Sunday, January 4, 2009

Velib in Paris

Samantha Brown was just touring Paris and she had a short bit on the new Velib project in Paris. While I realize this wouldn't be practical in a lot of American cities, given that we are not bicycle friendly in the least bit most of the time, this is a fascinating idea.

Think about it. The city is approximately 65 square miles, give or take. There is a Velib station every 900 ft, max, from the next. It costs approximately $40 a year for a pass. Any trip less than 25 minutes is free, and it's about $1 for each half hour after that. So, if you work 20 minutes from your home, it would only be $40 a *year* to travel to and from work. You wouldn't need to drive your car, and in some situations you'd get to work faster.

Anyway, watch the video. The Wiki for it is here.

No comments: