Now this is what I would call a "Platinum" bike-friendly approach
Uncategorized July 16th, 2007
Paris has initiated a program for short term (30 minute increment) bike rentals, at automated kiosks throughout the city. There are over 10,000 bikes available, and you access them by purchasing a year-long pass for about $40.00. The kiosks are opened with your cell phone, and record your information to prevent theft.
Here’s the article, from cnn.com.
February 25th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
The link no longer works and better then CNN reports abound.
The UA program is very very sad. IN fact Paris uses a vendor who makes electrified work bikes even if they didn’t adopt them initially.
Awaiting moderation is a comment from me about a recent sighting of one of hte local rentals, not to be confused with the ones rented near campus on speedway, kolb and broadway, broadway and wilmot, etc.
It was very very very poor in it’s quality given the potential. I don’t mean heavy/durable. I mean the user was obviously not trained in how to lock it, it was not likely to give a good ride, leave a borrower with a fair sense of what biking offers, or most importantly have them return it with a mind as open mind to owning or using a competitive ultralight vehicle to those massive monsters known as ‘cars.’
Specifically though the fleet model, as presently and prior to bikes even including for the general public not just formal community, when for the car, provides a much more expensive then normal, a hybrid, choice. For bikes it should be the same. The alternative to spending too many dollars should be dollars, not pennies, if it is to actually prevail. Whether for transit or affordable electric, or one passenger, bike lane allowed, multiuse path legal, health promoting instead of all planet sacrificing, choice means comparable choice.
For many it should be cheaper to without subsidy rent a $2,000 electric bike then to own exclusively a old motor-less and high rolling resistance even without cargo toy.