Monday 29 September 2008

Paris bicycles

Every few months, My Eco Self has a renewed desire to get a bicycle, but then I remember that I don't have anywhere to keep it, unless I want to drag it up my stairs, and, most of the places I go to I can walk to (I will never become a fully fledged bicycle commuter, I'm accident prone.)

I wish London had a scheme like the the Velib scheme in Paris. There are various bicycle stops around the city where you can pick up and drop off the bicycles - for a minimal fee. The bikes are great too - they have everything you need; a basket, lights, and locks. I saw lots of people using them, although it seems that French cyclists don't use helmets. People of France, that is a mistake! Although there are some allocated bicycle lanes, there still seemed to be some pretty risky manouvres going on - not least because cycling in high heels (as lots of the French women were doing) seems like a recipe for disaster.

4 comments:

Jack said...

They just started a similar program here in Washington DC. Not that I will ever use it (have my own bike), but lets hope its successful.

J

http://adventuresinvoluntarysimplicity.blogspot.com/

Allie said...

It is a wonderful program. I hope it starts happening everywhere.

Sharon J said...

They have the same sort of scheme in my old 'home town' in Norway (Drammen). Very handy and yes, London ought to do it too (and the other UK major cities)

Anonymous said...

I need a bike when I go to Europe