Vélib bike scheme

There's an interesting piece in The Times today about that bike rent scheme in Paris and how it's taking off - particularly with the young and single....

http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/charles_bremner/2007/09/sex-and-the-par.html

I believe it is part of a quid-pro-quo deal where Vélib's parent company get control of outdoor advertising space in Paris.
Vélib can't run at a profit.

Still would be funny to have a go on one.

Ha, i was wondering what JCDecaux was getting from setting this all up now it's well clear. So much for what they call "street furniture" huh.

wait...in france bikes can get me dates?!

I was in Paris a month after this started (July) and there were SO many of these around. It was amazing, thousands and thousands of them, with the pods for them every half mile or so. It was amazing that after a month of it being there, they already had so many in use. There were teams with lorries redistributing them around the city centre too.

it's the best thing ever.
Loving it each time I go to Paris - have not tried one yet tho.

Right, bumping up a verrrrry old thread - Consultation on the London cyclehire scheme for those that are interested:

Deets of the scheme itself in case you weren't already aware of it,
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/cycling/cycle-hire-scheme/

And a map of proposed docking stations in SE1
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/whatson/event/6373/mayor-of-londons-cycle-hire-scheme-consultation

And just got emailed this:

MAYOR OF LONDON'S CYCLE HIRE SCHEME CONSULTATION
Wednesday 25 February
5pm-7.30pm at Johanna Primary School, off Lower Marsh
The Mayor of London is planning to launch a cycle hire
scheme in central London in May 2010.

Planning applications
and traffic management orders for docking stations in North
Lambeth will be submitted this spring. Find out more at this
consultation event.

Pinched from another forum, here's the answers to some of the questions posed at the Mayor's Questions about the velib scheme:

http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2009/03/mayors-questions-0209-on-yer-bike.html

Main flaw appears to be that to prevent theft of the bikes, you have to lock them at a docking station (they don't come equiped with their own lock), which make's 'em pretty impractical unless you bring your own lock.

No idea how reliable the source is though.

It'll never work in London

What makes you say that Graham? Too many thieving scousers? ;p

Main flaw appears to be that to prevent theft of the bikes, you have to lock them at a docking station (they don't come equiped with their own lock), which make's 'em pretty impractical unless you bring your own lock.

.

That's strange cos you don't need a lock in Paris. There's a kind of slot on the frame down near the bb and it slots into the docking mount and clips in, they only way to get it out is when someone else comes along and takes it out with the correct method ie an 'oyster' style top up card which is individual to each user

What makes you say that Graham? Too many thieving scousers? ;p

What in London?? It's more likely to be the.......Ahh fuck it!

Smirk.

Personally, I think that the idea of easily available bikes is marvellous but I am scared stiff of the consequences of tourists (used to riding/driving on the right) and inexperienced cyclists playing with HGVs. Unless the HGV problem is resolved, this could turn into a massacre

Clive, I've used 'em in far worse states in cities around Europe - Budapest for example - its the way p!ssed up students get home.

Clive, I've used 'em in far worse states in cities around Europe - Budapest for example - its the way p!ssed up students get killed.

I bet

I read somewhere that alot of those Paris bikes have gone missing, despite them being built with parts that are not interchangeable with normal bike parts to prevent theft. Apparently some of them have been found as far away as Australia!

^It was probably here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7881079.stm
or maybe here:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/is-vlibs-provider-crying-wolf-20416
over half have gone missing apparently
there's some great youtube postings as well on the "velib extreme" craze

isn't it a statistics fail? Half of the original fleet needed bits or all replacing, but that % as a proportion of the whole fleet is quite small. Percentile Face.

Now Melbourne is getting into the act..
http://www.theage.com.au/national/budget-to-peddle-5m-bike-hire-plan-20090502-aquq.html

Apparently they're even building some new train lines in Melb too. I guess the dumb shits finally worked out that spiraling fuel prices were making car-only suburbs a 'bit silly'.

Very much unattributably, I know someone who was involved very recently in putting a bid together for the scheme in London, so it seems like it's still on the table...

Very much unattributably, I know someone who was involved very recently in putting a bid together for the scheme in London, so it seems like it's still on the table...

Yes, it's still very much on the table (and would be a bit of a major shock if it wasn't).

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.

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

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

Funny.. as at April 29th they were looking for sponsorship..
http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:SsHnugIHtlYJ:http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/11591.aspx+London+Cycle+Hire+scheme&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a
*
As the Capital gears up for the launch of its hotly anticipated Cycle Hire scheme, the search has begun for a suitable sponsor.* * Our selected sponsor will have a unique opportunity to promote their brand to a massive public audience *
Peter Hendy, London's Commissioner of Transport

                                                    *From May 2010, people will be able to pick up and drop off **hire** bikes at 400 locations across the nine **London** boroughs and several Royal Parks that make up London's Zone 1 travel area.*

*An initial 6,000 hire bikes are expected to support around 40,000 extra daily cycle trips in central London.*

So did they find someone?