The following is a guest essay from my sister, Margie Rynn, who has lived in Paris for seven years.
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It took me awhile to be willing to try Velib', the new rent-a-bike program now available all over the streets of Paris.
I love the idea: anyone can pick up a bike at any metro station or anywhere there's a "borne" (stand) of bikes, ride around for half an hour, and then leave it at any Velib' stand. That first half hour is free, and not only that, the bikes themselves are extremely cool, a sort of futuristic über-bike that makes you feel like there is nothing more high-tech and advanced than a bicycle.
For me, though, there was a problem: traffic. I have nothing against Parisians in general, but once they get into a car, these otherwise reasonable people become a hoard of aggressive louts with little concern for the lives of their fellow men, women, and children. Merely driving in this city sends me into a state of extreme anxiety; now you are expecting me to ride a bike?
The program went into effect while everyone was on summer vacation. When we came back ... quelle suprise. Everywhere hip urbanites were scrambling to mount a silvery Velib' saddle. Suddenly, bike riding -- an activity once relegated to idealistic fools and old men in berets -- was utterly cool. Men in business suits, women in stiletto boots, and teenagers in strategically weathered jeans were proudly sailing through traffic, hair flowing in the wind. (Of course no one is wearing a helmet. That would mess up the hairdo.)
So to recap: now thousands of people are willingly taking their lives into their hands every day, riding through crazy traffic on bikes, helmet-less. And what's more, they look like they are having fun. So much fun that I really, really wanted to try.
After giving myself a million reasons why it was better to walk from Gare du Austerlitz to Luxembourg (This is a walker's city. I'll be there in a matter of minutes!), I spied a stand on a quiet street filled with glistening bikes. My feet hurt. There was no one around. No one to breathe over my shoulder as I tried to figure out how to use the machine that unlocks your bike.
I slipped in my credit card. I followed the instructions. The green light started blinking. It was too late to turn back. I detached the incredibly heavy two-wheeler from its post, and sallied forth.
Lo and behold, it was wonderful. At first I carefully stuck to the small streets, but after a few minutes I was charging along a bus lane on Blvd. St.-Michel. Maybe it was the weight of the bike, or the glamour of it all, or the sheer joy of riding around the streets of Paris without being a slave to public transportation, but I forgot about my fear and before I knew it I was on the Île de la Cité, figuring out where to have lunch in the Marais.
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Comments
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Biodiversivist Posted 1:35 pm
05 Oct 2007
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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kjmiller Posted 1:41 pm
05 Oct 2007
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Ron Steenblik Posted 3:22 pm
05 Oct 2007
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Delay And Deny Posted 10:28 pm
05 Oct 2007
Forget bi-pedaling Frogs.
Here in Kent Washington we're mounting a huge 30 year master plan for bicycle oriented construction.
Case in point, on Thursday I thought I would "save time" by being lazy and driving to work -- I ended up in the worst traffic jam of the year just a mile from my home.
That's it I said, even if the rainy season has begun, I'm taking the bike -- and I did today and it was great. Breezed to work and by passed all the traffic.
There is nothing more fun than weaving around immobilized autos -- their bland eyed drivers staring in pre-caffinated blankitude.
John Bailo
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brilloyobbo Posted 12:30 am
06 Oct 2007
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Delay And Deny Posted 6:56 am
06 Oct 2007
How good are these bikes?
They look like the kind that used to have that 3-speed thumb activated "transmission" on the rear hub.
Can they go uphill?
Are they heavy?
How often are they maintained?
When are the brakes adjusted? The spokes and rims trued? Do they have lights? Are the batteries tested and changed for night riding?
I really can't imagine they'd be as enjoyable to ride as my Trek 7000. I do maintainance on it almost every time I ride to make sure the wheels are true and so on.
For me, what would be more helpful than public bikes is free public bike racks with locks (that are also free).
One of the biggest pains is going from store to store and having to chain up my bike at each location (I'm a former New Yorker, so I make sure to chain front tire, rear tire and frame).
John Bailo
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Colin Wright Posted 1:03 pm
06 Oct 2007
I wonder if this plan could work in the U.S. (or are there any successful programs already?). I suspect the bikes would be vandalized at night. And the bikes look a tad unmanly for the American Male. Maybe a selection of bikes would be better?
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PolluteLessDotCom Posted 9:41 pm
06 Oct 2007
First of all, they need to be designed to fit a wide variety of body types, ideally with no adjustments. They need to be good enough to get from A to B. If they are so great that you would like to keep it than some people would keep them. Ever thought about why salt and pepper dispensers (or anything else that can be taken away easily) at restaurants without much supervision are so ugly? Theft protection or at least discouragement. Ugly bikes get stolen less often, although I cannot speak for NY city. In Europe many people ride bikes that would end up on dumps here in the USA for a good reason. They can still be used and they are at the train/bus station when you return to pick them up to ride home. You are supposed to be comfortable enough to move, not comfortable enough to do a serious work-out without damaging your joints. Folks who want to do that, already have their own bike. This is for tourists, or those who occasionally need a bike.
Secondly, they need to be simple to keep maintenance costs to a absolute minimum. Most Europeans I know still laugh at those who ride a full-suspension MTB or any bicycle that cost more than $200 for in-the-city commuting.
