Learning from Paris: Making City Bicycling Convenient
Today’s New York Times has a great story on the Parisian bike share program, Velib, which just completed its first year in operation. In just twelve months, the program has increased bicycle use 25% (~120,000 rides per day) without costing the city a penny. An advertising firm has contributed the bicycles and agreed to maintain the 20,000 bikes for exclusive rights to ~1,600 billboards. As I move into New York City next week, I am eager to see if such a plan could work in the Big Apple — and many other cities around the country struggling to lower transport expenses and address climate change.
By putting bike stations within 300 yards of each other throughout central Paris, people can take short trips (up to 30 minutes) for free after paying a small annual fee of ~$45. This would be a great program for Manhattan, giving people the option to ride to school, work and play all year long for the price of a few taxi cab rides. As plaNYC improves our bicycle lanes through key corridors, such a bike share program would ensure those lanes get used and it would give people a great alternative into the uncertain oil future that may bring us $8+ per gallon gasoline within a few short years. We could start the program in bike-friendly neighborhoods as a pilot (including Upper East Side please 
) and then expand it throughout the City.
The article shared a key challenge for the program: to safely add tens of thousands of bicycle commuters to busy automobile-dominated streets. For instance, during the 27.5 million Velib trips, three deaths have occurred from collisions with trucks and buses. Increased use of helmets, bike lane infrastructure improvements, and basic information for cyclists and drivers on sharing the road can raise the program’s safety.
I hope cities throughout the US can learn from Paris and bring a convenient, cheap and environmentally beneficial transport option closer to their residents and visitors.