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City of lights...and bikes
15/07/2007 22:08 - (SA)
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| ECO-FRIENDLY TRANSPORT: A rider uses a new bicycle to get around Paris to counter pollution. (Laurent Baheux, AP)
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Paris - The city of light has put the wheels in motion for more eco-friendly transport when more than 10 000 gleaming grey bicycles went up for rental at hundreds of stations across the city.
The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, unveiled the bicycle rental scheme to encourage residents and tourists to pedal their way along the Seine, past the Louvre and around the Eiffel Tower, cutting back traffic and reducing pollution.
The new service called Velib will "bring to Paris lovers a bit more air, a bit more innovation and as its name suggests, a lot more liberty," Delanoe said at a ceremony to launch the scheme.
Velib, a contraction of the French words "velo" (bike) and "liberte" (freedom), is modelled on a successful scheme in the city of Lyon run by advertising giant JC Decaux.
Paris is joining such European cities as Barcelona, Geneva, Stockholm, Oslo and Vienna that offer bicycle rental to try to reduce the number of cars in big cities, improve air quality and provide a fun alternative to the metro.
About 13 000 people in Paris have already signed up for an annual pass, allowing them to pick up a bicycle equipped with a large basket at one of the 750 rental stations.
- AFP
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