Anything adjustable can be mis-adjusted. Anything that moves needs some sort of lubrication. Lighting systems, if they are installed, are operated by generators, not batteries. Finding one of those generators is difficult in the USA, they are all over the place in Europe. Maintenance free and sturdy. Seems the bikes in the picture have hub generators.
Of course they "can" go uphill. The shifter you see could be 3-speed, but most likely is 5 or even 7-speed. They can handle what needs to be handled in most large cities. It would not work in San Francisco I am certain. My mother has one of those 5-speed transmissions (again basically maintenance free) on her bike and she is fine with it for over a decade. She is over 60 now.
Don't forget: Most bicycles used for transportation on this planet are very different than what you can sell to most North Americans. Few gears, one brake, heavy, simple, sturdy, easy and inexpensive to fix. The American MTB is great as a piece of sports equipment, but over-kill in most situations in a city.
I assume there is a structure in place that maintains those bikes whenever they need maintenance. But I am certain those bikes are not in as good shape as personal bikes.
Very true, public bike racks are rare here. That would be a expense that should be tax-payer supported. There should be money found for this in a nation that cares about the environment and wants to support clean transportation.
By the way, a very similar system is in place in Munich, Germany for a while now. Seems to work. Bikes are orange ugly things, but using them is not free I believe. You pay and get unlock combination online.
Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com
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Ron Steenblik Posted 12:45 am
07 Oct 2007
They are not meant for touring (except on a small scale, by tourists), but for transport.
All I can add is that nothing succeeds like success. The results of Velib' have been nothing short of phenomenal. Below I wrote that they have doubled or trebled the number of bikes on Paris streets. This weekend (with glorious autumn summer days), I'd have to re-estimate that ratio to five-fold.
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Margie Rynn Posted 10:18 pm
07 Oct 2007
Actually, it's not clear tourists can use them because in theory, your credit card has to have a chip in order to use the machine that unlocks the bike. Rumor has it that the city is trying to come up with a solution for tourists.
The bikes seem to be sturdy as tanks. I've encountered some broken ones, but they are regularly maintained so so far, it's not a problem. You have to put a 150 euro deposit on your credit card to use the bikes, so if you steal it, you pay.
I also heard a rumor that there are vague plans for a similar system in Chicago and New York. Anyone else heard about this?
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Margie Rynn Posted 10:21 pm
07 Oct 2007
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Margie Rynn Posted 10:28 pm
07 Oct 2007
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dl Posted 12:34 am
08 Oct 2007
So yes, climbing hills is not difficult at all, although a common complaint is that all the stations are empty at the top of the hills like Butte Chaumont and Montmartre, and they're all full at the bottom -- no bothers to ride them back up.
The brakes are built into the fore and rear drums (another design constraint was to have as few visible moving parts as possible, to minimise damage and vandalism). I have yet to encounter a bike with a brakes problem. I did take one bike with a broken gear cable, which left it stuck in first gear, hence just about useless on the flats.
Spokes and rims seem fine: haven't really felt any bad vibrations. The bikes have white LED headlights and tail lights (the latter behind a red cat's eye) that are always on from the first turn of the pedal, and stay on for about two minutes after you stop.
There is a maintenance barge parked on the Seine. Small LPG-powered vans with trailers run around the city performing manual station-to-station reprovisioning, and picking up the broken bicycles. The latter are dropped off at the barge and repaired. Another crew of maintenance workers on bikes cycle among the stations performing small on-the-spot repairs, like replacing inner tubes.
The bikes are pretty heavy, about 23kg, when regular city bikes tend to come in around 20-21kg. But with the gearing the way it is, the weight doesn't really pose a problem.
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Stella611 Posted 5:45 pm
09 Oct 2007
I've tried it a couple of times, despite my traffic phobias, and was pleasantly surprised at how easy they are to ride - the weight is not really an issue and there are some nifty features like a lovely front basket and powerful generator powered bicycle light which keeps you pretty visible in all weather conditions.
The only thing that has kept me from becoming a regular user so far is that I've been caught out twice late at night trying to find a "parking spot" near home, only to find all the bicycle racks full. However more bicycle stands are popping up every week and once the authorities get a better feel for bicycle use patterns, I'm hoping they'll know how to keep some open spaces in some of the more residential areas (many people, like me, seem to like to use the Vélib as an alternative to late-night taxis).
All in all, I really have to hand it to our current mayor, his urban transportation plan has radically changed the face of many parts of Paris; since his arrival there has been a general overhaul of main thoroughfares, the creation of many bus/bike/taxi lanes, widening of pavements to accommodate pedestrian traffic, etc. This city of walkers has become even more liveable.
As for exporting this idea, the mayor of Chicago was over here recently to figure out how to implement the Vélib scheme in the Windy city.
"A saint is a sinner who never stops trying". - Yogananda
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David Rynn Posted 3:15 am
10 Oct 2007
By the way, for you Parisian types or those interested in Paris check out more of Margie's writings at her blog...
www.useless-paris.blogspot.com/
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greenjoe Posted 7:21 am
18 Oct 2007
www.greenjoe.com
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