If The People Of Paris Cannot Be Trusted To Share Bikes, How Can We Trust You, Philly?
Remember last year, when we all had visions of a Philly Bike Share dancing in our heads? Well, as the Bike Share Philadelphia folks gather steam, they may want to take a look at Paris for examples of what not to do. In this piece in Saturday’s NYT, we learn that, out of the 20,600 bicycles initially rolled out for Paris’ Vélib’ groundbreaking bike sharing program, 80% are severely damaged or stolen. The reason? Good ol’ class wars, just like we have here:
The heavy, sandy-bronze Vélib’ bicycles are seen as an accoutrement of the “bobos,” or “bourgeois-bohèmes,” the trendy urban middle class, and they stir resentment and covetousness. They are often being vandalized in a socially divided Paris by resentful, angry or anarchic youth, the police and sociologists say.
We could swear we some of these kids on Saturday night. Anyway, another part of the problem is that bikes might be a little too tricked out: Each one reportedly costs $3,500, so you can see how they might as well have giant “STEAL ME” signs on them. On the other hand, there’s a lot of good things to be learned from Vélib’: Its primary business model is to make money from the billboards that are at each Vélib’ rental station, and a good cut of that dough goes straight to the city. Now, if somebody could only figure out a way to do this without running afoul of our likewise resentful, angry or anarchic youth. Le sigh.
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
My favorite part:
“The heavy, sandy-bronze Vélib’ bicycles are seen as an accoutrement of the “bobos,” or “bourgeois-bohèmes,” the trendy urban middle class, and they stir resentment and covetousness.”
Or, in American: HIPSTERS!
I can see it now: Hipsters in Fishtown and Northern Liberties complaining how their bike from the Philly Bike Share was stolen from outside the crappy rundown building they parked in front of.
Oh, the LULZ! The lulz will be EPIC!
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Paris, c’est pourquoi vous ne pouvez pas avoir des choses gentilles.
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I love bikes and stuff, but bikeshare seems like a weird concept for a city the size and likeness of Philly. I can’t understand who it would serve: Center City is as walkable as downtowns get and anyone who needs a bike in town can already easily bring bikes into town on SEPTA or leave em downtown overnight (the plaza in back of 1515 Market is a huge unofficial downtown bike pod for train commuters.) And for anyone living in the city, the cost of a bike is pretty low, so I’m not sure why anyone would bother with a share program. Wouldn’t the bikeshare effort be better spent on more bike racks, “share the road” signs, bike lanes, etc?
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I’m not surprised by Paree’ and their lack of success with this.
Paris ain’t just poodles, baguettes, & wine.
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Shouldn’t the logo look more like this?
http://i37.tinypic.com/2dily1c.jpg
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
uh oh, trouble in socialist paradise.
Imagine that
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Class wars are actually way worse in France than here–remember those riots in the Paris ‘burbs a couple years back? And anarchism in Europe tends to be a real lifestyle, not just a fashion decision.
@arcticsplasher, I think a bike share would be great for plugging the holes in SEPTA. It would be awesome to take the Sub down to South St, bike over to QV, then cab it home, for example.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Paris is still one of the best bike sharing cities in the world. This year it has expanded by 3000 more bikes (not replacements) and 300 new stations in 30 suburban communities around Paris. Steven Erlangers article in Saturday’s NY Times was not as factual as it should have been. The $3500 per bike was the cost of installing the program, that is putting in all the stations, the office, the computers, the employees, the maintenance shops, the “green” maintenance vehicles, everything!
At up to 150,000 bike usages a day, if ten percent replaced automobiles trips, which would be 15,000 less cars on the street a day. Also with 150,000 usages a day there got to be damage and theft. What was not reported is the 150 bikes are recovered every day. Even with the Vélib’s blemishes, and with our own bourgeois-bohèmes of Center City riding them, a bike sharing program like Vélib’ in Philadelphia would reduce traffic congestion, reduces CO₂ emissions, maybe help with our overweight population. It could change Philadelphia into a better city while adding a little change into the city’s coffers!www.bikesharephiladelphia.org