Cycling City - France

Oct 2006
In Lyon, an intriguing collaboration between private enterprise and the city council has slashed car usage and improved residents' health. Now, there are plans to introduce the scheme in other cities.
Using a prepaid card, residents can rent city bikes for free for the first half hour. The scheme is funded by advertising company, JC Decaux, in exchange for exclusive access to the city's public billboards. "We had to offer 2,000 bicycles, 200 bike stations, a server and all the maintenance", explains a JC Decaux spokesman. "But if our calculations are correct, advertising revenues will be about the same as expenses for the bike scheme." As scheme designer, Jacques Le Gars, predicts: "In five years time, it'll be common to see this kind of program in most major cities throughout the world."
Produced by SBS/Dateline
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

[@pwphoenix02]

Si la traduction est mauvaise je suis désolée, j'emploie le babelfish. Tellement à quelle distance le cycliste moyen monte-t-il pour obtenir de travailler où ces vélos sont disponibles ? Je vis dans les banlieues de Chicago dans les états, et je voyage environ 15 milles chaque manière en voiture. Je pense que ceci peut fonctionner en 5-10 ans, notre & de ville ; les banlieues ne sont pas comme vélo amical comme villes d'oher en Europe. Merci !

[@amolry]

i live in india pune & iam thinking that i am living in hell

[@Anthony_in_Bloomington_Indiana]

The student said she can ride bicycles for an entire year for just 10 euros. At universities in the United States, the students get ripped off for everything! Just the books can cost $800 a year! I just read an article that said the average American student graduates $22,000 to $26,000 in debt. One side effect is doctors and teachers are not taking jobs in rural areas because the pay is too low to earn a living and pay back those horrendous student loans.

[@andrew097]

We have this system in Dublin and its wonderful . Just one of the nicest things you can do is to cycle a bike in town. Why do I cycle? Its fast often usually faster then cars and buses in a city. The journey is always door to door. Its good value the money spent on cars that devalue each year is amazing. Its social and democratic it also shows my sense of self worth is not tied to "my car is bigger then your car" Its easy and comfortable

[@KrunchyJD]

@pwphoenix02 Thats because American cities are designed around the car! It is the worst town planning concept around. The car, offers itself as a solution to a problem that it created! What the hell are Americans going to do after peak oil.. Dont get me wrong I sympathise. It's not right! What they should do is offer cheap car free housing in the inner city to compensate. That is, if they had any brains!

[@harshbarj]

@cobraman96 , so it is wrong for someone to want to better the country? I am so glad that you and those like you are loosing this battle as more bicycle lanes are laid and more bike share programs spring up. If you want to be stuck in the 1950's that's fine. The rest of us will move into the future and ride our bikes!

[@pwphoenix02]

If the translation is bad I am sorry, I am using babel fish. So how far does the average biker ride to get to work where these bikes are available? I live in the suburbs of Chicago in the states, and I travel around 15 miles each way by car. I think this may work in 5-10 years, our city & suburbs are not as bike friendly as oher cities in Europe. Thanks!

[@tibidibtibo]

J'utilise le Vélo'v tous les jours (50 vélos par mois) et, je confirme : c'est génial!

[@nonfictions]

Great comment about the US needing this for the obesity crisis. And honestly, it's time that the US was more progressive and actually doing things to show that we care about our citizen's health and the health of the world. I'd love to see become popular in the US (and around the world).

[@paulinotou]

most new yorkers dont have cars. they walk. thats because the traffic is really bad there. and a bike wont bring you 100 miles to wiork every day. the US has a lot of suburbs so this wont work as good here. but it would be pretty cool. my question though is why dont they get their own bikes?

[@sativasteve420]

the problem with implementing this system in other cities, countries, is that most American cities are set up for cars and vehicles not bicycles! European cities are a lot older and therfore built smaller and more compact, ie better suited for bikes.

[@timewillprove]

@abarzilai664 No disrespect, but..... it's a state of mind, anyone can exercise anywhere. No matter how much people help with bikes or whatever people have to want to do it, and also they must want to stop eating rubbish food.

[@marcelomena]

Indeed, this worked because of funding from private companies trading it for publicity. That brings continuous maintenance. If you do it, do it right. Incomplete implementations yield setbacks for biking for years. Good video.

[@JoskiiWoskii]

I agree that the US should adopt this idea, however I think there would be a HUGE problem with people stealing the things and never returning them. It really is an eco/physical-friendly system though.

[@harshbarj]

@cobraman96, I ride my bike in the winter and live west of Chicago. Obviously mail and cargo will still need to go by motor vehicle, but your average person can get by with a bicycle for most trips.

[@KrunchyJD]

This is great, but there is one possible problem. What if some scumbag in a car runs into you, and it is not your fault, and the bike is wrecked. You should not have to pay for that, the car driver should.

[@cobraman96]

@streamdvd What? But wait, I thought we yanks were supposed to be more europeon? Do you mean to tell me the streets ar'nt lined w/gold and it does'nt rain chocolate? Lmfao @ you socialist.

[@sircarl56]

This will work in the U.S. only if bike paths are safe to ride. I bike here in southern California and I am constantly sobered by the frequent sight of impromptu roadside memorials marking the location of a recent biking fatality.

[@Indestructible229]

@rudeawakeningxxx actually no, many countries in Europe have higher poverty rates and low wealth than America. Look at Romania for example.

[@trevpine]

They tried in in Toronto but it did not work because of the theft of the bikes and there was not alot of funding from the city.

[@drewmckdotcom]

Much better system than in amsterdam, it seems, where personal bikes clog the streets everywhere.

[@callunas]

I am both socially and economically conservative but I love commuting by bike.

[@henday750]

so we meet again 240p...ok...I won't give up, let's see...

[@kentcyclist]

cyclist dont pay road tax so shouldnt be allowed

[@JackJarman]

Basically what London did with the Boris Bike!

[@VegardMinde]

A bicycle idea recycled (lol).

[@inferno0020]

I love this video!

[@vipersian]

Iran needs that.

[@mikehoe]

Wonderful in so many ways!