Something hot hit the French capital last summer. Something that turned even the most car advocates into mere cyclists. The French “vélolution” was under way. In August, Paris' socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoë launched finally launched his initiative of cheap bikes everywhere to riddle the French city. 10,000 Vélib were originally installed with that number now close to 30,000.
The so called “freedom bikes” scheme is nothing new for someone that knows France main cities, given that Lyon, Rennes and a few others started before the capital. Others have joined since then such
as Marseille, Toulouse. For only 1€ a day you can enjoy the thrill of biking in Paris, all worth every cents you spend and much cheaper in the end than a good old rollercoaster ride. It’s a bit tedious to go through the registration process from one of the street station (assuming you have a security chip on your credit card) but at least it is available to visitors, unlike in other cities such as Barcelona where only the locals get access to it.
But all in all it changed the face of Paris and of Parisian for that matter. With more and more bikes, car drivers – not to say maniacs – have shown increasing patience and even “savoir vivre”. The Vélib has also brought a sense of social networking, not just at Vélib station, or waiting at a red light but also on online blogs where Vélibists exchange tips and experiences. So during your next visit to Paris, give it a ride!
The so called “freedom bikes” scheme is nothing new for someone that knows France main cities, given that Lyon, Rennes and a few others started before the capital. Others have joined since then such
as Marseille, Toulouse. For only 1€ a day you can enjoy the thrill of biking in Paris, all worth every cents you spend and much cheaper in the end than a good old rollercoaster ride. It’s a bit tedious to go through the registration process from one of the street station (assuming you have a security chip on your credit card) but at least it is available to visitors, unlike in other cities such as Barcelona where only the locals get access to it.But all in all it changed the face of Paris and of Parisian for that matter. With more and more bikes, car drivers – not to say maniacs – have shown increasing patience and even “savoir vivre”. The Vélib has also brought a sense of social networking, not just at Vélib station, or waiting at a red light but also on online blogs where Vélibists exchange tips and experiences. So during your next visit to Paris, give it a ride!
