Vélib bike scheme

Oli's slipping... uh oh...

Too much playing with the hipsters, not enough LCC meetings..

Haha, I couldn't go to LCC's meeting with the project manager the week before last, but then I didn't have to. Luxury.

Is very much a go according to TFL.
6000 bikes at 400 locations launching May next year. A bike docking station every 300 metres within roughly the same area as the tube Zone 1 is now. Expect lots of collisions with lost cyclists.

Hard to make it an unattributed rumour when its on TFL's homepage.

Announced schemes can be cancelled, y'know. Titan jails anyone?

Anyway, to spoonfeed the story to you - the newsworthy bit of my gossip was that someone is actually making a serious bid to run the scheme - which rather squares with the chatter about how all the scare stories about the broken Paris bikes were just a cynical ploy by JCDecaux to extract more money. After all, if it were such a losing gamble why would people be bidding on it here? etc etc etc.

And of course it's hardly headline news, that's why I'm only posting it on a bike-geek forum.

So did they find someone?

I think all the bids should have been submitted by now, I haven't heard if the selection has been made though.

I hear Texaco and BP are bidding for the sponsorship.

So they can make all the bikes petrol-powered? :)

That's the plan...

London scheme seems to be progressing - planning permission (Westminster) request popped through my door last night.

proposed location (I think) is also shown below - It is about 5-10 mins walk from Marylebone station.

2 Attachments

• cycle_hire_planning.pdf
• 

they are up and running in Bristol now, look alright not too heavy for punters (I wouldnt be seen dead on one though)

Not going so well in Paris it seems:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/europe/31bikes.html?_r=2&hpw=&pagewanted=all

80% of the fleet stolen or vandalised.

Contract for the Melbourne scheme granted to the RACV.

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/racv-free-bike-scheme-includes-brumby-branding-20091101-hrmu.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afE44cHNkEg&feature=player_embedded

Awesome! http://videos.lefigaro.fr/video/iLyROoafMFvP.html

Contract for the Melbourne scheme granted to the RACV.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/racv-free-bike-scheme-includes-brumby-branding-20091101-hrmu.html

The Royal AUTOMOBILE Club Victoria.

Fail.

That article also indicates that it can cost £2.50 a day to subscribe. Prohibative cost fail too....

Anyway, its got to be better than Connex/MyKi... surely. When I was back earlier this year, they had installed the machines at various station and the ones at parkdale/mentone had already been set on fire.

Used the velibs in Nantes in France recently. Worked well, jumping on and off for short journeys. And credit card statement has just come up with 83p for the day. Bargain!