Cyclists in Paris
And I don’t mean the Tour de France! Bicycling in the streets of Paris has doubled in popularity since the new millennium thanks to bicycle paths, (370 km worth and counting), that have sprouted up throughout the city. Well you haven’t seen anything yet! Starting this summer there will be nearly 750 stations where you can rent a bike at one place and drop it off at another.
The goal from city government is to have 1,451 stations and 20,600 bikes in operation by the end of the year! They envision a station about every 300 metres (328 yds). The service will be available 24/7 which is a blessing all its own. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run through the passageways in the Métro trying to catch that final connection, only to learn that I missed my last train going home! Well now there’s another way besides taking a taxis.
This is a great idea, not only will it bring the pollution down in the city, but it’ll also be a good form of exercise. Many Parisians would love to own a bike, but have nowhere to store it. Problem solved! As for the tourists, it’ll be a fun and new way of discovering Paris. The only people I hear complaining, besides the cab drivers, are the other motorists. They hate the fact that their road space is being swallowed up by bike paths, but as the saying goes, you can’t please all the people all of the time.
The first half hour is free, and what’s great about it is, going at a normal pace, most cyclists can easily reach their destination within that period of time. If you need to hop off and go into a shop for example, no problem, there will be 30,000 anti-theft parking places were you can hook up your bike and leave it.
The way it works is you buy a Velib Card or Ticket for either a year, a week, or a day at one of their stations. If you subscribe for a year (29 €), you have an unlimited number of rides for the year, with the first 30 minutes free. If you go over the limit, your card is deducted much like a debit card.
The weekly ticket is 5 €, the one day is 1 €, which works roughly the same way; if you go over the 30 minutes alloted, the price is 1 €, over the second 30 minutes, 2 €, afterwards each additonal 30 minutes is 4 €.
Have fun riding around Paris, and imagine being able to eat all this wonderful French food and not putting on a pound when you get back home! Don’t forget the rules of the road; on many of the larger avenues there are traffic lights, and signs, just for cyclists that you need to follow, no riding on the sidewalks, and pedestrians have the right of way!
Photo Credits: Flickr
Tags: b5media, Belib-Ticket, bicycles, bikes, cyclists, les-puces, paris, Paris-Traveler, the paris traveler, travel, Vacation, Velib-CardRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Family Fun, Getting Around, Outdoor Activites, Sport & Recreation, Things To See & Do
6 opinions for Cyclists in Paris
Clara
May 22, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Oh…I would love to try that out! Are some of the stations near the Metro?
Lynn
May 22, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Yes, like the one at Place du Châtelet. You can click here, Velib, and see where a number of stations are being built.
Karine
May 23, 2007 at 6:37 am
This “great idea” actually comes from Lyon, where it has been successfully implemented in 2005.
Velo’V was actually a proposal from the company putting up the ads on the bus stops etc when they renegociated their contract with the city. Detractors say we have to put up with more ads and boards as a result - though I haven’t personally noticed anything. What I’ve noticed though is how easy the system is to use and how many bike stations have sprung up everywhere.
And ironically, a system devised by a company to help them keep making money actually ends up costing them more than they expected because of its success. I find that cool :)
Mary Jo
May 23, 2007 at 9:43 am
What a great idea! I just bought a bike and am getting back into the habit. Something like this, where I didn’t have to worry about all the details, would greatly encourage me.
Lynn
May 24, 2007 at 4:27 am
Thanks for the info Karine; not only cool, but interesting!
Lynn
May 24, 2007 at 4:32 am
I think that the success that Karine mentioned in Lyon will also be true for Paris, and it’s a great way to visit the city, Mary Jo!
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