterdam.
cheers
While I feel a bit safer wearing a helmet I know it won't save me if a truck runs me over. Helmets provide minimal protection in minor incidents. Most cyclist ending up in ERs have broken spines, necks, crushed bones, burst internal organs. The problem in USA is not "not wearing a helmet" but it's "not having safe space for cycling" and "not enough punishment for drivers for hurting cyclists and pedestrians".
A.