Video: The Velib Project

More on the Vélib Project: this video shows the bicycles in action during the opening week. The Vélib was an instant success with Parisians clocking one million rides by the end of week two.

The video is presented by Eric Britton, founder of the Paris-based New Mobility Agenda, who says "I have looked at more than a thousand transportation projects around the world over the last 30 years…and this is the best project I have ever seen."

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

More Bike-Sharing Photos From Paris

By Jason Varone |
Luc Nadal of the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy snapped these photos of Parisians utilizing Velib, their city’s popular new bike-sharing service. As Eric Britton, founder of the Paris-based New Mobility Agenda notes in this video, the first half hour of bike rental is free.

Reports of Vélib’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated

By Ben Fried |
A recent BBC story describes the severity of theft and vandalism faced by Vélib, Paris's wildly popular bike-share network, as a mortal threat to the system. So is Vélib destined to burn brightly only to flare out after a short time? Hardly. Vélib is here to stay, according to officials and transportation experts familiar with the details of its operations.

Paris Wins the ITDP Sustainable Transport Award

By Jason Varone |
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has chosen Paris for its 2008 Sustainable Transportation Award. In a letter from the ITDP Board of Directors to Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, the Institute praises the French capitol’s recent transportation policies, most notably the Vélib project: Under your leadership, Paris has implemented a range of innovative mobility […]

How Happy Are Parisians With Vélib?

By Brad Aaron |
  The latest figures from the Paris Vélib bike sharing program are in. User stats and survey results are posted on the official web site, but for those who don’t parlez Français, here’s a summary: Rides to date: 20 million Average trips/day: 70,000 Average trip time: 18 minutes 190,000 annual pass holders 42% of users […]

Happy Birthday, Vélib

By Aaron Naparstek |
Here’s another transportation policy success story from France. The Vélib bike-sharing system celebrates its one-year anniversary today. In April, Streetfilms’ Elizabeth Press was in Paris to learn more about it. Here is her video and report: On July 15, 2007 Paris debuted the world’s largest self-service "bicycle transit system" called Vélib outdoing previously designed bike […]

How Paris is Beating Traffic Without Congestion Pricing

By Ben Fried |
Biking by the Seine during car-free hours on the Georges Pompidou Expressway. The mayor of a global metropolis, elected to his first term in 2001, set out to reduce driving and promote greener modes of transportation in his city. Congestion pricing turned out to be unfeasible, because influential political forces in the suburbs believed, rightly […]