Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks? It's
healthy for you as well as for your pocket and for the environment.
And it can be combined with public transportation for greater
flexibility.
Well, Paris is just making that possible, but France is the site of
the Tour de France. That surely is behind that overdue decision. But
hey, we do have a champion or two to show. And we even have some
politicians who are into bicycling and not SUVing.
Reality check, it ain't happening here in your lifetime. Too many
vested interests.
That would take a revolution, but that's another subject...
"Official Washington likes to think that it is bicycle-friendly. But
we often hear a different story, involving dodging bricks, menacing
drivers, annoying registrations, and brazen theives. For all but the
most hardcore cyclists among us, the thought of negotiating D.C.'s
streets on two wheels is harrowing, which is a shame. Washington is
blessed with compact development, historic neighborhoods, and
beautiful scenery which may be a bit spread out to enjoy on foot, but
is easily covered by bike. Many who would love to tour the miles
between Arlington Cemetary and the Capitol and beyond on two wheels
are relegated to tour busses and Metro, which both limits their
mobility and annoys the hell out of commuters. So, in the spirit of
the upcoming Bike to Work Day on May 18, we pass on a solution from
across the pond: municipal bikes.
In Paris, city officials have long wrestled with similar issues:
Thousands of sightseers filling the roads with cars (and the air with
exhaust) while attempting to visit its many historic sites. In
response, the Parisian goverment is launching an effort this summer to
provide cheap rental bikes. Lots of them.
Quoted message said:From WaPo:
On July 15, the day after Bastille Day, Parisians will wake up to
discover thousands of low-cost rental bikes at hundreds of high-tech
bicycle stations scattered throughout the city, an ambitious program
to cut traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking and enhance the
city's image as a greener, quieter, more relaxed place.
By the end of the year, organizers and city officials say, there
should be 20,600 bikes at 1,450 stations -- or about one station every
250 yards across the entire city. Based on experience elsewhere --
particularly in Lyon, France's third-largest city, which launched a
similar system two years ago -- regular users of the bikes will ride
them almost for free.
At first, we cringe at the thought of hundreds of street-clogging lost
tourists and a cottage industry of bike thefts. With more examination,
though, there's a lot to like. Providing bikes in those numbers
creates a critical mass that changes the way the city deals with them
-- pushing DDOT to crate a more continuous and extensive bike network
in the city. Streets and paths appropriate for bikers would get even
more so, which pulls bicycles off of streets that aren't, lessening
the dangerous competition with autos.
In Denmark, Copenhagen's City Bikes program has been established for
years, resulting in huge shifts in transportation, pollution, and the
city's image. As for theft, both Copenhagen and Helsinki's bicycle
programs have actually reduced it. The free bike use provided by the
program both eliminates the need for theft and removes a considerable
market for resale.
Now that we've got a triathlete Mayor, isn't it time to get Washington
some bikes?"
http://www.dcist.com/2007/05/02/what_were_missi.php
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