Vélib' - coolest thing ever!

Vélib' is everywhere around Paris.  Short for "vélo libre" - "free bike" or "bike freedom" - the Vélib' bike share public transport program has dozens of bikes every few blocks for the taking.  Just swipe your credit card or your NaviGo (the public transport electronic card for metro, bus, and now, bike! - a seamless public transport system), and grab a bike from its rack.  It's free for the first 30 minutes, and nominal, increasing rates thereafter (to ensure the bikes are in circulation).  You do need to register for a program charge of a day, a week, or a year - also nominal rates. The bikes are sturdy - almost moped-like - and have a front LED-headlight charged by pedaling.

The program is run through a private-public partnership, in which the municipal government has partnered with JC Decaux to develop and build the bike station infrastructure, provide and maintain the bikes, and run the program, in exchange for a good proportion of the city's' advertising billboards.  Apparently, the city gets revenue and social benefit, and the presumably, the advertising corporation does, as well, or it would not be in it.  The program has not been without some kinks, and costs and revenue have been re-negotiated between the two parties, as noted in the Wiki link above.  But I'm quite impressed with the win-win here.

People use Vélib' everywhere, and the bikes have become an integral part of Paris street traffic circulation,  composed of  pedestrians, buses, cars, mopeds, motorcycles, and vélos.   Unfortunatley, there are a few hurdles for the short-term American visitor to try out Vélib'.  American credit cards are not fitted with the microchip so prevalent in Europe (and required to access the system at the Vélib' kiosk), and acquiring NavigoGo pass requires some bureaucratic hurdles (like registering your card) - just enough of a deterrent to really make it worth it to try out over a few days Paris visit.

I'm pleased and proud to say that DC also as a public bike share program, albeit quite a bit smaller.  SmartBike only has about 10 stations with 15 bikes each in central downtown for an annual unlimited subscription fee of $40; whereas Vélib' has thousands of bikes, over 1400 station of 20 bikes each!  Still kudos to Washington for trying something so cool.